"One can, then, conceive the production, by purely mineral means, of all natural hydrocarbons. The intervention of heat, of water, and of alkaline metals - lastly, the tendency of hydrocarbons to unite together to form the more condensed material - suffice to account for the formation of these curious compounds. Moreover, this formation will be continuous because the reactions which started it are renewed incessantly." -- Marcellin Berthelot, chemist, 1866
Infinite natural hydrocarbon production continues unabated as anyone with basic knowledge of hydrocarbon chemistry is well aware: Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico Oil Reserves Are Increasing, AFP Reports. (Via: Ghawar Guzzler)
March 17 (Bloomberg) -- Cuba’s oil reserves in its portion of the Gulf of Mexico “continue increasing,” Agence France- Presse reported, citing Yadira Garcia, the island nation’s minister for basic industries.
The Caribbean country’s future oil reserves are most likely to be found in its area of the gulf, which measures 112,000 square kilometers (43,000 square miles) and is divided into 59 oil blocks, AFP reported, citing Garcia, who spoke at a geological sciences conference in Cuba.
Cuba may have 21 billion barrels of probable oil reserves, including onshore and offshore discoveries, AFP said, citing conference participants.
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15 comments:
...While our's are slowly depleting, lol. Interesting post.
"This sad state of affairs has not been brought on by lack of undiscovered oil in the ground--it is the result of a drastic decline in the industry's effort to locate undiscovered oil in the United States." -- Michel T. Halbouty, geologist, 1966
@ OilIsMastery:
The quote is a full expression of hydrocarbon production in as few words as needed, and to think that expression of Man's understanding was in 1866.
Anaconda,
Isn't it great?
Incidentally, Berthelot is widely to be considered one of the greatest chemists who's ever lived as is Mendeleyev (another chemist who recognized the abiotic origin of natural hydrocarbons). Any chemist worth a damn knows the truth about the etiology of natural hydrocarbons.
A couple of things for whoever’s pleasure…
Brazil is helping Angola develop its subsalt formations, which - interestingly enough - are very similar to Brazil’s. Now Angola has a myriad of problems, and mammoth oil discoveries may turn it into another Nigeria (which it pretty much is already), but still…
Secondly, Exxon Mobil hit an 8 billion barrel offshore bonanza (anybody surprised?) near Brazil. We’re going to need trucker strength espresso to awake our boredom over this matter…
In the future, when nanobots are constructing a plethora of items out of carbon, Mathew Simmons will be crying “peak carbon” from his wheel chair.
@OIM "Infinite natural hydrocarbon production continues unabated"
Infinite? LOL. Is Conservation of Matter-Energy a principle you subscribe to? Or does these hydrocarbons magically appear out of nothing similar to hydrogen in the ol' Steady State theory of cosmology?
ASPHALT VOLCANOES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND OFF CALIFORNIA COAST
It is no surprise that Cuba has oil & natural gas in its small territorial share of the Gulf of Mexico and around its shoreline.
Asphalt volcanoes have been discovered in the abyssal depths of the Gulf of Mexico (over 9,000 feet deep toward the southren geographic center of the gulf)
The following is a description of a schematic of the salt diapir that the aphalt (and oil) rise up through to come to the abyssal floor of the Gulf of Mexico:
(Schematic available on linked pdf file below)
"Fig. 2. New conceptual model for the Chapopote asphalt flow event. Numerals indicate 1, the Chapopote salt-cored diapiric/hydrothermally derived structure (M. Hovland et al., submitted manuscript, 2005); 2, internal conduit system, transporting supercritical water and hydrothermal-like fluids (including early generated oils and bitumens) and particles to the surface; 3, the mantle of the “bituminous lava flow,” which probably partly contains supercritical water and hot brines, insulated from ambient temperatures by sheaths of solidified bitumen and asphalt; 4, the solidified outer sheath of the asphalt flow, which acts as an effective heat insulator; 5, plume of volatiles originating from the rapidly devolitizing warm bitumen and asphalts; and 6, plume of condensed materials including light hydrocarbon oils and gases, and particulate matter."
Chapopote Asphalt Volcano
May Have Been Generated
by Supercritical Water (Warning: pdf file)
Authors, M. HOVLAND, Statoil ASA, Stavanger, Norway;
I. R. MACDONALD, Texas A&M University, Corpus
Christi; H. RUESLÅTTEN, Numerical Rocks ASA,Trondheim,
Norway; H. K. JOHNSEN, Statoil, Trondheim,
Norway; T. NAEHR, Texas A&M University, Corpus
Christi; and G. BOHRMANN, University of Bremen,
Germany.
