Petroleum oil was formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms, such as plants and bacteria, over millions of years, according to the National Geographic Society. However, a video shared on social media incorrectly claimed that oil is not actually a fossil fuel.
As the team at AAP FactCheck explained, the misinformation about the source of oil was shared on Facebook with the caption of “the truth about oil.” The text above the video reads: “Dinosaurs never existed. Fossil fuels are a myth.”
The myths about oil are partially attributed to L. Fletcher Prouty, who appeared in the video, explaining in a 1994 interview that he was a proponent of the “abiotic oil” theory, which states that fossil fuels are formed through nonbiological chemical processes deep within the Earth’s mantle, rather than from the decay of ancient organisms.
Prouty claimed that oil magnate John D. Rockefeller coined the term “fossil fuel” to create the false perception of scarcity and drive up prices. But according to AAP FactCheck, this claim has been “debunked multiple times,” and evidence shows that the term has been used in reference to crude oil at least since the 1700s in works by German chemist Caspar Neumann.
More importantly, however, is that the overwhelming scientific consensus and evidence point to the biogenic (fossil fuel) origin for most petroleum.
Chris Elders, a Curtin University petroleum geologist, told AAP FactCheck that since oil has “carbon isotopes that are similar to the living organisms from which they’re derived,” along with many biomarkers (molecules derived from living organisms), there’s solid evidence that oil comes from decomposed organic matter.
Prouty also alleged that because “there has never been a fossil, a real fossil, found below 16,000 feet,” the theory that oil comes from formerly living matter doesn’t make sense.
But Simon George, a petroleum geochemistry expert at Macquarie University, refuted this claim, stating that fossils have been found at greater depths, per AAP FactCheck. Regardless, the word “fossil” in this context doesn’t actually refer to actual mineralized fossils like dinosaur bones, but to the prehistoric organic origins of oil and other petroleum products created from the long process of decomposition under intense heat and pressure.
In summary, AAP FactCheck stated that “reserves of inorganic origin have never been found” and cited a 2006 review published in Resource Geology that concluded abiotic oil theories are “invalid.”
Regardless of where oil comes from, more than 99.9% of climate scientists agree that human activity, primarily the burning of dirty fuels such as oil and gas, is the main factor driving extreme weather and rising global temperatures. As society shifts toward clean energy, including solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower, it will help reduce the severity and intensity of weather events, safeguard public health, and contribute to a cooler, healthier planet.
“Yes, what we call fossil fuel did not come from dinos. It’s old vegetation,” one person commented on the video. “This does not mean dinos did not exist. These are two separate things.”
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