A couple of us in our office occasionaly dredge this subject up. Where does
oil really come from? It's funny how after all these years of using it, we still have no real proof that it's dino gas. And there are quite a number of folks proposing that it's generated deep in the core and mantle through abiotic processes. It would be quite a kick if it is finally determined to be an abiotic process whereby carbon and hydrogen and the rest are mixed down deep and distilled into
oil. As for how the raw materials get down there, think continental subduction deep under the oceans. THen, the real question is, will we ever outstrip the natural production process?
None the less, crude will be around for a long time (my prediction). I believe this because natural reserves are found in unlikely places as well as in deeper places. Remember, there are planets and moons in our own solar system that contain lakes of liquid and frozen methane. No plants there. Plus the Germans perfected a process to create syngas during WWII.
Mike