Just a random question from someone with basically no scientific knowledge...... If 200,000 gallons of oil is leaking from the earth daily, what is filling that gap it's creating? If it continues, could we potentially see a collapse of any sort? Can someone explain?
There is no void. The oil is in the pore space of the sedimentary rock; there is no vast cave where the oil is and the rock is not supported by the oil (this is not strictly true for all rocks and all oil fields, but the effect is minor). In addition, the oil will be replaced by water, which will be either pumped in to flush out oil (not the case in the Gulf of Mexico, I might add!), or just from the water that is in the pore space below the oil. Moreover, CO2 can also be used to increase the extraction rate of oil in some wells, killing two birds with one stone. There is no prospect of a collapse of any sort.
There are different types of oil wells. Some are like have been stated already but there's also the pool or reservoir type as well. Both type are shown in this diagram. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Collapse is too strong a word, but subsidence of the land above oilfields is quite common. The extent of the collapse will depend upon the volume of hydrocarbons extracted and the permeability of rocks in the area that will control the rate at which the extracted oil can be replaced, as well as the intrinsic strength of the rock.
