Right: So IF our "oil" and "gas" deposits come from deeply deposited (surface) plant and animal matter transformed BY the pressure of its overlaying rock and heated by the earth's internal heat over millions of years: HOW can tons of frozen methane be found AT THE TOP of a "new" volcano off of CA with NO overlaying rock (to create pressure!) and NO massive millions of millions of pounds of plant matter deposited to create the source carbons?
This does seem to lend some credence to Gold's theory, nicht war?
Volcanos produce methane. In fact, LOTS of things produce methane.
There's methane on the moons of Saturn.
Oil is created almost exclusively in a marine environment. All of the inland oil fields were once under sea water. It's millions of years of dead algae, fishpoop, plankton, etc., settling to the sea floor.
When there is an upthrust or the sea level drops, this muck gets covered with sand as the seashore changes its position. A whole layer of sandstone on top of the muck is the result.
Repeat dozens of times. Add some reefs and bony deposits to make some limestone layers.
Compress and heat for eons.
That's how you get oil.
The terrain on that location of the Pacific Plate may be quite old since that area is not headed for subduction any time. The Pacific Plate is sliding along the NA Plate in a NNE direction and the terrain in question came from somewhere else.
The Mud Volcano may have coughed stuff that was buried deeper under the sea floor. As to why the Methane Hydrate did not fall apart that is a function of water temperature and pressure.
They did admit that this was unusual and I don't think that there is a neat Biogenic answer that comes to mind.
OBTW: Most coal and much of our oil comes from plant decomposition during the Paleozoic Era specifically the Coniferous Period (345-290 mya). During the Late Carboniferous collision of Laurussia (present-day Europe and North America) into Godwanaland (present-day Africa and South America) produced the Appalachian mountain belt.