Statoil is the Norwegian state run oil company which explores & produces oil principly in the North Sea off the Norwegian coast, but it also explores for offshore oil all over the world.
Extinct Asphalt volcanoes have been located off the California coast in the Santa Barbara area. (The area also has abundant active oil seeps on the sea floor, as well as current oil production facilities.)
Harvard registar abstract
These current and former active volcanic aphalt volcanoes testify to the abiotic formation of oil & natural gas.
The Gulf of Mexico vocanoes are at 9,000 feet below sea level.
The extinct California asphalt volcanoes are much shallower, with currently active oil seeps peppering the same area.
At no time was this abyssal area in the Gulf of Mexico a "shallow stagnant sea" where plant detritus could build up.
So Cuba has its share of abiotic oil; well, I guess even a blind squirrel finds a burried nut some time.
"Infinite" is a bad word. I criticize basic concepts in "modern" astronomy that rely on the "infinity" principle.
Perhaps, the better word is abiotic oil production.
The Earth forms oil from abiotic geo-chemical processes that are ongoing.
(To what extent and rate are these processes ongoing? No one knows.)
Could Man ever over-tax this Natural geological oil production.
Possibly, yes.
But the "fossil" fuel paradigm is false -- oil is not formed from squashed plants.
Is Earth's oil production "infinite"?
No.
Is it substantial and abundant, particlularly considering 75% of offshore areas with oil potential have not been explored?
Yes.
The key is ultra-deep water, ultra-deep drilling (in situ observation & measurement) below the abyssal salt layer where no squashed plants ever layed their dead rotting carcasses.
This oil is as hot as 450 degress Fahrenheit, found in waters over 5,000 feet deep, and, as deep as 10,000 feet below sea level, and another 15,000 to 25,000 feet below the sea bottom under a layer of abyssal salt over a kilometer thick.
Again, no squashed plants ever reached this geological strata or environoment.
These in situ observations & measurements violate all the constraints of the "fossil" fuel theory.
These observations & measurements are entirely consistent with Abiotic Oil theory.
So, yes, "infinite" is a bad word, but fixed & finite are also bad words to describe the Earth's oil supplies.
To put it another way, to ring with the following Oil Is Mastery post: Earth's hydrocarbon supply is "evolving", how much Man does not know.
The only way to find out is drill until the oil runs out.
But my best estimate is that oil will be readily available for at least 30 years (no acutal physical shortage), thus over the economic horizon, and not a factor in today's economic climate.
REFRESHER "COURSE" FOR NEW READERS
The Oil Is Mastery website is the most comprehensive Abiotic Oil theory resource on the internet, today.
Volumous materials on Abiotic Oil theory are available for direct link on the left-hand side-bar (as well as back dated Oil Is Mastery posts).
But the "speed" course can be had by reviewing these three Oil Is Mastery posts:
Oil Seeps Now Monitored By Satellite, December 8, 2008
Shell Breaks Subsea Drilling Record, December 5, 2008
Petrobras Oil Hunter Fights To Keep Finds For Brazil, December 19, 2008
Of course, there are many more back dated Oil Is Mastery posts on Abiotic Oil theory.
The body of scientific evidence is copious that supports the Abiotic Oil theory.
And the body of scientific evidence is copious that falsifies "fossil" fuel theory.
One only has to research to see the overwhelming level of evidence in support of Abiotic Oil theory.
Dr. Clifford Wirth, a "Peak" oil advocate, who has visited this website with his "Peak" oil message, but declined to engage in discussion when I offered the opportunity, has taken down a civil comment I posted on his website laying out the ultra-deep water, ultra-deep drilling (in situ observation & measurement) evidence for Abiotic Oil theory.
Wirth also enabled his comment moderation. So, that should tell readers he doesn't have a case for "Peak" oil and he knows it.
Clearly, Wirth has no answer to the scientific evidence supporting Abiotic Oil theory.
Wirth has a cozy little gig living in Mexico where it's warm and travelling around to "Peak" oil conferences.
Wirth can't have that gig spoiled by reality, so taking down a comment is no problem.
Wirth, like "Peak" oil, itself, is an empty suit.
