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There’s one basic reason the world has focused so much lately on Iran, its neighbors in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. That reason is oil.
But until I heard from energy resources scholar Scott L. Montgomery, I didn’t give much thought to why, in fact, there is so much oil and natural gas in that specific area. He provides a clear explanation of the geologic forces and history that have combined to make the Persian Gulf region the best place on the planet to find and extract petroleum products.
His description has helped me understand why, as he put it, “roughly half of the world’s conventional oil reserves and 40% of its gas lie beneath just 3% of the Earth’s land surface.” And there might be even more beneath the surface than that.
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Oil wells in the Persian Gulf region are among the most productive in the world.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Scott L. Montgomery, University of Washington
For sheer abundance and ease of production of oil and natural gas, it simply doesn’t get any better than the Persian Gulf region.
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Kirsten Matoy Carlson, Wayne State University
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Menika Dirkson, Morgan State University
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Environment + Energy
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Renee Obringer, Penn State; Dave White, Arizona State University
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Science + Technology
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Magdalena Stawkowski, University of South Carolina
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Economy + Business
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Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui, Coastal Carolina University; Patrick van Esch, Coastal Carolina University
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Sandy Hershcovis, University of Calgary; Ivana Vranjes, Tilburg University; Lilia M. Cortina, University of Michigan; Zhanna Lyubykh, Simon Fraser University
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Health + Medicine
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Jessica A.J. Rich, Marquette University
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