The origin of oil

This is the first I've heard of this theory, and it's interesting... some scientists believe that crude oil isn't the product of decomposed plant and animal matter from prehistoric times; rather they believe it is the product of a natural, inorganic process that takes place at the very hot interface of the earth's crust and mantle.

Some oil reservoirs tend to refill over time, often from the bottom up, implying a seepage from a larger reservoir underneath. The observations and the science seem to support the theory, as well as filling a few holes in the decayed animal/plant matter theory... such as the question of why large oil fields are sometimes found in areas where it is unlikely that a lot of life was present in prehistory. Here's a news story. If you prefer your science hard, read this.

If this theory is accurate, that would mean that oil is not the limited resource it is currently regarded as; or, the limit is much higher than current estimates, by perhaps 100 times. Oil is still a dirty fuel, and a cleaner alternative would be beneficial, but maybe the oilfields won't by drying up as soon as we think.

I'm not sure if this has passed peer review but the mere fact that the only news source you could find was worldnetdaily doesn't lend much credence. The theory is not new but evidence has been lacking.

The National Academy of the Sciences doesn't do it for you? (second link)

jaguar wrote:

I'm not sure if this has passed peer review but the mere fact that the only news source you could find was worldnetdaily doesn't lend much credence. The theory is not new but evidence has been lacking.

The second link is to a research publication on PNAS, so WorldNetDaily isn't the only source, they just happened to have an article on the subject. A few more details can be found on a Wikipeida article on Thomas Gold, who popluarized this theory back in 1992.

This Wired interview of the guy who's proposing it is the most fascinating item on the whole issue so far. I was convinced by other sources that the idea was bunk -- until reading that interview. Now I know... that I can't possibly know for sure...

If it's true, then I feel torn. It would be great that we won't be running out of oil, but it would also be bad that we won't be running out of oil. Global warming is a serious threat, and we need to stop pumping carbon out of the crust and into the biosphere. It will be our undoing.

The National Academy of the Sciences doesn't do it for you? (second link)

Maybe I'm just not used to reading full writeups but I couldn't tell whether they were simply publishing it or whether it had been reviewed and was published. I know most do before the publish (Nature etc)but it's not an organisation I'm familiar with.

Check out this thread for some more links.

If we keep increasing the fuel efficiency of vehicles, and make the emissions standards stick in ALL countries, this should be a problem. Hybrids are a good way to go too. It turns out their fuel efficencies are a bit overstated, but still very good. That oil should be used to create carbon fiber bodies to create lighter vehicles as well.

You can also take the bus.

You can also take the bus.

I did that this morning, to work. Took me an hour and 20 minutes, in horrible discomfort, to make a trip that takes me 15 - 20 minutes in air-conditioned comfort in my car. It also cost me £3.40 for a ticket for me and my girlfriend, which is more than the petrol would cost me for a couple of days' travel by car.

Public transport just isn't practical in most places. It's inefficient, expensive and slow.

You've lived in Philadelphia, I take it ...

Hybrids are seriously over-rated. They get good gas mileage _in the city_ (and on EPA tests) at the cost of lousy performance, and they use semi-exotic materials and construction to do it. I'd like to see similar techniques used in a straight gasoline-engine car with similar performance, to provide a fair check, but it'll never happen because the money for a $30,000+ gasoline econobox isn't there.

Gold still sounds like a crank... the moon have a deep biosphere? Where's the energy? He might be right about oil, but he's still a crank.

The Consulier http://www.supercars.net/garages/groupb/15v2.html is along those lines. It's a carbon fiber/kevlar over a foam core, with a 4 cylinder turbocharged, 250-hp engine. I also want to do my part to be a good citizen and only drive the fire-breating monster on the weekends, whichever one I may have, and take the bus or a more economical car on weekdays.