Earth Getting Larger?

I had never really thought about it before, but if fossil fuels are made from the decomposed bodies of prehistoric sea creatures, and these fuels are buried deep underground, then the surface of the earth on which the creatures lived would have to be deeper than the surface we live on now, meaning that the earth itself would have had to be smaller. If this is true, then does anyone know how much smaller the earth would have to have been? What about how small it was when life first began? As the earth grew in size, was the new matter mostly composed of dead organic matter or material pulled in from space? (Not all of the land is igneous). Also, how much larger could the planet possibly grow?

This article talks about natural gas from the lower cretaceous period being buried at 3500 meters below earth's surface, and natural gas deposits from the late mid cretaceous period being buried at 1500 meters below the surface.

Natural Gas Deposits

Maybe I'm just having a brain cramp, but I can't really remember learning about the earth getting bigger back in science class. Any info would be appreciated.

I remember reading about a crazy scientist who said that the earth was MUCH smaller at one point and that all the continents on earth match up together to form the crust. As time went on they all cracked apart and seperated as the earth got larger. He even had a cool graphic showing what all the continents look like joined together and forming the crust of smaller earth.

Don't know if that answers your questions though.

Yes the Earth is growing larger, and yes at one time the Earth was small and completely encapsulated in crust, upon expanding the continents have inevitably separated and broken apart. "Continents float on tectonic plates", give me a break...

Would you happen to remember where that information can be found? I saw a website that a scientist made who was proposing that theory, but now I cannot find it.

Well the Russians have had a theory for some time that claims oil is not a "fossil" fuel but produced from a natural chemical process.

The modern Russian-Ukrainian theory of deep, abiotic petroleum origins is an extensive body of scientific knowledge which covers the subjects of the chemical genesis of the hydrocarbon molecules which comprise natural petroleum, the physical processes which occasion their terrestrial concentration, the dynamical processes of the movement of that material into geological reservoirs of petroleum, and the location and economic production of petroleum. The modern Russian -Ukrainian theory of deep, abiotic petroleum origins recognizes that petroleum is a primordial material of deep origin which has been erupted into the crust of the Earth. In short, and bluntly, petroleum is not a “fossil fuel” and has no intrinsic connection with dead dinosaurs (or any other biological detritus) “in the sediments” (or anywhere else).

Biotic genesis of petroleum

As for the expanding earth, you're probably thinking of Neil Adams work, however the original theory is from the work of geologist Sam Carey. It's a pretty hotly debated subject, I've had a reasonable look into the argument there seems to be flaws with both sides, perhaps the reality lies somewhere in between. I do lean toward the expanding earth theory though.
Just search for expanding earth, you may also try Torsion tectonics which adds a "spin" to the theory.

the earth is not getting larger. As layers get deposited the weight of them pushes them further down, eventually to be recycled into the mantle. Examples of this can be seen even without the deposition of rock. When large ice sheets form, their weight pushes the curst down, as they retreat they leave basin, and the curst begins to push back up, this process is called isostic rebound.


en.wikipedia.org...

So similarly, as rock layers are deposited, they push down on lower layers and eventually are melted back into the inner part of the earth.

Furthermore, as the plates expand (e.g. along the mid-atlantic ridge they are subducted in other regions, such as along the pacific rim.

This is better explained here:

scripps.ucsd.edu...

You can also think of this in terms of thermodynamics, as that the earth only has so much mass it cannot expand outwards without creating more mass or having a hollow center, and hollow earth theory is beyond stupid.

Fossil fuels were mentioned. This actually brought up a question I have been thinking on for about a month now. If petroleum pulled out of the ground is old dead dinosaur and forests; where do all the sulphurs and so forth come from. I know of no plant or animal that is sulpher rich and certainly cannot think of what would cause all the sulphur found in petro.

Yeah, Neil Adams theories about an expanding Earth are hugely persuasive ... here's a youtube vid explaining some of his ideas. Really nice vid

www.youtube.com...

Thanks for posting that link man, that was exactly what I was looking for.

the earth gains mass via the attraction of meteorites and space dust,on an annual basis it is a large figure.

also alot of the water we see on earth came from comets colliding with earth over a period of time
www.gsfc.nasa.gov...

the increase in mass of celestial bodies is pretty normal if you have a large enough gravitational attraction.

however the earth looses some mass because gasses can escape the atmosphere.