Crude oil is continuously created naturally each year
the verdict
INSUFFICIENT LEANING
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the weight of evidence
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Peer-reviewed literature and reference materials establish that petroleum and hydrocarbons form naturally through long-term geological and thermal degradation processes, but they provide only partial support for the claim by omitting evidence that crude oil is continuously created at a scale matching annual consumption.
Both hydrogen and methane are consistently discharged in large quantities in hydrothermal fluids issued from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields discovered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Considering the vast number of these fields discovered or inferred, hydrothermal fluxes represent a significant input of H2 and CH4 to the ocean. Although there are lines of evidence of their abiogenic formation from stable C and H isotope results, laboratory experiments, and thermodynamic data, neither their origin nor the reaction pathways generating these gases have been fully constrained yet. Organic compounds detected in the fluids may also be derived from abiotic reactions. Although thermodynamics are favorable and extensive experimental work has been done on Fischer-Tropsch-type reactions, for instance, nothing is clear yet about their origin and formation mechanism from actual data. Since chemolithotrophic microbial communities commonly colonize hydrothermal vents, biogenic and thermogenic processes are likely to contribute to the production of H2, CH4, and other organic compounds. There seems to be a consensus toward a mixed origin (both sources and processes) that is consistent with the ambiguous nature of the isotopic data. But the question that remains is, to what proportions? More systematic experiments as well as integrated geochemical approaches are needed to disentangle hydrothermal geochemistry. This understanding is of prime importance considering the implications of hydrothermal H2, CH4, and organic compounds for the ocean global budget, global cycles, and the origin of life.
The deep abiogenic synthesis of hydrocarbons is possible under the conditions of the asthenosphere. We have found that this process can also occur under the mineral and thermobaric conditions of subducting slabs. We have investigated the abiogenic synthesis of hydrocarbon systems at pressures of 2.0–6.6 GPa and temperatures of 250–600 °C. The determined lower thermobaric limit of the reaction at 280–300 °C and 2–3 GPa corresponds to a depth of 70–80 km during cold subduction. The hydrocarbon fluid formed in the slab can migrate upwards through the network of faults and fractures to form petroleum deposits.
1579 scirep Scientific Reports Sci Rep Nature Publishing Group PMC5515916 5515916 5515916 28720804 10.1038/s41598-017-06155-6 The lower pT limit of deep hydrocarbon synthesis by CaCO 3 aqueous reduction Mukhina E 1 2 ✉ Kolesnikov A 2 Kutcherov V 1 2 1 KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 114 28 Stockholm, Sweden 2 Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, 119991 Moscow, Russia ✉ Corresponding author.
Abundant supplies of oil form the foundation of modern industrial economies, but the capacity to maintain and grow global supply is attracting increasing concern. Some commentators forecast a peak in the near future and a subsequent terminal decline in global oil production, while others highlight the recent growth in 'tight oil' production and the scope for developing unconventional resources. There are disagreements over the size, cost and recoverability of different resources, the technical and economic potential of different technologies, the contribution of different factors to market trends and the economic implications of reduced supply. Few debates are more important, more contentious, more wide-ranging or more confused. This paper summarizes the main concepts, terms, issues and evidence that are necessary to understand the 'peak oil' debate. These include: the origin, nature and classification of oil resources; the trends in oil production and discoveries; the typical production profiles of oil fields, basins and producing regions; the mechanisms underlying those profiles; the extent of depletion of conventional oil; the risk of an approaching peak in global production; and the potential of various mitigation options. The aim is to introduce the subject to non-specialist readers and provide a basis for the subsequent papers in this Theme Issue.
Petroleum - Formation, Maturation, Kerogen | Britannica
## From kerogen to petroleum: the mature stage
# Origin of hydrocarbons
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Deeper burial by continuing sedimentation, increasing temperatures, and advancing geologic age result in the mature stage of hydrocarbon formation, during which the full range of petroleum compounds is produced from kerogen and other precursors by thermal degradation and cracking(in which heavy hydrocarbon molecules are broken up into lighter molecules). Depending on the amount and type of organic matter, hydrocarbon generation occurs during the mature stage at depths of about 760 to 4,880 metres (2,500 to 16,000 feet) at temperatures between 65 °C and 150 °C (150 °F and 300 °F). This special environment is called the “ oil win
Petroleum: Primary migration (generation and expulsion) | Springer Nature Link
# Petroleum: Primary migration (generation and expulsion)
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Geochemistry
Petroleum generation is the process by which solid organic matter present in source rocks is transformed into liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons. Petroleum generation starts in natural conditions at temperatures around 70-80°C, which frequently corresponds to burial depth of 2.5-3 km, depending on the geothermal gradient. The depth at which hydrocarbons start to be generated marks the top of the oil window. Between surface and the top of the oil window, organic matter undergoes a complex evolution due to the combined effects of increased temperatures, bacteria, etc.; these transformations called diagenesis result in the generation of organic acids, CO2, H2O. They cause the residual kerogen (the solid organic matter insoluble in common organic solvents) to be progressively enriched in hydrogen and carbon, at the expense of non-hydrocarbon compounds. During this evolution, the kerogen is called immature; no hydrocarbon compound is generated.
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