The causal paths that result in death may start different, but I presume that they converge and you end up having a set of events take place.

Meaning on the bottom is mud, then a layer of something they presume to be oil, and on top of that a two-inch thick goop that Asper calls "slime snot," possibly made up of oil and bacteria.

I dare you to any such experiment. Encroach, presume, and the game is up.