How did plankton turn into oil?

Plankton, primarily microscopic marine organisms, accumulate in ocean sediments after they die. Over millions of years, heat and pressure transform these organic materials into hydrocarbons, the primary components of oil. This process, known as diagenesis and catagenesis, involves the breakdown of organic matter, resulting in the formation of crude oil and natural gas trapped in geological formations. Thus, plankton serves as the original source of the hydrocarbons that eventually become oil.