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Is the BP oil leak abiotic oil or biologic oil?
The oil well which is leaking in the gulf of Mexico which is currently threatening the gulf coast of the US, is very deep, over 23,000 feet deep, under the surface of the floor of the floor of the gulf, in the "Jack Field" which holds an estimated 15 to 30 billion barrels of oil reserve. The methane content is up to 100,000 thousand times that of oil recovered closer to the surface. Current geologic models suggest that there is no explanation for crude oil being deeper than 18,000 feet, so does the earth produce this petroleum product with high pressure/heat from naturally occurring methane and other products, or is our model of biologic oil incorrect?
All interesting answers, two somewhat diametrically opposed, but both explained themselves well.
4 Answers
- JimZLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Well, I am a geologist and am in the minority for American geologists. I think the abiotic theory is the best explanation for all the known evidence.
The abiotic theory essentially states that the petroleum derives from the products of methanotrophic (and other extremeophiles) bacteria deep in the interior. These bacteria eat methane that was accumulated in the original final stages of the accretion (formation) of the earth. The methane, because it is lighter tends to force its way up through cracks and fissures. This methane is theorized to also be responsible for high grade coal deposits and of course methane hydrates in the ocean.
- 1 decade ago
Most geologists agree that the only source for oil is biotic. Regardless, though, there would be no practical difference. Oil, as far as we know, only comes from fossil zooplankton and algae kept under intense heat and pressure in anoxic conditions (where it's away from oxygen, in places like the bottom of a body of water). It first forms into a waxy substance called kerogen, then turns into oil because the heat and pressure alters its molecular structure.
People believe that oil comes from a biological source because it still has some of the molecular markers for life, and because it can be found in places where the conditions for its biological formation would have existed (in fact, petroleum geologists know to look for certain geological conditions and certain types of fossils which oil is likely to be found near). No evidence has been found to suggest that oil comes from an abiotic source, and no theories have been suggested as to how strictly geological forces could create it in any real abundance.
Obviously, a lack of evidence is not a definitive answer, but in the end it doesn't really matter. Either way, oil is a limited resource. Whether it comes from a biological or abiotic source, it's formed on a geological time scale, and doesn't replenish itself quickly. We have to conserve our oil, and we have to make sure that we don't allow it to cause the level of devastation it has done in the Gulf of Mexico.
