Fun Facts About Natural Gas

• Natural gas was formed deep under the earth about 100 million years ago.
• There are more than one million miles of underground gas pipelines across the United States.
• More than half of all the homes in the United States use natural gas – almost 62 million families.
• In 200 B.C., people in China used natural gas to make salt.
• In 1816, gas was first used to light street lamps in Baltimore, Maryland. 
• Natural gas is lighter than air.
• Natural gas is colorless and odorless. Utility companies add the smell of rotten eggs to help make gas leaks easier to notice.
• Natural gas is measured in British Thermal Units (Btus), which measures the heat content.
• One kitchen match gives off about one Btu of heat. The burner on a big gas stove might give off more than 15,000 Btus.
• When natural gas is cooled to 260 degrees below zero, it changes from a gas into a liquid.

Want to learn more?

If you’d like to learn more fun facts about natural gas, visit this Web page:

Natural Gas: A Fossil Fuel by the U.S. Energy Information Administration

Links for teachers and parents:

What Is Natural Gas?
By the American Gas Association

From Wellhead to Burner Tip
By the American Gas Association

Natural Gas – A Fossil Fuel
By the U.S. Department of Energy

Natural Gas Timeline
By the U.S. Department of Energy

Current Natural Gas Statistics
By the U.S. Energy Information Administration

More resources for teachers and parents