As deepwater drilling for crude oil continues deeper into the earth, why is drilling mud used in place of seawater? Select one: a. Drilling mud Is the result of the drilling process and is not used during the drilling. b. Drilling mud is more dense and will settle deeper down the tunnel. c. Drilling mud is easier to access than sea water at those depths. d. Drilling mud provides additional pressure to keep the tunnel form collapsing.

It is either B or D, and I believe the answer is D.

Explanation:

Deepwater drilling relies on mud being pumped into the drill well for pressure purposes. Without the mud, gas and oil would just rise up uncontrollably because without counteracting the pressure from the sea and the rock, it would be spewing out. The mud helps the drill create the heavy column of downward force needed to maintain control of the output of gas and oil.

The answer choices that would best match the description would be B or D. Since the mud is there for provide pressure and downward force, I would go with choice D as my answer.