Are there hydrocarbons in the deep earth?
Current theory states that because hydrocarbons are formed from organic matter which once lived on the surface… it would of course be in the rocks close to surface. There has never been any complex hydrocarbons found outside of the sedimentary environments they were formed in OR in an environment where the source rock could not be identified. : the deeper you go the more unlikely anything could chemically survive. Generalised: chemically complex oil is found close to the surface, simpler natural gas – broken down by pressure / heat – is found deeper. However, there is one theory out there about Methane being formed in the Earth’s inner core and degassing to outer crust rock formations. Most people would throw this theory out, but the guy that suggested it (Gould*) has had several other brilliant breakthroughs. (*Spelling may be wrong on the name, I’m not digging through freshman notes for you….
