Oil and Evidence for Its Rapid Formation

A popular topic concerning the age of the earth is the formation of oil and natural gas deposits, in particular the question of whether these deposits form slowly according to uniformitarian principles or quickly and catastrophically? Evolutionists and old-earth scientists believe that oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels form slowly over million of years as biological material was buried and compressed under significant pressure. However, creationists believe that oil and natural gas can form much faster and within the Biblical time scale of 6,000 years. Creationists believe that natural gas can form as coal reacts with hot subsurface waters. As these subsurface coal deposits are heated with hot waters, the coal converts to gas and oil hydrocarbons rise toward the surface. The oil rises until it reaches the surface or is blocked by a trapping rock formation, a process that occurs relatively quickly within the 6,000 year time frame. Experiments performed on coal from Australia's Gippsland Basin confirm the rapid formation of oil from heated brown coal deposits under conditions simulating a natural sedimentary rock basin. Observations also concluded that oil and hydrocarbons are currently in the process of formation, indicating the rapid formation within days. (1) In addition, observations from Kettleman Hills in California also confirm the rapid formation of oil less than 5,000 years ago. (2) In 1982, a "natural oil refinery" was reported to exist inside the Gulf of California and the Guaymas Basin and was attributed to the "unusually rapid breakdown of organic debris by extraordinarily extensive heat flowing through the sediments." The location contains undersea volcanoes that are part of the East Pacific Rise underwater ridge. (3) Around the earth, there are reports of oil and natural gas being formed naturally and even oil reservoirs being replenished naturally as oil is pumped out of the subsurface. In addition, recent laboratory work has shown that oil can form quickly. Creationists have also explained that the radioactively unstable carbon-14 isotope of carbon, which has a half-life of 5,730 years, has been found in oil and natural gas, giving great evidence of a young age within the 6,000 year time frame.

(1) Shibaoka, M., Saxby, J.D. and Taylor, G.H., AAPG Bulletin 62(7):1151–1158, 1978.
(2) Snelling, A. A. 2009. Earth's Catastrophic Past. Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research, 973.
(3) Simonelt, B.R.T. and Lonsdale, P.F., 1982. Hydrothermal petroleum in mineralized mounds at the seabed of Guaymas Basin. Nature, vol. 295, pp. 198–212.