- If there's one substance that drives the global economy, it's oil - and oil has had a chaotic couple of months.
- The coronavirus pandemic has cratered fuel demand, while at the same time Saudi Arabia has boosted supply.
- These forces have sent the price into a tailspin and driven companies to bankruptcies, layoffs, and spending cuts.
- While oil is at the epicenter of energy news, there's little focus on the substance itself.
- Business Insider asked dozens of oilfield workers to share their photos. They reveal that crude oil comes in all different colors and consistencies.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The success of many of the world's corporate giants, which are worth hundreds of billions in market value, depends on a single substance that formed from the ancient remains of algae and plants - oil.
A fossil fuel, oil is one of the planet's largest economic drivers. And in case you missed it, it's had a rocky couple of months.
The coronavirus pandemic has cratered demand for fuel, while at the same time Saudi Arabia has boosted supply. Together, these forces have sent the price of oil into a tailspin, forcing companies to file for bankruptcy, lay off workers, and cut spending by billions.
All of this is, thanks to just one commodity, which often feels intangible. You hear about oil as a price, or in industry revenue.
But what does it actually look like when it comes out of the ground?
Business Insider reached out to dozens of US oil and gas workers on Facebook and asked them to share their photos of crude oil.
The images reveal that crude oil comes in all kinds of colors and consistencies. And that the classic image of oil as a thick, black, tar-like substance is often pretty far from what wells pump out of the ground - at least in the US.
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