[Red Jones]

the geologist community hasn't agreed with this new theory yet, but I hope this theory is accepted. I always thought the old theory about it being from the decay of jungles & dinosaurs as being suspect. Even if oil is being produced constantly, we are still most certainly using it faster than it is being produced.

[mfulstone]

Well, here's everybody's chance to grill Mr Gold on the topic. Give him a chance, though. He also confessed that he is not quite up on much online activity. Let's break him in! Maybe we can even get him as a FR regular! :)

[John H K]

I always thought the old theory about it being from the decay of jungles & dinosaurs as being suspect

There never WAS such a theory...popular science myth, particularly the "dinosaurs" garbage.

The generally accepted process of petroleum formation is from dead microscopic marine organisms. I have no idea how the dinosaur business got started. Oil doesn't form from land organisms at all.

COAL is formed from decaying "jungles"....or any sort of plant life that dies and then is buried under high pressure. And that is beyond dispute...there's a spectrum from Anthracite to Bituminous Coal to Lignite (brown coal) to Peat, in terms of heat and pressure in coal formation, and as you get to Lignite and Peat you can easily find the remains of the plants forming the coal.