Swedes Will Test Disputed Theory by Drilling for Gas at Unlikely Site

After repeated delays, drilling is to begin today on a 15,000-foot well in Sweden to search for natural gas in an area where conventional wisdom says none should exist.

The drilling is designed to test a controversial theory advanced by astronomer Thomas Gold of Cornell University that oil and gas originate deep within the Earth rather than from organic decay, as nearly all geologists believe.

Gold arrived at his theory more than 10 years ago, after astronomers determined that hydrocarbons--the basic components of oil and gas--occur in comets, asteroids and other celestial objects where living substances have never existed. That led him to conclude that hydrocarbons originated in a primitive universe and were trapped in the Earth’s molten core 4 1/2 billion years ago.

Theory Scorned

Oil and gas reservoirs, Gold insists, result from the migration of hydrocarbons to the surface through fissures in the crust.

His theory has been scorned by petroleum geologists who believe that oil and gas reservoirs result from organic decay and only traces exist deep within the Earth. “There is nobody in the business who, from the scientific point of view, takes his theory seriously,” said Martin Schoell, a geochemist with Chevron Oil Field Research Co. in La Habra, who has debated Gold on the subject.

Sweden, however, which has no commercially exploitable oil or gas reserves, did take Gold seriously.

Two years ago Sweden agreed to drill a deep well in that country’s Siljan Rings area where a giant meteor slammed into the ground about 360 million years ago. The meteor hit with such force that it apparently fractured the granitic rock formation to a depth of about 40 miles, opening the way for the migration of hydrocarbons to the surface, Gold argues.

Officials Voiced Concern

Gas and oil normally are found in sedimentary basins where organic material was trapped. If substantial quantities can be found in the granite rocks of the Siljan Rings, he says, it could only come from deep within the Earth.

The government originally agreed to fund the entire project, at a cost of about $25 million, but some elected officials voiced concern that the country might look foolish. That led to joint funding by the Swedish government, private Swedish investors and the Gas Research Institute of Chicago. The institute, which will contribute up to $4.5 million, is the research arm of the U.S. gas industry.

Bill Bradford, an official with the institute, said the well probably will not be completed until next February. “We’re not sure because we’ve never done this before,” he said in a telephone interview.

The institute will analyze core samples from the well as they become available to determine its continued support, Bradford said.

Gold is in Sweden and could not be reached for comment.