How Is Natural Gas Recovered From the Ground?

Detection

• Due to the expense of drilling thousands of feet for natural gas, geologists must take care to identify gas deposits beforehand. Sound-wave reflections and indications of gravitational changes can reveal potential stores of underground gas. The gas may sit in isolation or on a pool of petroleum.

Drilling

• Drillers must carve through a hard "dome" of non-porous rock to reach the porous rock containing the natural gas, according to the NaturalGas.org website. The pressurized gas then shoots up through the hole for collection by workers. Underground shale or coal deposits also can contain natural gas.

Deep-Sea Possibilities

• Scientists believe that huge stores of natural gas, in the form of methane, may exist on the ocean floor, trapped in sediment, according to the National Ocean Industries Association. Future drillers may find ways to tap this supply, which has the potential to meet the entire world's gas needs.