Is Biggest Oilfield Running Dry?

The world’s most critical oil field might be nearing its end. Saudi Arabia, which accounts for 19% of all oil exports, doesn’t supply hard data about its production, but a little math sleuthing by a computer scientist shows the Ghawar reservoirs should be empty soon, the Atlantic reports.

The Saudis deny that their lodestone field—at 150 miles long, it accounts for more than half their oil—is aging, but overall numbers are declining and they’ve struck out widely in search of new sources to pump. The loss is particularly troubling because the Middle Eastern nation has historically spotted the world market in emergencies, tapping excess capacity to stem disruptions. (More Saudi Arabia stories.)