Daily Devotional – November 12

Geology

A 2013 study estimated that 345 billion barrels of oil are recoverable from oil-containing-shale rock layers. This is typically done by a common oil-drilling process known as fracking. Shale is a clay-rich sedimentary rock that seals in the oil and gas – preventing movement of the fluids.

Where did all this oil come from? It is possible that some oil was created along with all the other resources of the earth, but most seem to be derived from organic matter. Oil has its own “fingerprint,” and most oils match up with marine algae deposits (type 1 oil) and marine planktonic deposits (type 2 oil). To create oil, these deposits of organic debris needed to be heated; this is done by the Earth’s thermal gradient. In other words, these deposits were buried at a certain depth, 8,000 to 15,000 feet, in order to “cook” at a temperature of 180 degrees – 250 degrees Fahrenheit. This is called the “oil window.” Of course, there are variations; if there is a nearby active volcano, the area does not need to be buried as deeply to produce oil. If, the organic debris passes through the “oil window” and cooks at higher temperatures, the result will be a natural gas deposit.

Do we see oil forming naturally today? NO. Nearly all organic debris is eaten by microorganisms and scavengers prior to becoming trapped in sediment. So, what event in history led to the creation of oil and gas? Noah’s Flood buried huge amounts of marine algae and plankton, trapping them faster than they could naturally decay and covering it with lots of sediment. The Earth’s oil reserves are young, not millions of years old. If the oils were old, they would have been destroyed by bacterial action by now. Even the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico saw surface oil quickly eaten by bacterial action. We also know that bacteria live virtually everywhere, even deep within the Earth. So, we can assume that old oil would not exist after millions of years. The Flood of Noah’s day has provided us with this much needed blessing for our modern world.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

~ James 1:17

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.