The Geological Conditions for the Appearance of Life on the Earth, and the Problems of Petroleum Genesis

Crude Petroleum

“…Two conflicting theories exist, these presuming either a biogenic or an abiogenic origin and they have been contrasted by KROPTKIN [184]. Sir ROBERT ROBINSON has attempted a reconciliation of these conflicting views with his Duplex [185,186] theory of origin.…”

The Sea off Southern California: A Modern Habitat of Petroleum

“…As discussed by Link (1957), Fred Hoyle and Imnlanuel Velikovsky recently have published opinions that petroleum was brought to Earth by meteorites, a reiteration of an 1890 theory by N. V. Sokoloff. Even more recently, Kropotkin (1957) strongly favored the inorganic origin of petroleum on the basis of its presence in 291 stony meteorites and in fractured igneous and metamorphic rocks and its rarity in some areas of abundant coal. Because of the strong stands taken by proponents of the inorganic versus the organic theories of petroleum genesis in the U.S.S.R., a large symposium on the question was convened there during late 1958 (Committee on Origin of Oil, 1958).…”

“…Corners of triangle indicate 100% carbon, hydrogen, and combined oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur, respectively. Diagran1 adapted partly from Kropotkin (1957). Note the differences in evolutionary trend of coal and petroleum.…”