The process from getting crude oil out of the ground and to your car is an expensive, high-risk one. Oil production is unpredictable, messy, and even dangerous, and there are large numbers of steps from crude to car. The journey begins with exploration both on shore and in the oceans. Once the right conditions for an oil field are identified and a site is selected, drilling takes place. If a well is successful, many of which are not, the crude oil is then transported to a refinery where the oil is broken down and reconfigured into new products, primarily gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Once it is refined into a fuel, it is again transported to a distribution center from where it is taken to a gas station and made available to you and me. To learn more about the path oil travels, click on the stage that corresponds with the map above:

1. Exploration
2. On-Shore Oil Rig Exploration
3. Off-Shore Oil Rig
4. Transportation
5. Refining
6. Refined Products
7. Gas Stations