Shale Play in Western Siberia is 80 Times Bigger than the Bakken

Oil Price.com ^ | 6/6/12 | James Burgess

[Recon Dad]

It's a real crap shoot. It could be a bust, but they learned from the Baaken that the early numbers are usually low.
You have to believe it's probably the most unexplored area of land in the world. Hell, when the first geologist landed in Saudi Arabia in the early 1900’s he would have had less to go on then present day folks. Exxon's willing to gamble.

[hinckley buzzard]

I couldn't find this region on a map but "Western" Siberia sounds like a long long way from China. Remember Russia is about ten time zones wide.

[BBell]

And what can you do when you have a large restless bunch of young men? Start a war!

But seriously I have read where the better off young Chinese males,not rich just working middle class, have resorted to taking Filipino,Laotian,or Cambodian wives. I've also read where Chinese workers in Africa have taken Africans as wives.

[FreedomPoster]

I keep expecting a really big African expedition. Most of the other likely places would have too much possibility of being too painful militarily. Africa? Who would go to war for any of the African countries against a Chinese occupation?

[FreedomPoster]

I was wondering about that as well. It could be as far west as just east of the Ural Mountains. Which would put it a long way from China, especially the heavily populated/developed parts.

[BBell]

Well the Chinese are investing heavily in Africa. The Chinese are buying up mineral rights and laying down the groundwork for a very large African infrastructure that will support their big African expedition. I wonder if there is a Chinese Kurtz out there?

[Sequoyah101]

I told my kids that before I die the world will be awash in oil again.

[Sherman Logan]

Siberia belonged to myChina 180 year ago.

Nope. The Ching Empire ruled what is now Manchuria and Mongolia, and possibly a little way to the north, but you can't say it "ruled Siberia."

Well, you can say it, but that doesn't make it true. :)

The Yuan (Mongol) Empire ruled much of what is now Siberia, or as much of it as they cared to bother with, but that was China being ruled by the same foreign power, not China ruling Siberia.

[Amagi]

This should put watermelon enviros in a quandary regarding the “dangers of fracking”, eh?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Wasn’t it just a year ago the Libs were warning about the end of oil...

[ThomasMore]

Wasn’t it just a year ago the Libs were warning about the end of oil...

There are many who believe or want US to believe that PEAK OIL is real and that we're very close to having used up all those dead dinosaurs and organic matter deposits. What was a common belief over the last 150 years, that crude comes from "fossil" material, I believe is now being debunked. Maybe Recon Dad can speak to what many of us consider to be a more scientifically sound theory: Abiotic Oil.

(theory suggests that crude oil is the result of naturally occurring and possibly ongoing geological processes. In its simplest form, the theory is that carbon present in the magma beneath the crust reacts with hydrogen to form methane as well as a raft of other mainly alkane hydrocarbons. The reactions are more complicated than this, with several intermediate stages. Particular mineral rocks such as granite and other silicon based rocks act as catalysts, which speed up the reaction without actually becoming involved or consumed in the process.)

[Recon Dad]

theory suggests that crude oil is the result of naturally occurring and possibly ongoing geological processes.

.....I believe in the oil fairy and he’s been a very busy little guy!