Natural Gas

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Natural gas also called fossil gas or simply gas is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and helium are also usually present.[1] Methane is colorless and odorless, so odorizes such as mercaptan which smells like sulfur or rotten eggs are commonly added to natural gas supplies for safety so that leaks can be readily detected. Natural gas is a fossil fuel and non-renewable resource that is formed when layers of organic matter primarily marine microorganisms decompose under anaerobic conditions and are subjected to intense heat and pressure underground over millions of years. The energy that the decayed organisms originally obtained from the sun via photosynthesis is stored as chemical energy within the molecules of methane and other hydrocarbons.  Natural gas can be burned for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals and less commonly used as a fuel for vehicles. Natural gas can be found in underground geological formations, often alongside other fossil fuels like coal and oil petroleum. Most natural gas has been created through either biogenic or thermo genic processes. Biogenic gas is formed when methanogen organisms in marshes, bogs, landfills, and shallow sediments anaerobically decompose but are not subjected to high temperatures and pressures. Thermo genic gas takes a much longer period of time to form and is created when organic matter is heated and compressed deep underground.