The Abiotic Theory of Petroleum Formation

Theories of Deep Pools of Abiotic Oil Shown to be Flawed

Nov 4, 2009 Rupert Taylor

Most scientists believe that oil comes from organic material that has been transformed by Nature over a very long period of time.

The most widely accepted theory for the origin of oil is that plants, animals, and marine organisms died and sank to the bottom of oceans, rivers, lakes, and swamps. Over millions of years more bodies joined the pile and were covered by mud and sand.

As the deposits grew deeper, pressure and heat were created. Slowly, what used to be algae, plankton, or ferns turned into a waxy substance called kerogen.

More heat, pressure, and a little chemical reaction and petroleum’s raw material was the result. Trapped under layers of rock, the petroleum forms reservoirs. By drilling through the rock into the underground oil-bearing layers, the black gold is released.

This process, called biotic oil formation, continues today. However, the process is so slow that it has almost no impact on the oil reserves being depleted today.

A typical explanation of the process by which oil is created can be found in this presentation, "Fossil Fuels", by Osman Chughtai and David Shannon on the University of Michigan website.

Abiotic Oil Formation Challenges Accepted Wisdom

There is a competing, though not as popular, theory about the origin of oil. It’s called abiotic oil formation and would be great if it turned out to be true. The notion here is that oil is created geologically; that it is continuously generated by natural processes in the Earth’s magma (the molten rock below the surface). Abiotic enthusiasts suggest the process might produce as much oil as is currently extracted.

This theory about how oil is created was popular in the Soviet Union in the late Communist era but it was dismissed by most Western geologists.

According to the Environmental Literacy Council in its article "Abiotic Theory", which explains what the theory says, “Russian and Ukrainian geologists argue that formation of oil deposits requires the high pressures only found in the deep mantle and that the hydrocarbon contents in sediments do not exhibit sufficient organic material to supply the enormous amounts of petroleum found in supergiant oil fields.”

The same article points out that:

"The abiogenic origin theory of oil formation is rejected by most geologists, who argue that the composition of hydrocarbons found in commercial oil fields have a low content of 13C isotopes, similar to that found in marine and terrestrial plants; whereas hydrocarbons from abiotic origins such as methane have a higher content of 13C isotopes."

Thomas Gold Championed Abiotic Oil Formation

Thomas Gold was a geophysicist and astronomer who was born in Austria in 1920 and spent most of his professional life working in the United States.

In 1999, Gold published a book entitled The Deep Hot Biosphere (Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.) that supported the abiotic formation of oil theory. He wrote that oil and natural gas are generated from hydrocarbon substances in the Earth’s crust that were “brought in from space when the Earth was formed.”

As evidence he cited the discovery that hydrocarbons, such as oil, gas, and coal “occur on many other planetary bodies. They are a common substance in the Universe.”

In an obituary of Gold posted at PhysicsWorld.com (June 23, 2004) it is noted that “He claimed that volatile gases then migrate towards the surface through cracks in the crust, and either leak into the atmosphere as methane, become trapped in sub-surface gas fields, or lose their hydrogen to become oil, tar, or coal."

The abiotic theory is not widely accepted.

Gold's hypothesis has been criticised as lacking in scientific rigour. For example Geoffrey P. Glasby ("Abiogenic Origin of Hydrocarbons: An Historical Perspective", Resource Geology, vol. 56, no. 1, 85-98, 2006) put forward a range of objections. Glasby argues that Gold introduced errors into his work when translating material from Russian sources.

Although the abiotic theory promises an easy solution to declining reserves of oil and gas, the theory is not reliable.

The copyright of the article The Abiotic Theory of Petroleum Formation in Geology/Ecology is owned by Rupert Taylor. Permission to republish The Abiotic Theory of Petroleum Formation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Controversial Theory of Abiotic Oil Formation