Anaconda,
I recently incinerated Dr. Wirth's hypothesis of oil peaking in 2008 on my blog. The post is fairly long with some graphs, but if you have the time and patience, you'll see easy evidence that devours his prized-pet. Not only did oil not peak, but last year’s glut could have been considerably worse (for OPEC and Russia).
It's not surprising Clifford censored your post: most die hard peakers are Nazis. I plan to write Clifford this week to point out the gaping holes in his hypothesis, and give him some idea of how big the glut could have been.
I also plan to post some graphs from his link later this week. One is for OECD demand - the decline since 2005 has been huge!
Clifford Wirth may have a Ph.D., but he's not bright.
Keep up the fight.
Anaconda,
A while back, on one of the other blogs, someone left this in the comment section:
"Clifford J. Wirth is a clown who cuts and pastes the same garbage on every energy related website he can find.
Often he posts links to his own site where he offers a 40-page paper composed almost entirely of graphs and passages copied directly from the Oil Drum.
He also charges $100/hr for tephone consultations about Peak Oil."
@ Bloggin' Brewski:
I have reviewed your presentation. I want to compliment you on your detailed analysis of the oil production data. That's hard work. Bloggin', you are to be commended.
"Peak" oil advocates like Wirth are the type Mark Twain had in mind when he stated: "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics."
And because statistics are so easily manipulated, I concentrate on the origins of oil. All oil production figures no matter how accurate or not, have "Peak" oil implications only if the "fossil" fuel paradigm is accurate.
All "Peak" oil paradigms are based on the "fossil" fuel theory.
Now, if oil was a "fossil" fuel, I'd take a different position, might even be a "Peaker", myself.
But oil is abiotic, as I and oilIsMastery lay out in great detail on this website.
It doesn't surprise me that Wirth goes around crapping on any and all energy websites he can find -- his trade is not one of persuasion, but simply gathering up the suckers that already exist, who already swallow the swill of "Peak" oil.
It's no surprise he is a "cut and paste" guy.
But can I ask you a question, Bloggin' Brewski, I sense a reluctance on your part to subscribe to Abiotic Oil theory. It's very understandable, given the propoganda the oil companies and geologists have been putting out for decades. All you ever hear from childhood is, "oil is a 'fossil' fuel."
Frankly, it's hard to get beyond such a deeply ingrained belief, developed since childhood.
So I'm curious, what aspect of the whole "fossil" versus Abiotic Oil theory debate either leaves you most uncertain or what piece of evidence keeps you from renouncing the "fossil" fuel paradigm completely?
I understand you simply may not want to carry the Abiotic Oil theory ball -- it's an added burden of proof and layer of persuation you may not want to deal with.
I'll admit, it is very difficult to pierce all the preconceived notions about oil's formation.
Yet, respected scientists from the beginning of the hydrocarbon age have asserted that oil is abiotic.
As this post poignantly points out.
This is nothing new, but the evidence has reached a crescendo with the advent of ultra-deep water, ultra-deep drilling, in situ observation & measurement.
The oil industry's very technological success has brought on this crescendo of evidence.
Bloggin' Brewskie, I'd very much appreciate your thoughts.
Anaconda,
As you very well know, Brazil is drilling Tupi under 7,000 feet of water, 16,000 feet of rock, sand and salt (which is over a mile thick) - with temperatures seeing 500 degrees. Fossil fuel theory says oil should not be there, yet Brazil is finding entire oceans of it in places where it shouldn't be.
Along with this, we have:
- Saturn's moon, Titan, with more
hydrocarbons than earth.
- Methane found on Mars.
- Sweden scientists hitting oil
4 miles down (less than 100 barrels, but
still...).
When these four items are factored, it means one of two things: (1) if fossil fuel theory is correct, it needs serious revisement; or (2) oil and natural gas have abiogenic origins. Until space probe technology verifies sure-fire dino remains on Saturn, let's assume the latter.
On difference I have with you and OIM is I haven’t been convinced all oil and gas is of abiogenic origin, though I’ll confess I’m not as familiar with topic as you guys. There’s no disputing monster quantities of abiotic oil and gas exist, with entire oceans of it awaiting in places we haven’t looked.
Ghawar Guzzler is a blog devoted to current events and future trends in the world of energy, with all facets covered - "fossil fuels," renewables, research, etc. Posts of abiotic oil is a considered possibility, though it will require additional research.
@ Bloggin' Brewskie:
Fair enough. I appreciate your response. And, yes, Brazil has been the key in situ observation & measurement location.
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