Does Oil Come From Dinosaurs ?
Many people who know nothing about oil formation are of the opinion that oil comes from dinosaurs. So, does oil come from dinosaurs? The answer is an emphatic no, although it might be portrayed in many works of fiction that it does. This is what contributes to this misconception. |
Actually if you ask people from where oil comes, many will automatically think about fossils and dinosaurs and say that oil comes from it. The fact remains that neither dinosaurs nor fossils are responsible for formation of oil in the depths of the earth.
The word petroleum is derived from combining two Greek words -- petra meaning rock and oleum meaning oil. Oil primarily is a hydrocarbon and is formed from microorganisms and plants. Millions of years ago, microorganisms died and started to decompose in water bodies like lakes and large ponds. These microorganisms died in an environment where there was insufficient oxygen and as a result the decomposition stopped. Once this happened, the organic matter of the microorganisms gradually turned into oil.
Although the process of oil formation takes thousands if not millions of years, it definitely is not as simple as what is explained above. There are many other processes involved to change the organic matter of microorganisms into oil and one of them is pressure exerted by the soil, rock and other debris that kept collecting on top of the death microorganisms.
So, if someone ever asked you again whether oil comes from dinosaurs, you can easily reply to them as now you know roughly how oil formation takes place.
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