Unlike popular belief, oil does not come from the remains of dinosaurs, rather from the silica based life-form called diatoms. Diatoms live in the top few meters of oceans and lakes and are able, unlike people, to convert sunlight into energy.
In order to remain afloat and to store the energy they soak in, diatoms create an oil substance. But in order to use this oil to fuel your car it needs to be condensed in the ground for millions of years. It takes about a 20 metric tons of these these guys to make one liter of gasoline for your car.
Author: Jack Reichert
As far back as he can remember Jack Reichert has been interested in the environment. In the second grade, he rallied all of his classmates to donate one recess a week to cleaning up litter from the schoolyard. That was the same year that a city councilman asked him to help with his campaign because of the letter Jack had written asking him to clean up Boston Harbor. Ever since Jack has followed the development of the international green conscience with anticipation and hope that one day we will treat Mother Earth with the respect she deserves and not turn her into another Giving Tree. For tips, feedback and prophet sightings, Jack can be reached at jack (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
This little diatom looks like a barrel of oil.
Hi Rick,
You make a good point. It IS a hypothesis, but I thought that it was an interesting one. You are welcome to follow up with my sources, I linked to them in the article.
Thanks for your comment!
Hi Jack R. ,
There were experiments done that demonstrate that crude oil
compounds can be generated by high pressure and temperature
acting on calcium carbonate .
Are you are theorizing that the diatoms are the source
of the deep earth calcium carbonate ?