Life is found in deepest layer of Earth's crust

The New Scientist ^ | 18 November 2010 | Michael Marshall

[vbmoneyspender]

The Deep Hot Biosphere

The thesis of the book is that oil and gas is renewable and being replenished deep underground.

[DeaconRed]

They found fat ass Ted Kennedy down there. . . . .

[UCANSEE2]

Did anyone else notice this little land mine embedded in the article?

Yep. Pretty subtle.

[mmercier]

In fact, should some extraterrestrial entity stumble onto this planet, humans will not even figure into their analysis of life here. We are a fungus on a toenail, at best.

The bulk of biomass on this planet lives under a mile of water or rock, or both. Been going on for a long time, longer than most can comprehend... Compare ten to a hundred to a thousand to a million to a billion. 4.6 billion is our best guess. We are nothing more than a zit on the bum of this biosphere.

It sux for us to recognize this reality, that is why we all need a God. Everyone who mattered realized this about ten thousand years back.

[YHAOS]

"Did anyone else notice this little land mine embedded in the article? "

Petroleum industry chatter has taken notice of it for decades.

[cripplecreek]

Now, how we're going to manage to get deep drilling equipment to the surface of Titan or Europa, that's for future generations to engineer.

Not a major issue. The big problem is sneaking a pretty potent load of nuclear material past the greenies and attorneys into orbit.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

That occurred to me as I read the title!

[TChris]

He points out that the reactions that produce oil and gas abiotically inside the crust could happen in the mantle...

Did anyone else notice this little land mine embedded in the article?

What's the problem?

Abiotically means "without life". Are you trying to claim that gas and oil can only be produced from biological material?

I think it's pretty settled that gas and oil can be produced by purely geological and chemical means.

[Oberon]

Are you trying to claim that gas and oil can only be produced from biological material?

Oh no! I agree with you.

[Fractal Trader]

I think it's pretty settled that gas and oil can be produced by purely geological and chemical means.

I think that most petroleum engineers would agree that oil deposits come from sedimentary remains of living organisms. This is probably true for most natural gas. However, natural gas appears to also be made (for example, in Jupiter's moons) from an abiotic process. Therefore, we should be open to the possibility of discovering natural gas here on the earth that is of an abiotic origin.

[onedoug]

Why then is it only found incorporated in sediments? There are some types of metamorphic and igneous rocks porous enough for this, yet it´s not observed.

[reed13]

Morlocks or Molemen?

[PetroniusMaximus]

Have you also considered the dangers of soil compaction?

All the people walking around of the earth will eventually compact the soil down to sea level - resulting in a calamity like the one you described.

We must act NOW to limit human walking and thereby save our precious earth from the ravages of soil compaction.

[BwanaNdege]

Yep, I’m looking for references & articles now.

Try this:

http://www.viewzone.com/abioticoilx.html

[Erasmus]

Our offspring will all need boats!

Well, it happened before. And if it happens again, it will be for pretty much the same reasons.

≤}B^)

[PATRIOT1876]

*A remote expedition to the deepest layer of the Earth's oceanic crust has revealed a new ecosystem living over a kilometre beneath our feet.*

Oh, how can that be?
Al Gore says that it's MILLIONS of degrees 2 KM down. It would be at least a few hundred thousand to a million degrees one kilometer down if Gore is correct.

;-)

[Defiant]

Yes, what they found was just registered to vote.

[PATRIOT1876]

*The thesis of the book is that oil and gas is renewable and being replenished deep underground.*

Oh man, the anti-carbon anti-fossil fuels people will hate to hear this!

[laughs with schadenfreude]

[TChris]

Why then is it only found incorporated in sediments? There are some types of metamorphic and igneous rocks porous enough for this, yet it´s not observed.

Why then are hydrocarbons observed on other planets? How did they come to be?

[Erasmus]

Solution: Snowshoes for everyone, which will put off the catastrophe for a millennium.

I'm stocking up now. When snowshoes become mandatory, I promise to offer reasonable prices to all Freepers.