Think the world is running out of oil? Not so fast - take a look at the "Abiotic Oil" theory

Abiotic Oil

Addressing the theory in circulation that oil is not solely of organic origin, but that there may be another mode of origin as well from deeper in the crust, involving magma.

See also: Peak Oil

Sterling's Preface:There is a substantial body of
evidence to support this theory. That does not negate, however,
the quest for getting away from dependence on fossil fuels. The
greenhouse gasses produced by the burning of such will continue to be
a pressing matter that must be addressed. Now that the world
has achieved a consciousness about how we treat our planet, this news
that we are not so far from depleting our oil reserves is a welcome
breath of fresh air, removing some of the panic effect that can
foster unrest.

Supporting Evidence, Briefly

Oil being discovered at 30,000 feet, far below the 18,000 feet where organic matter is no longer found.

Wells pumped dry -- later replenished.

Volume of oil pumped thus far not accountable from organic material alone according to present models.

In Situ production of methane under the conditions that exist in the Earth's upper mantle. (PhysicsWeb; Sept. 14, 2004)

Expounding the Theory exist earths upper mantle physicsweb sept 14 2004 expounding theory

Titan's Organic Hydrocarbons Dwarf Earth's Oil Reserves - Data
from the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn has shown that the ringed
planet's moon has "hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth." (Wired; Feb. 13, 2008)

hydrocarbons oil natural gas reserves earth wired feb 13 2008
'Fossil fuel' theory takes hit with NASA finding
- NASA scientists are about to publish conclusive studies showing
abundant methane of a non-biologic nature is found on Saturn's giant
moon Titan, a finding that validates a new book's contention that oil is not a fossil fuel. (World Net Daily; Dec. 1, 2005)

Other Stories by WND:

Huge natural gas field 'discovered' in Texas

Abandoned oil wells uncapped

'Black Gold' strikes Big Oil 'nerve'

'Hundreds of years' of oil available

Forget everything you know about oil black gold strikes oil nerve hundreds years oil forget oil

Confessions of an “ex” Peak Oil Believer - F William Engdahl says
Peak Oil is not our problem. Politics is. Big Oil wants to
sustain high oil prices. Reviews the discovery of abiotic oil.
(OilGeopolitics.net; September 14, 2007)

Stalin and Abiotic Oil - Or How Ruppert's 'Peak Oil' Pile is
Gaining Tonnage; by Dave McGowan (Educate Yourself; March 5,
2005)

Russia Proves 'Peak Oil' is a Misleading Scam - In 1970 the
Russians started drilling Kola SG-3, an exploration well which
finally reached a staggering world record depth of 40,230 feet.
Since then, Russian oil majors including Yukos have quietly drilled
more than 310 successful super-deep oil wells, and put them into
production. Last Year Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as the world's
biggest single oil producer, and is now set to completely dominate
global oil production and sales for the next century.

'Oil Shock' Looming - What are the Alternatives? - "My
conclusion is that there is much about oil (and natural gas) that we
have not been told, including how much of the stuff is available,
and how it continually develops, even to this day." At the end
of the article is a list of sites and articles on peak oil, but the
interesting part is a second list of the contrary view -- could oil
reserves be virtually unlimited? (by Sepp
Hasslberger, NEC; 2004)

Article > Sustainable Oil? - presents theory and evidence that oil is not solely
of organic origin. (Rense.com; July 10, 2004) a reprint of Sustainable
Oil (WorldNetDaily; May 25, 2004)

Rense july 10 2004nbsp reprint sustainable oil worldnetdaily 25 2004Data
>In situ Production of Inorganic-Derived Petroleum -
Scientists in the US have witnessed the production of methane under
the conditions that exist in the Earth's upper mantle for the first
time. The experiments demonstrate that hydrocarbons could be formed
inside the Earth via simple inorganic reactions -- and not just from
the decomposition of living organisms as conventionally assumed --
and might therefore be more plentiful than previously thought.
(PhysicsWeb; Sept. 14, 2004)

Peak Oil: Can 3D Exploration Postpone The Peak? - Ability to find
reserves more readily may postpone the "peak" phenomenon;
general discussion of "peak oil" factors. (MSNBC; Sept. 23, 2004) (Alt
Energy Blog)

Follow-up - More Evidence For Sustainable Oil - (Rense.com; July 10,
2004)

PhysicsWeb - Science gets hot under the crust

Thomas Gold - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Book - The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels - by Thomas
Gold, Ph.D. (originally published 1999)

The Deep Hot Biosphere - by Thomas Gold, Ph.D. (2001)

Amazon.com Description of Thomas Gold's book [link above]: Suppose someone claimed that we are NOT running out of petroleum. . . . Or that life on Earth began below the surface, in the dark airless pores of our planet's rocky crust. Or that oil and gas -- so-called "fossil fuels" -- are not the product of biological debris. You might expect to hear statements like these from an author of science fiction. But what if they come from a renowned scientist, someone who has been called "one of the world's most original minds"? In THE DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE, Thomas Gold sets forth truly controversial and astonishing theories: First, he proposes that Earth supports a subterranean organic domain of greater mass and volume than the biosphere -- the total sum of living things -- on its surface. Second, he proposes that the organisms inhabiting this Deep Hot Biosphere are not plants or animals but heat-loving bacteria that survive on a diet of hydrocarbons -- natural gas and petroleum. And third and perhaps most amazingly, he advances the stunning idea that most hydrocarbons on Earth are not "fossil fuels" but part of the primordial "stuff" from which Earth itself was formed some 4.5 billion years ago. The Deep Hot Biosphere may seem difficult to believe at first glance, but its theories are supported by a growing body of evidence, and by the indisputable stature and seriousness Thomas Gold brings to any scientific enterprise. In this book we see a brilliant and boldly original thinker, increasingly a rarity in modern science, as he develops revolutionary conclusions about the fundamental workings of our planet, the origins of life on Earth, the nature of earthquakes, and even the likelihood of life on -- or within -- other planets.