The notion that petroleum or crude oil comes from dinosaurs is
fiction. Surprised? Oil formed from the remains of marine plants and
animals that lived millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs. The
tiny organisms fell to the bottom of the sea. Bacterial decomposition
of the plants and animals removed most of the oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus and sulfur from the matter, leaving behind a sludge made up
mainly of carbon and hydrogen. As the oxygen was removed from the
detritus, decomposition slowed. Over time the remains became covered by
layers upon layers of sand and silt.
As the depth of the sediment
reached or exceeded 10,000 feet, pressure and heat changed the remaining
compounds into the hydrocarbons and other organic compounds that form
crude oil and natural gas.
The type of petroleum formed by the
plankton layer depended largely on how much pressure and heat were
applied. Low temperatures (caused by lower pressure) resulted in a thick
material, such as asphalt. Higher temperatures produced a lighter
petroleum. Ongoing heat could produce gas, though if the temperature
exceeded 500°F, the organic matter was destroyed and neither oil nor gas
was produced.
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