Lil4X
Elio Addict
For anyone interested in the "abiotic" origin of hydrocarbons . . .
http://oilandgasleaks.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/fossil-fuel-theory-for-oil-gas-debunked/
http://www.wnd.com/2008/02/45838/
Cliffs Notes:
Abiogenic creation of hydrocarbons was first proposed in 1877 by the noted Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, the father of the periodic table of the elements. It has since been overrun by the "dead dinosaur" theory that says today's hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas, arise from decomposition of plants (primarily plankton) and animals deep within the earth. That origin is still being argued today, but science has moved to the side of the abiotic process proposed in the late 19th century. Why? There are dozens of answers.
There are several arguments for the abiotic process, including the sheer volume of petroleum found beneath the earth, as well as the depths at which large reservoirs have been found. A dead dinosaur or layer of prehistoric biomass 30,000 feet down just doesn't make sense. Hydrocarbons being lighter than the surrounding formations and fluids slowly migrate upward until they reach a "cap" usually a hard streak of shale or salt, where they are trapped and prevented from moving farther. This "reservoir" collects the rising hydrocarbon and holds it. That's awfully deep for the source of petroleum to have once lived on the surface in sunshine and fresh air. While the earth's crust is about 25 miles thick (on average) there are places beneath our ocean basins where it is only 4 or 5 miles thick, lying atop the semi-molten magma nearer the earth's core.
We can see evidence of another process taking place at the crustal boundary - hydrocarbon gases escaping from deep ocean vents where the crust is thinnest and tectonic activity brings magma near the surface. Researchers are finding carbon-13 in these gases and methane hydrates at great depth associated with these subsea vents. That isotope of carbon is associated with the deep mantle, while carbon-12 is commonly associated with biological decay. It looks like Dr. Mendeleev was on to something - now we have to figure out the time scale.
Contrary to the biotic theory that would have us running out of dinosaurs at some point in time, we may be sitting on top of a pressure cooker that is creating petroleum out of basic elements and forming hydrogen and carbon into short chains of what we would recognize as natural gas or crude oil. If the earth is continuously producing hydrocarbon, we need to know at what rate this is happening so as to adjust our consumption so that we don't overspend our accounts below.
http://oilandgasleaks.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/fossil-fuel-theory-for-oil-gas-debunked/
http://www.wnd.com/2008/02/45838/
Cliffs Notes:
Abiogenic creation of hydrocarbons was first proposed in 1877 by the noted Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, the father of the periodic table of the elements. It has since been overrun by the "dead dinosaur" theory that says today's hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas, arise from decomposition of plants (primarily plankton) and animals deep within the earth. That origin is still being argued today, but science has moved to the side of the abiotic process proposed in the late 19th century. Why? There are dozens of answers.
There are several arguments for the abiotic process, including the sheer volume of petroleum found beneath the earth, as well as the depths at which large reservoirs have been found. A dead dinosaur or layer of prehistoric biomass 30,000 feet down just doesn't make sense. Hydrocarbons being lighter than the surrounding formations and fluids slowly migrate upward until they reach a "cap" usually a hard streak of shale or salt, where they are trapped and prevented from moving farther. This "reservoir" collects the rising hydrocarbon and holds it. That's awfully deep for the source of petroleum to have once lived on the surface in sunshine and fresh air. While the earth's crust is about 25 miles thick (on average) there are places beneath our ocean basins where it is only 4 or 5 miles thick, lying atop the semi-molten magma nearer the earth's core.
We can see evidence of another process taking place at the crustal boundary - hydrocarbon gases escaping from deep ocean vents where the crust is thinnest and tectonic activity brings magma near the surface. Researchers are finding carbon-13 in these gases and methane hydrates at great depth associated with these subsea vents. That isotope of carbon is associated with the deep mantle, while carbon-12 is commonly associated with biological decay. It looks like Dr. Mendeleev was on to something - now we have to figure out the time scale.
Contrary to the biotic theory that would have us running out of dinosaurs at some point in time, we may be sitting on top of a pressure cooker that is creating petroleum out of basic elements and forming hydrogen and carbon into short chains of what we would recognize as natural gas or crude oil. If the earth is continuously producing hydrocarbon, we need to know at what rate this is happening so as to adjust our consumption so that we don't overspend our accounts below.
