There is only one goddess Gaia and Al Gore is her only prophet...

[Zenda]

Yes, I believe that the same processes that created petroleum are working, however, the decaying algae of today won't be ready for a many millennia.

Funny, how you seem to think that a mere 4 cm/year is enough to cover 182.000 km in something like 60 million years, but that steady accumulation of matter on ocean floors would not be enough to fill up 4 kilometers in the same time.

Is it possible that there are places where the ocean mud is devoid of enough oxygen to prevent decomposition?

Yes, there are such places. Temporary. Not long enough to complete the process.

What do we know about the deep ocean floor sediments?

That it's not made of organic matter.

How about 20 feet under the muck?

And who puts it there?

How about being buried under the ash of volcanoes?

Yes, that's the kind of extreme circumstances I was talking about. Vulcanoes contribute very little, though. Eruptions don't last long and cover only a small area.

Fossil fuels are one by product of this interaction

A product, yes, but do fossil fuels interact themselves?

The only difference between Canada and where I live is which hockey team we cheer for.

So, you are among the lucky ones. I'm sure that won't influence your thoughts on these matters, though. That would be quite selfish and very un-Christian, after all.

elevated CO2 levels are stimulating rice growth and grain yield by factors of 30 to 40 percent

I notice you quote freely, but where is the link? You must understand that I'm more than a little sceptical about your sources (or rather about how you interpret them).

So what is bad for cassava, and tapioca seems to be better for fruits, vegetables, and rice.

More fruits and vegetables too? Is that your own conclusion from your claimed results for grains, or do you have references?

Anyway, the 750 million people who now rely on cassave do so mostly because its one of the few crops that will grow decently in the dry and hot areas where they live. You think they can switch to rice and fruits, just like that? That would be nice. Or do you expect them to move to Minnesota and Canada?

I was actually thinking of its apparent size in the night sky. It was much brighter and loomed much larger in the sky back during the Eocene.

I doubt that a decrease of 0.4% (1500 on 384000 km) in earth to moon distance would make any difference on the 'apparant' size of the moon. But if so, would the 'apparant' size of the moon have any effect on earth's climate? You're willing to believe that, but not that burning fossil fuels might be the cause?