In some of my previous posts I suggested that there is a distinct possibility that there may be oil in Mars. While the jury is still out for most readers on the true natural origins of oil in our own planet's crust there is supporting evidence that oil is continuing to be produced through the digestion of portions of the ferrite substrata by a kind of anaerobic bacterial fungal mold which produces oil and methane as the waste by-product in a process that has been ongoing in this planet's geological history since before the atmosphere contained oxygen. I can now ascribe a name to that peculiar form of life. They are methanogens, previously known as the archaea and which were previously categorised with the prokaryotes which include bacteria. Now they have been given their very own classification.
This is not news, actually. It is just that this month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the discovery that led to the reclassification of these 'non-bacteria' by microbiologist Carl Woese at the University of Illinois based on his analysis of ribosomal RNA. He discovered that the evolution of other prokaryotes and eukaryotes shared common features not found in the methanogens, which in parts were very different, apparently evolving according to a differing subset of rules. This lends some credence to the idea that they arrived here from elsewhere, and that they do not have their origins on this Earth.
As space-based early life forms they probably arrived here after precipitating from the trails left behind by comets, or as aggregate dust clouds wherein they were confined and which drifted through this solar system depositing the methanogens on all the worlds and their moons, wherein they might have continued evolving and producing oil and methane gases in those worlds which have a high ferrite concentration in their crust.
The idea seems not so far-fetched. It turns out that the methanoarchaea are neither bacterial nor fungal, but in a class all by themselves. They are certainly prehistoric, predating oxygen-dependent life.
Unusual methanogens have been isolated from oil-producing wells. In an article found on The Journal of the Society for General Microbiology web site the authors state that "Methanocalculus halotolerans might be indigenous to the oilfield ecosystem". Other studies show that "a mixed group of microorganisms is more effective at biodegrading organic compounds than any of the component strains acting alone". Thus far it has been established with some certainty that a "microbial consortium" converts oil, oil bearing shale and coal into methane. The discovery of life in deep oil wells is fairly recent. It was previously thought that life could not exist in that environment. It was also discovered that introducing oxygen into that environment suppresses methane production.
It may be that the term "fossil fuels" will shortly become obsolete.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Are there methanogens inside Mars?
Friday, January 18, 2008
Let's go to Mars!
Mars is a fascinating place. There is a huge canyon there Earthlings are calling Valles Marineris. It is 10 times longer, 5 times deeper, and 20 times wider than Earth's Grand Canyon. It is 3,000 miles long and as deep as Mount Everest is high. Any number of theories exist as to how it got there. I believe that it was probably created during a rapid cooling phase when Mars was first being formed. The effects of solidification and contraction probably cracked the surface there. However, that is not to rule out the same processes that shaped the ocean trenches on Earth, because close scrutiny reveals a ridge running along the center on the canyon floor. Below is an actual image taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.
There is a wealth of Geology there which should give some conclusive insight regarding the nature of Mars and whether life ever originated there.
There are more anomalous features on the planet. There appear to be artificial structures in the region called Ismenia. Close study of the images below definitely piques the curious instinct.
I think that a manned mission to Mars can be justified if only on the basis of our thirst for discovery and exploration. Curious minds want to know.
Oil in Mars?
Many people and scientists believe that oil comes from the decayed remains of prehistoric life. If that were the case, then those empty caverns in Texas should not be filling up again with oil, but most of them are. Oil has been found to be seeping through and running down the cavern walls, and some wells have been restarted using advanced technology to reclaim it. They are not the gushers of days past, but profitable nonetheless.
Some scientists believe that oil comes from microscopic life forms called diatoms, which are neither plant nor animal but convert sunlight to energy on the surface of lakes and oceans, then sink and accumulate on the bottom. These scientists reason that they are responsible for the oil we pump because they also contain an oily constituent in their composition. However, elementary science teaches us that oil floats on the surface of water, which is why they are found there in the first place. Secondly, they provide the valuable first link in the important food chain which leads to the higher animals, with baleen whales occupying the topmost position in that chain.
The bottom line is that nobody is really sure where the oil came from.
I recall reading many years ago of a researcher for one of the major oil companies who confirmed through laboratory experimentation using high pressure in an anaerobic environment that oil was actually the waste byproduct of the digestion of the ferrite substrata of the earth's crust by a microbial fungal mold in the oxygen-free environment deep under the surface of the Earth. That sounds like the most plausible explanation to me for where oil comes from. That would mean that oil is actually a replenishable resource, and this would explain the oil trickling down the walls of caverns from what were thought to be depleted wells, but I have no doubt that we are removing it much faster than it is being replaced.
This also suggests that oil can exist in Mars. Mars is a planet rich in iron, and since the process of oil production was occurring in Earth long before surface life evolved, there is no reason to believe that this has not been happening in Mars. It is likely that the original spores of the microbial fungal mold either drifted through our solar system through space many billions of years ago, or hitched a ride on cometary debris while Earth formation was still in its infancy. This would not preclude their existence in Mars. In fact, if that is indeed the case than oil is pretty much guaranteed to be present there.
