Blowout (geology)

When you play with a balloon and blow it up really big, sometimes it gets so full that it pops and makes a loud noise. That's kind of like what happens in the earth sometimes. Deep underground, there are pockets of gas and oil trapped in rocks. When people drill for oil or gas, they sometimes accidentally break open these pockets and cause a big explosion called a blowout. This explosion can be dangerous because it can shoot out a lot of gas, oil, and fire all at once. People who work on oil rigs need to be careful to avoid blowouts and know how to stop them if they happen.