The writer presents three fundamental geochemical factors which are connected with the origin and environment of petroleum deposits, and from these factors outlines a new conception of the origin of petroleum. The first of these factors is the vast amount of humic acids that are made only in swampy regions where there is more sand than clay. The second factor is the actual origin of asphalt and hydrocarbons from humic acid in a Florida vandyke brown lime. The third factor shows how nature activates or energizes silicon- and carbon-containing materials so that they emit sub-atomic energy which produces chemical reactions at ordinary temperatures and pressures by means of specific hydrogen ions. The writer not only offers data showing how hydrocarbons may be synthesized fro humic acids, but also offers the most rational means of concentration of huge quantities of these acids in certain regions of the world where oil fields are now found or may be expected to be found.