The Placer herald., 1867-06-15
How Petroleum is Formed.
BY PROFESSOR WILBUR.

There have been numerous theories propos
ed 10 account for the origin OF petroleum.
Mr.. White, of Toronto, who had published a
book on the subject. thought 1t had come
from union of the carbon OF the carbon
ferrous limestone with the hydrogen OF the
water. This was what might be called a
chemical theory, but be feared that chemist
and men Of science generally would decline
to accept it. Petroleum had been supposed
to have been formed from the remains OF
land animals and fishes. He bad heard OF
The whole theory, which supposed the Pc
troleum deposits to have been formed from
the remains Of vast shoals Of whales, sunk
down and imprisoned long ago in the rock
formations while forming. This. as well as
some other theories he bad heard OF, could
scarcely be maintained without provoking
smile. Meanwhile he had his own theory,
and be thought it as good as any of the rest,
perhaps better. His idea was, that OIL had
been formed from marine vegetation, just as
coal had been formed from that OF land.
Every coal bed bad clay below and slate above
There was certain uniformity 10 the condi'
tions under which coal was formed, which
pointed 10 certain uniformity of process in
its formation, and to one great epoch 10 the
geological time when il was formed. Peat
was al first formed, and this afterwards be-
came coal. Few persons bad any adequate
idea of the immense growth OF seaweed IN
the depths of the ocean. 1t had been shown
that seaweeds had in their composition
large amount of oily, carbonaceous matter
After their term of growth was fulfilled they
became detached, floated off, and finally sunk
to the bottom. Now it was received
opinion among geologists that this portion
of the North American continent had once
been the bed Of saltwater ocean. lhe
ocean floor, as they must remember, was not
level by any means, but had throughout Its
whole extent deep bollows and rising ridges.
1t was of course 10 these deep bellows that
these seaweed deposits would find their last
resting place, after long tossing about in the
waves and ocean. currents. ln this way 1t
would come to pass that they would not be
evenly distributed over the bottom, but only
in those hollows or pockets. Meanwhile the
deposits of solid, stratifed rock. or what after
wards became such, was goinfcon, and after
untold ages these masses Of seaweed became
covered TO various depths. He considered
it no very unreasonable or uLscienlitic sup
position, that these masses of oily carbona-
ceous matter should, under the crcum.
stances, take The form of oil, of liquid
bydrocarbon. They bad seen that oil existed
in and was distilled from coal, which was
conceded to be the remains of terrestrial
vegetation. There was therefore nothing
violent in the supposition that petroleum, so
exactly like coal oil in its properties, bad
been formed from marine vegetation. The
vegetable origin Of both, he conteuded, was
indubitabIe. But further, it so happened
that the Devonian rocks which contain these
depasts, were also the rocks in which salt
was found ,in immense subterranean reservoirs
Of brine, now condensed or saturated far be-
yond the sadness of the ocean. These two
deposits, oil and salt, were thus brought
closely tsgetber in point Of geological time.
The salt was allowed 10 be an ocean deposit,
and if SO, the inference was fair that the oil
was one also. Although ola different nature,
and formed in a different way, it had been
laid down about the same time, that was,
when this section of the country was an
ocean bed. He considered this 10 be very
strong proof that petroleum was, as be had
said, the product of immense deposits Of
marine vegetaiion.- Lecture delivered IN
Hamilton, c. W.