Evening star., 1953-01-23
Oil Is Being Created
Constantly, Tests Show
Sediments on Floor Of Gulf
Anolyzed by Biologists
By Thomos R. Henry

Petroleum constantly is being created.
The high probability of this is stressed
in a report to the American Association
for the Advancement Of Science here by
DR.. Paul v. Smith Of the Standard Oil
Development Co. A variety of hydro
carbons, Of which petroleum is COM
bination. were found in relatively recent
sediments on the floor OF the Gulf Of
Mexico.
The origin of petroleum always has
been quite debatable. It unquestionably
Is derived from the remains Of living
things, probably animals, but It has
been held that all existing in the world
today was produced in the very distant
past-probably from the abundance
OF microorganisms in the seas several
hundred million years ago. This hy-
potheSiS has been sustained by the fact
that previous analyses Of recent sedi-
mentS have revealed nothing which
could be related remotely to the ma
terial which Is major fuel Of modern
civilization and diminishing supplies
OF which have caused considerable
concern.
Still the remains OF living things con-
stantly are being deposited on the sea
bottom. although perhaps not in the
great abundance Of the past. The pres
ent nndlngs came as result Of much
nner analysis Of sea-bottom mud than
has been possible in the past.
Great Yield in Sediments.
Cores as much as 100 feet long were
taken from the bottom of the Gulf and
We're subjected to this intensive anal
ySlS. The hydrocarbons were found to
constitute from two to about 20 parts
per hundred thousand Of these cores.
Still, DR.. Smith calculates a cubic mile
OF these sediments would yield about As
million barrels Of a material resembling
crude Oil. Eventually. it may be as
sumed this material in some way would
become concentrated in pockets-oil re-
serves Of the distant future.
The age Of remains of living things
now can be determined with some ac-
curacy by the amount of radioactive
carbon which they contain.
When this method was applied to
the Gull Of Mexico sediments the aver
age age was found to be about $4,000
years. This is a very brief time indeed
from the viewpoint Of the geologists It
means that petroleum is being created
almost contemporaneously-rather than
that the job was finished by nature in
the extremely distant past.
There remains the job of determin-
ing from what kind Of life these hydro
carbonS are derived. Oil-like sub
stances have been isolated in the past
from barpacles and also from the in
visibly minute marine bacteria with
which the sea is filed. They also have
been found. in extremely minute
amounts. in oysters and bluefish.
Composed Of Remains.
"It seems plausible to suggest" says
DR.. Smith, "that the petroleumlike
mixture being formed in this present
era is composite Of the hydrocarbon
remains Of many forms of marine life.
Crude oils of varying composition might
result from changes in the relative
contributions Of different forms Of ma
rine life." ;sssjt
An objection to the conclusion that
petroleum may be forming continue
ously, DR.. Smith says, Is the pos
sibility that the hydrocarbons found in
the sediments within 100 feet Of the
surface, laid down in the last few
thousand years, may have seeped up
ward from greater depths. Previously
this might have invalidated the And
ings. The objection is thrown out,
however, by the radioactive carbon
determinations.
The greatest amounts Of the hydro
carbons were found in sediments which
contained the greatest amounts Of sui
fur. This leads to the hypothesis that
the presence Of sulfur has something
to do with petroleum formation. It is
possible that the process Is started, at
least. by strains Of bacteria known to
live only in the presence OF sulfur.