Comment on The circle of life

• MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Yes and no. They’re both hydrocarbons.

  Coal is organic matter from dry land, so typically plants.

  Oil is from organic matter that fell to the ocean floor, so microbial life, algae and the like.

  But both are from and end up as the same types of organic molecules. Carbon and hydrogen.

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  • the_post_of_tom_joad@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Wow ok that’s cool… so then every* oil well is in a place that historically was underwater?

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    • Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yes, specifically shallow seas that are so rich that they go anoxic. Without oxygen, the organisms don’t break down and just accumulate.

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      • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Can Texas just go back to being a shallow sea?

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    • MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yes. A lot such places are still below the seabed, hence off-shore oil-rigs.

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• grandkaiser@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Nah, coal is plant matter too.

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  • Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Trees from before anything existed that could break down wood

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  • essell@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yeah, that’s what I said!

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• Piemanding@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I guess algae and bacteria are close to plants.

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  • xx3rawr@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Not really, especially in this science sub

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  • essell@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    How close? Like cousins or Alabama cousins?

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    • Piemanding@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Louisiana cousins I believe.

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