Here is an email I sent out to a group of friends related to the following article:
Is there an endless supply of oil? – by Russ Vaughn
Now I am not schooled enough either way, but had a little fun, and possibly poked a few holes in the idea…
This was my response to the email thread going on about this among my friends:
Hmmmm…i feel a bit puzzled after reading the article. I had always been taught the deep crust theories. However, the truth probably lies somewhere between the two. The argument for running out, I had thought, was always based on what we can cheaply get at? I guess i had never considered that the deep crust activities could be flowing up to the top re-plenishing at the rate of what we are consuming. Of course the author/theory stops short of making that claim.
But that raises another important consideration I had never thought of. The matter and energy from that process has to come from somewhere and go somewhere. If the deep crust activity is replenishing oil reservoirs near the crust, then what is filling the space 25 miles deep as matter flows upward? Probably quite a few explanations, with the most likely one being that at around that depth, things are becoming less dense. And as they become less dense, the high pressure (and/or possibly temperatures) are also decreasing. So as things become less dense, with lower pressures, the rate of flow will decrease over time as our rate of consumption will increase over time. I guess that is one possible hypothesis. Something to consider.
Over the last few years, I have started to flirt with studying geology (but very lightly as time permits). This field interests me as one of my major interests in the area of astronomy are the exoplanets we are finding around other stars (roughly 405 so far). I’ve been to see a few speakers on geology (regarding earth and space), and the best one, Brother Guy Consolmagno (Vatican Astronomer) in a private discussion stated his “rule of geology” as he jokingly stated it. Geology by its nature is SLOW! “And if it’s not slow – RUN!” I am guessing that this kidding around kind of general rule is probably true in this case as well, although not clearly stated that way. If I can find some time to research this, I will, as this sounds very interesting. Especially if it is gaining momentum.
Now my jokingly general rule of thumb. There is only one way to prove certain claims…stay the course! Any takers?
Just wanted to share that, as I thought it was fairly interesting, and just goes to show that a little fun can be had when pondering!