[djf]

Limestone would have a really, really hard time turning into Methane.

Calcium carbonate has no hydrogens in it.

But as far as the entire theory goes, it has been proven that if you take carbon bearing material, mix it with hydrogen bearing material, and a reducing agent like iron, put it under pressure and high heat, you get alkanes.

Alkanes are a specific type of material. Methane, propane, butane, octane, whatever.

Single bonded long chains of CH2,

You can bury some fish in your backyard, throw in some algea and plankton, just about whatever you want, for the hell of it toss in some fetta cheese and the sun will go nova before it turns to alkanes.

Biologic material DOES NOT decompose into “fossil” fuels. It simply cannot. Except for perhaps the simplest ones, methane and ethane.

[gondramB]

>>Biologic material DOES NOT decompose into “fossil” fuels. It simply cannot. Except for perhaps the simplest ones, methane and ethane.<<

If people who believe that should have an opportunity. They should raise some money and start a company that searches for oil on that theory. Exxon made $40 billion last year under the mistaken impression that they could find oil by looking for anoxically decayed organic matter trapped in shale with overlying impermeable rock.

The proof would be in showing that you could better predict where oil and gas will be found.

[SauronOfMordor]

But as far as the entire theory goes, it has been proven that if you take carbon bearing material, mix it with hydrogen bearing material, and a reducing agent like iron, put it under pressure and high heat, you get alkanes

For example: Generation of Methane Via High Pressure Carbonate Reduction

Essentially, if you have water and carbonates under conditions of extremely high pressure and temperatures ( like in the earth's mantle), you get methane