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To: jimkress
There was a post here a month or so ago about "hydrogen-eating" bacteria being found far underground. It's been speculated that petroleum may be the by-product of these bacteria... making it literally limitless.
7 posted on 05/29/2002 8:27:52 AM PDT by Darth Sidious
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To: Darth Sidious
Yes, I saw the bacteria thing. Was sort of suspecting it might pop up here.
15 posted on 05/29/2002 8:31:58 AM PDT by Lee'sGhost
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To: Darth Sidious
"hydrogen-eating" bacteria

Got to get some scientists on this one. Genetically alter the suckers so they excrete 92 octane rather than crude oil.

18 posted on 05/29/2002 8:32:41 AM PDT by LarryLied
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To: Darth Sidious
>There was a post here a month or so ago about "hydrogen-eating" bacteria being found far underground. It's been speculated that petroleum may be the by-product of these bacteria... making it literally limitless.

Do they know for a fact that natural gas and oil was made by decaying dinosaurs? I heard of someone digging up a pertified tree which was thought to be 2 million years old. It was found only at a depth of 300 feet. How did the dead dinos get to the depth that they are drilling for oil at? Is that even geologically reasonable?

49 posted on 05/29/2002 9:41:52 AM PDT by Dialup Llama
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To: Darth Sidious
A more likely, and controversial, theory is that all types of hydrocarbons are commonplace throughout the universe and that the crust and mantle of the earth is filled with the stuff. As it is extracted, a replacement supply wells up from deep below.

All the past calculations of when the oil would "run out" that I've ever heard of are based on the idea that hydrocarbons are leftover from decaying plant and animal matter, literally the buried forests and remains of animals from the Cambrian through the Cretaceous eras. In other words, if hydrocarbons do not originate from animal and plant life but are part of the structure of the planet, the amount available is way beyond what humans could possibly consume and is for all intents and purposes inexhaustible.

Oddly enough, astronomical observations in the last ten years have confirmed that hydrocarbons are common on other planets, none of which as far as we know have ever held life, so there seems to be ample scientific evidence to support the idea that the same is true on Earth.

Real disappointing news to the luddites and tree hugging Chicken Little's of this world.

50 posted on 05/29/2002 9:55:30 AM PDT by katana
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