Prehistoric Explosions Wiped Out Ocean Life— And Created Petroleum
Monday, July 21, 2008 - 07:07
in Earth & Climate
A new study by the University of Alberta suggests that a massive undersea volcano eruption 93 million years ago was the source of much of the world’s oil. Researchers Steven Turgeon and Robert Creaser were alerted to the prehistoric blast when they found specific levels of osmium isotopes (indicators of volcanic activity in sea water) in black shale rocks off the coast of South America and in the mountains of central Italy. read more