Crude Oil Collection 6 Vials , Info Sheet, IGA Slide
Brand : Sciencemall-USA
- SKU:
- JPT-55109
- Condition:
- New
- Availability:
- Usually ships in 24 hours.
- Weight:
- 1.00 LBS
- Minimum Purchase:
- 1 unit
- Maximum Purchase:
- 3 units
- Shipping:
- Calculated at Checkout
Six Crude Oil Vials and a Vintage Petroleum IGA Microslide
This collection brings together five crude oils from four countries and a natural solid, gilsonite, from Utah, each sealed in its own leakproof, numbered, and labeled vial that matches its ID number to the box chart. It also includes one vintage IGA petroleum micropaleontology microslide, pairing the oil itself with the microfossils. Biostratigraphy using microfossils remains a routine tool in petroleum exploration, not a historical relic. Seismic imaging and wireline logs have taken over much of subsurface mapping, but microfossils still answer questions those methods can't.
Details About This Crude Oil Collection
Crude oil isn't one substance. Depending on where it formed, it can be thin and amber or thick and nearly black, sweet or high in sulfur. This set helps you see those differences side by side:
- #1 Empire Crude, Louisiana Gulf Coast
- #2 California Valley Crude, San Joaquin Valley
- #3 Arabian Heavy, Saudi Arabia
- #4 Bachaquero Crude, Venezuela
- #5 Maya Heavy, Mexico Gulf
- #6 Gilsonite, Bonanza, Utah
The included microslide shows foraminifera; geologists used these microfossils to date rock layers and match them from well to well, which is how they knew when a drill bit had reached oil-bearing strata. The accompanying handout, "An Example of Why Depth Matters," shows why a few dozen feet of depth can change everything.
Crude Oil Collection Product Information
| Collection | Five crude oils (Louisiana, California, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Mexico) and one natural solid bitumen (gilsonite, Utah) |
| Microslide Content | Foraminifera, individually picked per cell, from Inter-Gulf Area (IGA) petroleum settings, Gulf of Mexico; each microslide is similar yet different |
| Preparation | Each specimen is sealed in a numbered vial and set in a six-cell tray; vintage foraminifera microslide mounted in a professional 60-cell aluminum-framed microslide |
| Dimensions and Weight |
Box 5" X 7" X 1 1/2", vials 1 1/8" long x 5/8 diameter inches, IGA Microslide 1 1/8" L X 1 1/8" W X 1/8" D, 10 g total |
| Photographic Notes | Microslide close-ups taken at 5× magnification. NOTE: Each microslide is similar yet different; none of them are copies |
| Science Gift Options | An excellent gift for earth science teachers, petroleum and energy industry professionals, geology students, and collectors |
| What's Included | Six-vial crude oil collection box with tray, 8-page information booklet about each vial specimen in the collection; one vintage IGA microslide, Certificate of Authenticity, educational handout “An Example of Why Depth Matters: 143ft vs 191ft” (brass scale cube shown in photos is not included) |
| Cautions and Safety | Vials are shipped sealed. Crude oil is flammable and contains compounds that are harmful if swallowed or inhaled. Keep away from heat and out of reach of young children. For display and study only. |
| Provenance and Authenticity | All of our material is proprietary and sourced from scientists and/or verified scientific estate collections, backed by the included Certificate of Authenticity. |
| Brand | Sciencemall-USA |
| SKU | JPT-55109 |
| Availability | In stock, usually ships in 24 hours (limit 3 per order) |
Images professionally photographed under controlled studio lighting using Zeiss optics and a pro-grade Canon camera, for guaranteed accuracy.
The brass scale cube measures 1 cm per side.
Rarity and Significance
| Rarity | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Scientific Significance | ★★★★★ |
| Educational Value | ★★★★★ |
| Display Presence | ★★★★☆ |
Questions Commonly Asked About Crude Oil
What's the difference between heavy and light crude oil?
Heavy crude is thicker and denser, with more large carbon molecules, so it flows slowly and takes more refining. Light crude is thinner and yields more gasoline and diesel per barrel.
Several oils in this set, including Arabian Heavy and Maya Heavy, are named for exactly this quality.
Is gilsonite really crude oil?
Not quite. Gilsonite is a natural solid bitumen, a shiny black hydrocarbon that formed from petroleum and filled vertical cracks in Utah's Uinta Basin. It shows what oil can become when it hardens underground.
Why does an oil collection include a microfossil slide?
Foraminifera change from one rock layer to the next, so geologists used them to date rock cuttings coming up from a well. Matching those fossils told them how deep they were and whether they had reached oil-bearing rock.
The included handout compares two depths to show how much this mattered.
Are the vials safe to display?
Yes, as long as they stay sealed. Keep the collection away from heat and direct sunlight, and out of reach of young children.
Is this collection good for a classroom?
Yes, this collection is great for classroom study. The numbered vials, information booklet, and microslide handout give teachers a ready-made lesson on where oil comes from, how it differs worldwide, and how geologists find it.
From plankton to petroleum: the complete story in one very unique study set. A hands-on look at the resource that powers modern life, ready for the classroom, the office, or a serious geology collection. Only six left; then they are gone forever.
