Methane is present on the giant gas planets yet on earth it is considered to be a fossil fuel how can there be fossil fuels on other planets or is the premise that methane is of fossil origin false?

Answer 1

The term "fossil fuel" is not a category of matter, but just how that fuel became the way it was. It refers to any substance which can be used as fuel and which originally came from living matter (such as prehistoric plants). It is false that all methane is a "fossil fuel" since only methane deposits that exist as a result of fossilization of plants and animals that died millions of years ago is a fossil fuel. Other methane is not. Methane created in any other manner is not a fossil fuel.

Answer 2

On Earth, methane is indeed considered a fossil fuel because it is primarily derived from the decay of organic matter buried deep underground over millions of years. However, on giant gas planets like Jupiter and Saturn, methane is believed to come from a variety of sources such as volcanism and chemical reactions in the atmosphere, rather than being of fossil origin. So while methane on Earth is a fossil fuel, the premise doesn't apply to the methane found on other planets.