Already human activities in our oil-dependent society have led to alarming species extinction rates. An oil glut could accelerate this problem. It would be ironic if the Chicxulub impact event turned out to be a time bomb that was not only associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs and other species at the end of the Cretaceous Period, but also with another mass extinction resulting from human activities some 65 million years later. Glossary Basement rocks are rocks that have never been near the surface of the Earth. They lie under the top layer of rocks, most of which are sedimentary and have been recycled many times by erosion.
Organic molecules are simply molecules that contain carbon.
This does not mean that they have anything to do with organisms or life. Reservoir rocks act as reservoirs for oil. They have sufficient cracks and fissures to allow the oil to flow into the well. Reservoir rocks must be covered by cap rocks to prevent the oil seeping up to the surface and escaping. Source rocks are those in which oil is generated.