Warming Up to a Martian Carcass :: Astrobiology Magazine :: Search for Life in the Universe or Search for Oil on Mars?

Sounds to me more like thinly disguised effort to get funding from the oil companies...

I've read a few science fiction stories...and I've read a few science fiction stories with Mars as the backdrop. Often there's mining going on. Can't remember exactly what they're usually mining, but I don't think there are many authors who came up with oil as the mineral.

So what is kerogen?

The naturally occurring, solid, insoluble organic matter that occurs in source rocks and can yield oil upon heating.

So can a meteor impact create the heat necessary? The article above doesn't discuss this, but I'm sure in the right place at the right time...