Oil – Where did it come from?

wattsupwiththat.com ^ | 2/18/2017 | David Middleton

[rktman]

I am a petroleum geologist/geophysicist with about 36 years of experience in oil & gas exploration mostly in the Gulf of Mexico. In light of Andy May’s recent post, Oil – Will we run out?, I thought I might post an essay on oil formation.

Over the past six years, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to write guest posts for Watts Up With That thanks to Anthony Watts. Many of my posts have been about issues related to oil production and each of these posts usually triggers comments from Abiogenic Oil advocates. So, this post’s main thrust will be to explain why the Abiogenic Oil hypothesis is not widely accepted and why we think that the original source of crude oil is organic matter.

It’s possible that oil forms in the mantle all the time. The chemical equations can be balanced. So, as an olive branch to Abiogenic Oil aficionados, I will unequivocally state that their favored hypothesis is not impossible.

[rktman]

Disclaimer! Hey, I didn't write it but, just how many damn dinosaurs were there anyway? Pretty in depth presentation. Have at it.

[Kirkwood]

The universe has lots and lots of hydrocarbons. Not just a terrestrial thing.

[refermech]

God gave it to us to fuel our Hemis. Yes, god is a Chrysler man,

[GraceG]

Most hydrocarbons come from the slow bubbling up from the depths of the earth from methane locked away from rocks that initially formed the earth.

Very little if from purely biological sources.

Mostly only COAL is a bio-source of carbon buried in the ground. Maybe a little shallow oil...

[richardtavor]

Too many apparently...

[House Atreides]

I’m pretty sure it comes from BP & Exxon Mobil.

[ronnie raygun]

Informative!

[New Jersey Realist]

I get my oil from Jiffy Lube.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[2012 FLASHBACK] What If Oil and Natural Gas Are Renewable Resources?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3525982/posts

[wally_bert]

I’m a Shell Rotella person myself.

[COBOL2Java]

Teenagers

[DoughtyOne]

I sometimes consider if oil has a purpose we are unaware of, and if it’s depletion might not have unexpected consequences. I’m not wedded to the idea, but it is in the back of my mind collecting dust.

[teeman8r]

Oil is the earth’s poop...

If we don’t use it, we’ll drown it .

[gaijin]

I remmeber FreeRepublic has two main oil geniuses:

Anyone remember their Ping names..?

[x1stcav]

Back in the 60’s they were becoming convinced that hydrocarbons were coming to the surface from the Earth’s core. They drilled some test hole, I believe in 1967 through the 5000’ Scandinavian rock shield and came up with natural gas. The challenge was then to explain how rotting dinosaurs got beneath the rock shield to die.

I have heard ever since I was a kid back in the 50’s that we were going to run out of oil.

Bull sh!t.

[Steely Tom]

One was thackney, who left us over issues with the management.

[ChiefJayStrongbow]

It’s also been shown that calcium carbonate (seashells / bones / limestone) in salt water at tremendous pressures forms oils. Additionally, blue green algae takes in carbon dioxide as its food source, and in the presence of sunlight, forms oil.

[M Kehoe]

Hi guy.

Hope you are doing well.

Thackney? Maybe I’m close. Ask Jimrob.

5.56mm

[snarkpup]

A couple of years ago I read some stuff on abiotic oil. I don't know whether it's real or mythical; but one thing I heard is that there are two groups who do not want people to believe in it: 1) Environmentalists, who do not want people to think they can use all the oil they want, and 2) oil companies, who fear that prices will drop if people believe the supply is unlimited.

[onedoug]

Thanks for posting.