How was crude oil formed? Is it really the remains of dinosaurs?
To a degree. Yes, dinosaur remains formed some of the organic material that eventually became crude oil. But plankton and other ancient sea creatures contributed far more to our oil stock. When tiny plants and animals (especially plankton) died in ancient waters between 10 million and 600 million years ago, they naturally sank to the bottom of the sea. Crude oil, as a fossil fuel, is a product of decayed plants and animals that had been living in ancient seas millions of years ago. If you’ve found crude oil, you’ve found what was once an ancient sea bed. Some dinosaurs were sea creatures, but they do not account for most of the oil underground today.
