Ran into this interesting factoid a couple days back: "Kerogen is solid, insoluble organic matter in sedimentary rocks. Consisting of an estimated 10^16 tons o

Ran into this interesting factoid a couple days back: "Kerogen is solid, insoluble organic matter in sedimentary rocks. Consisting of an estimated 10^16 tons of carbon, it is the most abundant source of organic compounds on earth, exceeding the total organic content of living matter 10,000-fold.... Petroleum and natural gas form from kerogen. Kerogen may be classified by its origin: lacustrine (e.g., algal), marine (e.g., planktonic), and terrestrial (e.g., pollen and spores).... Kerogen is insoluble in normal organic solvents in part because of its high molecular weight of its component compounds. The soluble portion is known as bitumen." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerogen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerogen] All from the same (previously locked-up) family of goodies, it seems.