Sunday 6 March 2011

Natural oil seeping from peat?



You will often come across these seepages of what looks like oil lying on the top of water in remote moorland parts of Islay (and elsewhere).  I can only assume that they are natural as they are often found far from any obvious man-made sources in 'natural' moorland environments.  I suspect they are oils that are seeping from vegetation, but I am only guessing really.  Does anyone have the definitive explanation?
Carl

4 comments:

  1. Well I'm no expert on these matters but I would say that as oil is a naturaly occuring material it can be present virtualy anywhere that the conditions allow.

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  2. bio film created by bacteria in ground water as it reaches the surface

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  3. Oils seeping from mountain soils is something I am accustomed to seeing. Sometimes it is in greater quantity than this. Nobody has ever provided satisfactory explanations for all the circumstance. It becomes a worry when people start assuming it isn't natural and think the oil fairy has been out there polluting the place. (Where do people think oils come from?!)

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