Oil Generated from within the Earth's core

[YankeyMCC]

That's right, I heard this statement yesterday at a family Easter Dinner.

This statement came from a relative I had always looked up to like a big brother, someone I sincerely love and generally respect as a person and I was absolutely floored when he said this.

He thinks all the oil professionals and scientists are either wrong or lying and that the idea that oil is a 'fossil fuel' that came from Dinosaurs, or when I corrected him even plant life from even further back in Earth's history, is absurd because "How could it get 5 or 6 miles deep?" he says.

I asked where he had heard this idea, I suspect he must've heard it somewhere, but he just said it was his own belief.

Scarier still was that the rest of the family in the room objected not to this ridiculous idea but to me trying to correct him. I heard everyone saying things like "Well sometimes scientists are wrong." or "Science isn't always correct." "Everyone is entitled to their beliefs."

:wtf: :banghead:

[Orrex]

1. We should send Hillary Swank down there to retrieve it

I saw a documentary on this very idea over the weekend. I believe that it was called The Core.

Now that's what I call Science!

[nxylas]

5. Or Doug McClure

He fought dinosaurs at the Earth's core before they became oil.



"You cannot mesmerise me - I'm British!"

[Orrex]

7. Good point!

I hadn't considered the dinosaur factor!

[nxylas]

14. McClure-Harryhausen '08!

Solving America's energy crisis by creating a renewable source of dinosaurs.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. What is his opinion of Santa Claus?

[n2doc]

3. To be fair, there is a theory behind this

The theory is that hydrocarbons are created abiotically from reactions between rocks and CO2. So far there is experimental evidence to support the production of methane (CH4) at high temperatures and pressures via that route.

But.....

Petroleum contains a great deal of chemical "fossils" related to the organisms that produced them. Mostly these organisms were tiny plants that lived in shallow seas long ago. Anyone who worked in the Petroleum industry knows that the best oil producing areas are former shallow seas which have been crumpled up, buried and squeezed by tectonic forces. These are not the same kinds of environments that produce the methane seen in lab experiments. There is absolutely no doubt about the biological origin of the majority of hydrocarbon reserves.

It is sad, though, that your "opinion" wasn't respected. Clearly they valued your relative's opinion more....even if it was wrong.

[YankeyMCC]

8. It isn't so much that

they didn't respect my opinion over his...although you make a good point it wasn't what I was bothered by at the time...what bothered me is the total lack of concern about the need to correct such false beliefs or flawed logic.

[trotsky]

4. Yup, I've heard that one before.

In a "discussion" with a right-wing coworker once. Doesn't seem to have much scientific merit but the rightards love it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin

[HereSince1628]

6. I get that everyone is entitled to their belief from my students.

The anti-intellectualim movement, aka the war on science, aka the war on the Enlightenment, equates baseless opinion, with informed opinion as well as expert opinion.

Every time some first year says this crap in my Intro Bio class a little recording goes on in my head that settles me down...,"Yes, everyone has an opinion, but only one person in this room gets to give grades."

[elifino]

9. Most oils are mixtures of many different compounds, most of which are hydrocarbons

See this link: http://www.geocities.com/mudsmeller/oil.html

Interesting read

elifino

[hadrons]

10. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, but not their own facts

[endarkenment]

11. Ok so he is correct that oil did not "come from dinosaurs".

Other than that the regeneration theory lacks credible evidence and is not considered anything other than wishful thinking.

[seasat]

12. The abiotic oil people ignore the biomarkers that indicate biological origin

Carbon has two stable isotopes, C12 and C13. The primary producers preferentially take up more C12 than C13 resulting in a ratio of the two isotopes that can be used to indicate biological origin. Oil has a C12 to C13 ratio similar to what would be expected from plants. This ratio is also one of the reasons we know that the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere is from fossil fuels. As we pump more CO2 in the atmosphere, the atmospheric C12 to C13 ratio has declined over time.

[Orsino]

13. It's not just ignorance, is it?

Isn't abiotic oil also an excuse for not conserving? For pretending that the oil will last forever?

[eppur_se_muova]

15. That's it exactly. They'd prefer an unproven theory to certain economizing. nt

[sakabatou]

16. *facepalm*

[Johonny]

17. How could it get 5 or 6 miles deep?

What he never heard of plate tectonics?

[YankeyMCC]

18. I know

I tried that tack, he made no clear response to me when I mentioned the movement of continents and in the course of that I mentioned the diameter of the Earth and he even had trouble accepting that.

I tell you I'm floored, I did not expect this level of ignorance and intellectual stubbornness from this person.

[FiveGoodMen]

19. "I did not expect this level of ignorance"

It sounds like everyone I'm related to except my sister.

I, too, had no idea how fucking stupid the people around me were.

I used to be generally optimistic about the human race's future.

Not anymore.

[htuttle]

20. About ten years ago, I had to break it to my mother that stars in the sky were actually 'suns'...

Now, in her defense, she's not a stupid woman. She had just gotten her masters degree in geography a few years earlier.

But I guess the subject of 'what the stars were' had just never come up before...

:shrug:

[scholarsOrAcademics]

21. Thomas Gold

I could get the reference from Google if you Like. I do have his book,and it is on my agenda for continuing research. It is not in the category of Conspiracy Theories.

[gtar100]

22. No, this isn't possible. The earth is hollow.

:dunce: