THE OIL AND GAS GEOLOGY OF THE FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OSAGE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA.

By K. C. HEALD.

INTRODUCTION.

Scope of paper. The aim of this paper is to describe and portray 

those features of the Foraker quadrangle which may be of interest 

and assistance in the discovery and development of accumulations 

of oil and gas. In the first part of the paper the character of the 

surface and the accessibility of different parts of the quadrangle are 

discussed. Under the heading " Stratigraphy " those strata which 

are valuable as key horizons in mapping structure are described in 

detail, and the probable positions of oil sands are given. Under the 

heading " Structure " the geologic structure is portrayed by map and 

stereogram, and the anticlines which the writer believes favorable 

for the accumulation of oil and gas are described in detail. In conclusion specific recommendations for prospecting are given, and the 

writer's belief concerning the probability of the occurrence of oil 

and gas accumulations is set forth.

Location. The Foraker quadrangle lies in the extreme northwest 

corner of Osage County, Okla., between meridians 96° 31' and 96° 

45' and parallels 36° 45' and 37°. Its north boundary is just north 

of the Kansas-Oklahoma line. (See fig. 1 and PI. II.) - Field work. The field work that furnished the data for this report 

was done during the summer and fall of 1915. Headquarters were 

made in the towns of Grainola and Foraker, where good hotel accommodations were obtained, and in Foraker very good livery service 

was available. Reconnaissance trips were first made over the area, 

after which the detailed work necessary for mapping the geology was 

done. Several recognizable beds of limestone were traced through 

the region, and elevations were taken at many points along the outcrops. These elevations were obtained by plane-table work, supplemented by a few hand-level observations close to established bench 

marks. The work was much facilitated by the excellent base map 

prepared by the Geological Survey in 1914, on which the surface

. 17
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FIGURE 1. Index map of Oklahoma showing location of Foraker quadrangle (marked " 641-B "). The districts indicated by heavy lines have

been described in separate papers, the number of which appear in black type.
OIL AND GAS OF FOKAKEK QUADRANGLE,, OKLA. 19

features are represented by contour lines with a 20-foot interval. 

(See PL II.) Bench marks are established at most of the section 

corners and quarter corners.

GEOGRAPHY.

Relief. A view westward from the rim/ of the scarp west of North 

Bird Creek, near the east side of the Foraker quadrangle, gives the 

general impression of a great plain with almost no relief. This 

plain seems to slope gently for some 15 miles to the steep bluffs 

west of Beaver Creek, which are the southern extension of the Flint 

Hills of Kansas. In places there are scars, which evidently mark 

steep-sided valleys, and a few low hills modify the regularity of 

the surface, but they are not prominent. This smooth-appearing 

plain, however, is cut by numerous valleys. Erosion is active, and 

gulches and valleys 

are being vigorously 

excavated. The resultant debris is carried away by .the 

streams before it has 

a chance to accumulate in any great 

quantity, and consequently the valley 

sides are steep, although the many 

beds of soft shale

prevent the development of prominent cliff faces. The more resistant rocks form conspicuous outcrops, whereas the softer, less 

resistant shales and thin, limestones are carried away faster, and 

because of this difference the resultant slope has the appearance ,of 

a series of steps or terraces, such as are shown in figure 2.

The most striking topographic features in the quadrangle are the 

bluffs west of Beaver Creek, in the northwest corner, and those 

which rim the valleys of Buck Creek, Sand Creek, North Bird and 

Middle Bird creeks, at the eastern margin. These scarps show the 

same general feature of alternating gentle and steep slopes as is 

shown in the valley sides, except that the slope, taken as a whole, 

is more abrupt in fact, the scarps are so abrupt and so continuous 

that they form considerable obstacles to travel by vehicle. Both lines 

of bluffs vary locally in trend, having reentrants and projections in 

response to the locations of stream courses and consequent erosional 

activity, but they maintain a constant general direction of a little 

east of north,

FIGURE 2. Hill slope showing alternating hard and soft 

strata.
20 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

Drainage and water supply. Most of the Foraker quadrangle is 

drained by Salt Creek, which heads a little south of the Kansas line 

and flows southward through the center of the area. About 30 

square miles in the northwest corner is drained by Beaver Creek, 

and the water from a narrow strip along the east edge flows into 

the headwaters of Buck Creek, Sand Creek, North Bird and Middle 

Bird creeks, which are pushing west and encroaching on the 'Sal fc 

Creek drainage basin.

In years of slight rainfall all the streams are intermittent and a 

large percentage of the wells in the quadrangle go dry. The water 

in the wells comes from joint planes in limestone, as is clearly indicated by several shallow wells that give an abundance of water, 

though comparatively deep wells near by are dry. For this reason 

it is suggested that drilling for-water should not go to a depth 

exceeding 75 feet, not only because the cost of drilling increases with 

increasing depth, but because joint planes are presumably more 

abundant near the surface. All the water in the area is limy and 

would doubtless leave quantities of scale in boilers.

Culture. The Foraker quadrangle is traversed by but one railroad, the Midland Valley, whose trains stop at Foraker, Grainola, 

and Frankfort. Foraker and Grainola are small towns, the only 

ones in the quadrangle, and Frankfort is a flag station. The southwestern part of the district can be more easily reached from the town 

of Burbank, on the Santa Fe Railway, only 4 miles south of the 

southwest corner of the quadrangle.

The greater part of the land is given over to the cattle industry, 

which is in a very thriving condition. Agriculture is not neglected, 

however, and there are few places in the quadrangle that are°more 

than a mile from cultivated land.

The road net is very good, although the roads themselves are .not. 

A Jarge percentage of the section lines are open, and in dry seasons 

practically any of them may be traveled with a team, or even with 

an automobile. Good roads could be made along any of them with 

comparatively little expense. The many limestone outcrops could furnish an abundance of excellent road metal for use in places that are 

inclined to be soft in rainy weather, and slight detours from section 

lines would do away with the necessity of grading any bad hills. 

The most troublesome feature is the lack of bridges over the larger 

streams, which during very rainy weather may be impassable for 

several days at a time. The only good wagon bridge in the quadrangle is the one over Elm Creek, 2-| miles west of Foraker. This is 

a very serviceable bridge, built of ro'ck quarried at the bridge site. 

More work of this nature would go/ far toward making travel 

throughout the quadrangle possible in any weather.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 641 PLATE II

. 96'4£' R.6 E. 37OO -

T. 29 N.

96^5' " 5 E.

R.B.Marshall,Chief Geographer. 

SledgeTatum.Geographer in charge. 

Topography by Stuart T. Penick and R R.Monbeck 

Control by E.L. McNair, R. R. Monbeck, 

R.W. Burchard.and R. M.Copeland. 

Su rveyed in I9IA-.

SURVEYED IN COOPERAtlON WITH THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA.

35' 36V5'

MAP OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLAHOMA

SHOWING TOPOGRAPHY AND STRUCTURE CONTOURS

Scale e2,noo

4 Miles

9 6'30'

Structure contours drawn on top of the Foraker limestone, 

by K. C. Heald

B Kilometers

Contour interval 25 feet.
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKEK QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 21

STRATIGRAPHY.

BOCKS EXPOSED.

AGE AND GENERAL CHARACTER.

The stratigr.aphic column 

in the Foraker quadrangle is 

made up of rocks of lower 

Permian and upper Pennsylvanian age.

The exposed rocks are all 

sedimentary. Limestone and 

shale are the most abundant, 

but some sandstone is present. 

The conspicuous outcrops of 

the limestone beds and the 

control they exert over the 

surface features make them 

much the most important 

rocks of the section when 

structural mapping is attempted, because they can be 

easily traced. By means of 

elevations taken on these beds 

the position and slope of the 

strata may be determined.

No complete description of 

the stratigraphy will be given 

in this paper, but for the convenience of those who wish to 

do detailed geologic work in 

this region the most prominent beds or key rocks are described in detail below. The 

general relations of the beds 

are shown in figure 3.

KEY ROCKS.

Wreford limestone. The 

Wreford limestone is from 10 

to 14 feet thick in the Foraker quadrangle. It occurs in 

three distinct layers. Between 

the middle and bottom layers 

there may be a bed of shale,

Wreford 

limestone i

Grouse _ 

limestone

Cpttonwood 

limestone

Neva 

limestoine |

Red Eagle _[ 

limestone ~\

Foraker 

limestone

Shale

<-9'limestone i-2s.hal,e 

"-3 limestone

i&'shale 

s-2'sandstone

I9'shale 

i-3'sandstone

6' red shale 

""2' limestone

13 red shale 

<-3' limestone

Sl'red shale and 

thin limestone 

<-2'limestone 

i?'red and gray shale

«-l 2'limestone

45 red and gray shale

with lenticular sandstone

&-4 limestone

IE* thin limestone and darK shale 

 <- -4' limestone

hin limestone and 

drab shale 

s-3' limestone

45' thin limestone and purple 

and drab shale

H5 limestone

JS'thin limestone and 

drab shale

22 limestone with some 

thin beds of shale

r!3'thin limestone and shale

-5'limestone

-lO'thm limestone and shale 

with some sandstoneV 7'limestone 

^H'shale

6'thin limestone

28'shale

/5'sandstone - w'shale 

£3' limestone

8'shale

2'limestone

II- shale

2'limestone

8'shale

I'limestone 

^9'shale 

^2 limestone

33'thin limestone and shale 

(-2'limestone

63'shale and thin limestone

c-2'sandstone 

22'shale and thin limestone

25'sandstone-, shaly hardtop

x-5'shale 

 -2 conglomerate

32 thin sandstone and shale 

t-IO'limestone with shale layers

FIGURE 3. Stratigraphic section of rocks exposed in the Forakcr quadrangle, Okla.
22 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

which has a thickness of 2 feet at the locality where it appeared best 

developed.

The distinguishing features of the Wreford are the buff color of 

the middle bed and the character and mode of occurrence of the 

chert which forms a large part of the rock. The chert, owing to its 

greater hardness than the limestone in which it is embedded, weathers 

into all manner of irregular projecting lumps and knobs. At some 

localities imperfectly silicified limestone takes the place of the chert 

and projects from the body of the rock in prominent layers, large 

pieces of which litter the ground in the neighborhood of the outcrop.

The character of the formation is shown in detail in the following 

section:

Section of Wreford limestone half a mile east of Hardy, Okla.

Feet.

Limestone, blackish gray on weathered surface, light buff to 

brownish gray on fresh surface; in several slabby beds 2 to 

6 inches thick; top bed is massive, 12 to 16 inches thick, 

hard and dense; lower beds break into slabby, lenticular 

pieces. Fossiliferous; considerably limonitized; has many 

echinoid spines; is in places full of smooth cylindrical holes 

half an inch to 3 inches in diameter. Above this is a mass of 

shale and limestone:_______________________ °4

Limestone, buff, hard, dense, massive; full of chert; yellowish 

brown on weathered surface, blue-gray on fresh surface. 

About 25 per cent of the rock is chert, in irregular nodules 

and layers, lens-shaped concretions roughly parallel to 

bedding most common; chert is fossiliferous_________ 3

Shale, limy, yellow-gray to green-gray; looks sandy but no 

grains distinguishable; bedding regular; fossiliferous___ 2

Limestone, light buff on both weathered and fresh surfaces, 

dense, hard, compact; full of fossils, which are locally 

replaced by glassy or milk-white calcite; in two beds with 

a 1-inch shale parting; the many crystalline fossils give 

the rock a spotted appearance 3

12

Crouse limestone. A prominent limestone about 3 feet thick, the 

Grouse, lies approximately 70 feet below the base of the Wreford. 

Its outcrop is almost invariably conspicuous, and the rock is distinctive enough to make it easily recognizable. The characteristic 

features of this limestone are the form of the outcrop, which shows 

many large, massive blocks, the absence of recognizable fossils in 

any abundance, with the exception of small Fusulinas, which are 

plentiful, and the presence of many smooth, round holes that are 

vertical or steeply inclined to the bedding. There are similar holes 

in other limestones of this region, but nowhere were they noted in 

such numbers as in the Crouse limestone.

Gottonwood limestone. The Cottonwood limestone is from 10 to 

16 feet thick in the Foraker quadrangle. It is thickest near the
OIL AND GAS OF FOEAKEE QUADBANGLE, OKLA. 23

X

Kansas line and thins to the south. Of the total thickness usually 

only the top 2 feet is visible, the remainder being covered with soil. 

This is due to the fact that the top 2 feet consists of hard, resistant 

limestone, while the remainder of the formation is made up of thin 

oolitic limestone and shale. In some localities there is a thin limestone conglomerate at the base of the formation. Although the thin 

limestones at the base do not form prominent outcrops, they are the 

most easily recognizable feature about the formation, because of 

their lithologic character and the fact that they carry many fossils, 

among which a small coiled shell (Schizostoma) is common. This 

coiled shell was rarely observed at any other horizon. In this 

quadrangle a thin oolitic limestone, with an abundance of fossils, 

especially Schizostoma, is almost certain to be at the base of the 

cottonwood limestone.

The following section measured north of Grainola gives a detailed 

description of the formation:

Section of Cottonwood limestone in the 8W. ;} SE. $ see. 21, T. 2!) N., R. 6 E.

Ft. In.

Massive limestone, bluish white on weathered surface, light 

gray to light buff on fresh surface; surface uneven and 

full of round holes as much as 2 inches in diameter, but 

it is not as rough as the Neva (see below) ; occasional 

rough pieces have dark surfaces; no chert_______ 2+ 

Thin shale and oolitic limestone____'__________ 11 0 

Limestone conglomerate, blue-gray to yellowish; made up 

of rolled pebbles of limestone, shell fragments, and some 

little hematite pebbles; degree of cementation varies; a 

good deal of crystalline calcite; many fossils; coiled 

shells (Schizostoma) and fluted, long-nosed brachiopods 

(Meekella) most characteristic ______ ____ 6 

Shale, olive-drab, clayey__ _ ___ 2 0 

Limestone conglomerate as above, except that it contains, 

more pebbles and less lime; fossiliferous (Myalina, 

productids) ; cross-bedded; largest pebbles seen about 

half an inch in diameter___________________ 2 0

Shale or marl, pink, greenish gray, and white; bedding 

irregular; beds form overlapping lenses; contact with 

overlying conglomerate very irregular..__ ___ 2 6

20+

Neva limestone. The Neva limestone furnishes one of the most 

prominent outcrops in the Foraker quadrangle. It is easily distinguished from any of the limestones occurring higher in the section, 

and also from those lower in the section, with the exception of the 

Red Eagle limestone, which lies about 55 feet below the Neva. The 

total thickness of this formation is 15 to 20 feet. It is made np of 

massive beds, 4 to 6 feet thick, at the top and the base, with thin beds 

of limestone and shale between. The total thickness of the top bed
24 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PAET II.

is rarely seen, as the rock is evidently very soluble. The float is 

covered with jagged points and pinnacles which are so sharp and 

numerous that it is painful to handle a piece. A fresh fracture discloses numerous irregular cavities which may be filled with lightcolored incoherent granular material.

In many places the weathered surface of the lower bed is very 

rough, but it does not reach the degree of irregularity that is shown 

by the upper bed. The cavities in the lower bed are usually lined 

with bright-brown limonite. Both of the massive beds are fossiliferous, but the thin beds between them are much more so. These 

thin beds also carry much chert. In many localities a very persistent 

cherty bed is found about 2 feet above the lower massive bed.

Red Eagle limestone. The Red Eagle limestone is so named because of its excellent exposures near the Ked Eagle School, southwest of Foraker. Its total thickness was not surely determined; in 

some places it is at least 17 feet, but in others it is probably much less. 

The Red Eagle consists of a number of distinct beds of limestone,' 

between which are beds of shale in some localities. One of the most 

distinctive features of the top bed of the limestone in much of the 

quadrangle is the character of the fresh surface, .which shows an 

abundance of tiny grains of crystalline calcite, giving the surface the 

appearance of having been covered with frost or light snow. The 

following section gives the details of the upper part of the limestone 

in the southwestern part of the quadrangle. At this locality there are 

no shale partings, but the limestone varies in character. The thickness of the several members is estimated.

Section of Red Eagle limestone on tributary of Hay Creek, a, quarter of a mile 

east of corner.of sees. 1, 2, 11, and 12, T. 26~N., R. 5 E.

Ft. in.

Limestone, gray, thin bedded, slabby, clayey_________ 3 9

Limestone, creamy buff on weathered surface, medium 

hard; breaks easily but is not glassy brittle; fossiliferous; lower part of bed has much liinonite________ 1 0

Limestone, thin bedded, blocky rather than slabby, light 

gray, brittle, hard, fossiliferous_________L_______ 4 0

Limestone, dove-gray on fresh surface, massive, clean, 

hard, brittle, fossiliferous; good bed to burn_______ 1 6

Limestone, dove-gray, pure; makes persistent bed but 

weathers back under overlying bed____________ 3

Limestone, thin bedded, rough, slabby, whitish gray on 

weathered surface, blue-gray on fresh surface; in part 

good limestone, in part rather clayey; fossiliferous 

(corals, productids)_____________________ 4 0

Limestone, pigeon-blue on weathered surface, brownish 

gray on fresh surface, much limonitized; does not 

weather rough; fossiliferous ; medium hard_______ 2 0

16 6
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 25

In tracing this limestone for the purpose of determining struc-. 

tural conditions great care must be exercised, as it is easy to mistake 

the outcrop of one bed for that of another and so introduce an error. 

A mistake of small actual amount may be relatively great in its 

effect because of the low dips prevalent in this region.

Foraker limestone. The Foraker limestone, which forms the rim 

of Ekler Canyon and is prominent along the line of bluffs in the 

eastern part of the quadrangle, is about 74 feet thick. Although the 

great part of this thickness is made up of limestone, much of the 

rock is so soft and thin bedded as to give no outcrop. Some soft 

shale is also present. The heavy limestone may be easily recognized 

by the large number of Fusulinas which it contains, the rock in places 

being fairly jammed with them. Another distinguishing mark is 

the great abundance of chert concretions which occur in this limestone. The fresh surface of the chert has in general a light bluegray color, and the concretions usually include fossils which show 

Avhite against the bluish background. The most common fossil in 

the chert is Fusulina secalica Say, but there are also small brachiopods and a few corals and crinoid stems.

Sandstone. A sandstone, to which no name has been given, occurs about 28 feet below the base of the" Foraker limestone. It is a 

particularly good horizon marker, as it is some distance either above 

or below other sandstones with which it might possibly be confused. 

Its lithologic character also makes its identification simple.

The average thickness of this bed is about 3 feet, though locally 

it is more, a thickness of 7 feet having been observed at one place. 

In some localities, however, this sandstone is probably absent at 

least there is no trace of it on the surface.

The color of the weatn^red surface is reddish gray. The fresh 

surface is lighter in color and thickly dotted with small coffeebrown spots which are probably manganiferous. The most distinctive feature is the presence of muscovite. In many places this 

mineral is very prominent, and it can always be detected if the rock 

is examined carefully. The sand making up the body of the rock is 

extremely fine grained translucent quartz. Many of the grains are 

but slightly rounded, crystal faces with clean, sharp corners being 

present in abundance. This feature may be observed without the 

help of a lens, as the sunlight is reflected from many tiny flashing 

points on a fresh surface of the rock. In places this sandstone is 

somewhat limy, hut in most of the localities where it was tested no 

calcium carbonate was present.

43768° Bull. 641 17 3
26 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II. 

ROCKS NOT EXPOSED. 

IMPORTANCE.

In order to predict with any degree of probability as to the occurrence of oil or gas at any particular locality, it is necessary to have 

a knowledge not only of the structure which may be detected by 

examination of the strata that crop out at the .surface, but also of 

that shown by the strata that occur below the surface to any depth 

which may be reached by the drill. An anticline whose shape is 

favorable for the accumulation of oil and gas and which is surrounded by a plentiful gathering ground but which lacks the proper 

succession of strata to transport and retain the oil would be of as 

much value to the oil man as a dry creek bed would be to a man in 

search of water. Without the proper succession of pervious and 

impervious strata oil accumulation will seldom take place. On the 

other hand, a knowledge that such a succession of strata is probably 

present will make it desirable to explore many localities where, if 

such knowledge were lacking, the chance of finding oil would not 

be considered good enough to justify the expense of drilling.

The deepest of the sands which probably underlie this field and 

which have been proved to contain oil at adjacent localities is that, 

known as the Tucker or Meadows sand. Although it is possible that 

there are oil-bearing sands below this one, it has never been proved 

for north-central Oklahoma, and only the strata lying between the 

Tucker sand and the surface will be considered in.this paper.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION.

Knowledge of the strata which underlie any given locality may be 

obtained in two ways. The first is by actual observation of the 

strata where they rise to the surface at some distance from the locality 

concerning which information is desired. In comparatively few 

places do the strata maintain a horizontal position for any great distance. More commonly they are tilted to a greater or less degree, 

and where this is the case it is only necessary to travel in a direction 

opposite to that toward which they are tilted to reach the outcrop 

of any persistent bed. This is particularly true of a region where 

the strata uniformly dip in one direction, as in northeastern Oklahoma. The difficulty encountered where the beds have been only 

slightly tilted is the great distance that must be traversed before a 

bed which lies at any considerable depth will be found at the surface. 

Even when the point of outcrop is attained, it may be found that the 

soil is so thick that nothing can be learned of the character of the 

rocks which lie below. In northeastern Oklahoma, where the average 

dip to the west is only about 30 feet to the mile, it would be necessary
OIL AND GAS OF FOBAKEB QUADRANGLE; OKLA. 27

in order to measure a section having a vertical extent of 3,000 feet, 

to determine the character and thickness of the beds outcropping over 

a distance of about 100 miles. It is therefore evidently impracticable 

if not impossible to obtain in this way accurate knowledge of the 

strata which lie below the surface.

The second source of information is that furnished by the records 

of the strata passed through when wells are drilled. All such records 

are valuable and should be preserved. A good well record furnishes 

more accurate information concerning the succession of the stratabelow the surface than can be obtained in any other way, and by the 

study and comparison of such records it is possible for a geologist 

to determine the changes that occur in the thickness and character 

of the strata, and under some conditions to tell with precision what 

succession of beds will be encountered in regions which have not been 

explored by the drill but which are not far removed from those that 

have been.

No wells have been drilled in the Foraker quadrangle, but several 

have been sunk at points not very far distant, and the logs of these 

wells, supplemented by surface data, permit tracing of the underground formations with small probability of error.

GENERAL CHARACTER AND AGE.

The strata between the surface and the Tucker sand are of Pennsylvanian age, with the exception of the uppermost beds in the 

northwest corner of the quadrangle, which include some of the 

Permian rocks that crop out farther east.

The upper thousand feet of the rocks below the surface are dominantly shale and, in slightly less total thickness, limestone. Lower 

down the limestones are of insignificant amount in comparison to the 

shale and sandstone. Most of the lower part of the section above 

the Tucker sand is occupied by shale, which may be blue, black, or 

brown, with scattered red bands. The nature of the formations encountered in a well drilled a short distance west of the quadrangle 

is shown iji the log given on page 28.
28 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

Log of Mary Hess well No. 1, in sec. 4, T. 28 N., R. 4 E. 

[By E. W. Marland and others.]

Soil..........................

Shale........................

"Slate"..............-......

Shale........................

Shale. .......................

"Slate"......................

"Slate".....-...............-

"Slate"......................

"Slate........................

Shale.........................

Shale.........................

Shale.........................

Shale.........................

Sand.........................

Shale.........................

Thickness.

Feet. 

8

17

20

5

20

on

209n

20

15

5

9fi

5

c

20

10

5

10

5

c

10

15

9n

65

Oft

5

20

5

f 40

) K

( 60

10

9fl

15

10

45

10

18

17<)^

10

35

10

99

0

90

o

19

no

90

5

5

409=;

10

9fi

8

12

4

8

2

10

10

15

10

65

10

15

75

7

Depth.

Feet. 

8

9 1!

45

50

70

on

nn

i^n

150

165

170 ion

200

220

93ft

ooe

9dH

9 in

occ

9fi1

280

OAA

3R1

101

400

420

425

465

470

con

540

ccn

^7*

585

640

658

675

700

710

745

711

777

780

onn

ono

822

845

865 s?n

Q7K

011

940 oin

Q7fi

984

QQfi

1,000

1,008

1,010

1,020

1,030

1,045

1,055

1,120

1,130

1,145

1,220

1 997

Shale........................

Shale. .......................

Shale........................

"Slate"....................-

"CJldto"

"Slate"...............-.....

"Slate.......................

"Slate"....................-

Sand. .......................

"Slate".........--.......-.-.

Sand. .......................

Sand. .......................

fl QlatoJ?

Shale.........................

Shale.........................

Coal..........................

foot

Thickness.

Feet. 

15

16

12

1091*

37

80

25

30

77

8

5

20

13

5

4

48

35

10

30

95

5

20

en

6

10

182

27

65

12

18

130

12

38

5

10

80

30

35

60

15

70

6

6

7

101

5

5

15

28

CO

8

c

22

24

10

13

K

7

48

63

259ft

CO

5

18

219

Depth.

Feet. 

1,242

1,258

1,270

1,280

1 3fV}

1,340

1,420

1,445

1,475

1,552

i ifin

1 ifli

1,570

1,590

1,603

1,608

1,612

1 660

1,695

1,705

1,735

i swn

1,835

1 QCA

1,905

1 911

1 921

2

1 no

2

1QA

2,195

9 9fl7

2

0OK

2 ore

2,367

2,405

2,410

2 420

2,500

2 Kpn

2,565

2 cot:

2,640

2,710

2,716

2

7OO

2 729

2,830

2

QQC

2,840

2,855

2

QQO

9 0°.^

2 Q4Q

2 QJSZ

9 Q7ft

2,994

3,004

3,017

3

noo

3,029

3 O77

3,140

3,165

3 ICC

3 243

3

f)AQ

3,266

3,485
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 29 

CORRELATIONS.

The determination of the rocks underlying the surface of the 

Foraker quadrangle was much simplified by the work of the Oklahoma Geological Survey in identifying the Neva limestone, which 

crops out just west of the town of Gushing, and determining the 

relation of the Neva to the Pawhuska limestone, which crops out 

at Drumright, the Neva and Pawhuska limestones forming the top 

and base, respectively, of a measured stratigraphic section. This 

section shows that the top of the Pawhuska lies 552 feet below the 

base of the Neva limestone.1 As the relation of the oil sands to the 

Pawhuska limestone in the Gushing field is known, their relation 

to the Neva is also determined. The Neva limestone crops out extensively in the Foraker quadrangle. There are differences between the 

succession of strata lying below it here and that in the Gushing field, 

dependent on the persistency of the individual beds, both as regards 

thickness and character, but the changes may be recognized by a 

study of the logs of the wells in the territory between the two areas.

The approximate horizons of the formations occurring at the 

mouths of holes drilled near Ralston, Blackburn, Fairfax, Ponca 

City, and Newkirk are known, and thus starting points were available for the comparison of each well record with others. In this 

way the formations occurring at Gushing were traced northward 

through Pawnee, Osage, and Kay counties, with small probability 

of error, and were recognized in wells that have been drilled only 

a few miles west of the Foraker quadrangle. From the proximity of 

these wells to the quadrangle it is inferred that the same succession 

of beds will be found here as in the localities where the wells were 

drilled.

As a result of the work described above, it may be confidently 

stated that below the surface of the Foraker quadrangle there are 

sands at the horizons of the main producing sands of the Cleveland 

and Gushing fields. In addition to these sands," which lie more than 

2,000 feet below the surface, there are undoubtedly some of the 

higher sands which have been found to carry oil and gas in the 

western part of Kay County. If oil and gas are not found in the 

Foraker quadrangle, it will not be for lack of strata which are 

suitable" to contain them.

The approximate distances between the top of the Foraker limestone and the sands corresponding to those of the Cleveland pool are 

as follows: Foraker limestone to Layton sand, 1,680 feet; to Cleveland 

sand, 1,940 feet; to Wheeler sand, 2,420 feet; to Bartlesville sand, 2,850 

feet. So far as could be determined there is no break between the

1 Buttram, Frank, The Cashing oil and gas field, Okla.: Oklahoma Geol. Survey Bull. 

118, pp. 9-10, 1914.
30 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

Bartlesville and Tucker sands in this region. The relations of the 

sands found at Gushing to those found west of the Foraker quadrangle and a little south of the Kansas line are shown in figure 4.

cMary Hess No.l Jemima RichardsNo.3 

Sec.4,T.E8N.,R4E. Sec34,T.E4N.,R.6E. Sec.3,T.I7N.,R.7E.

S.J.MowaltNo.l Daniel MacDuganNo.l J.L.BevinsNo.l

^fY

Horizon at top of Neva limestone

---.

i

,,.--'

------

rV-V

--.,.

^V--..

~--.J"-

-----

- $ 

.' X-.'vTv

Pawhuska 

limestone

Elgin 

Sandstone

Layton 

sand

Cleveland 

sand

Fort Scott or 

Wheeler sand

Bartlesville 

sand

FIGDRB 4. Skeleton logs of wells in north-central Oklahoma, showing correlation of sands.

The conclusions reached agree very closely with the tentative 

correlations suggested by Wood i and by Ohern and Garrett.2

1 Wood, R. H., Oil and gas development in north-central Oklahoma: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 531, p. 32, 1911.

2 Ohern, B. W., and Garrett, R. E., The Ponca City oil and gas field: Oklahoma Geol. 

Survey Bull. 16, p. 29, 1912.
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 31

STRUCTURE.

DEFINITION.

The term " structure " as used in this report is limited to mean the 

form taken by the strata, whether level, warped, folded, or faulted. 

Geikie 1 speaks of the structure as "the architecture of the earth's 

crust." It must, however, be differentiated from the sculpture of the 

earth's surface. The practical oil man is likely to limit the applition of the term to those structural features which he considers favorable for oil accumulation. When the possibilities of oil accumulation 

in any region are being discussed, the question is commonly asked, 

Is there any structure? This usage is entirely too narrow and should 

be discouraged.

METHOD OF DETERMINING STRUCTURE.

In order to determine the structure of a region in which the folding 

is very slight, as in the Foraker quadrangle, it is necessary to obtain 

a great number of accurately located elevations on some one key rock. 

The points at which these elevations are taken must, if possible, be 

scattered over the whole area whose structure it is desired to ascertain. As no one bed crops out over so great an area, it is necessary 

to take observations on the outcrops of many different beds, from 

 which the elevation of the key rock is computed by adding or subtracting, as the case may demand, the vertical distance between the 

bed on which an elevation is taken and the key rock. For example, if 

the Neva limestone is chosen as the key rock, and the Cottonwood 

limestone crops out at the surface, a careful determination of the elevation of the top of the Cottonwood will be made. It has been determined by measurements made in localities where both Cottonwood 

and Neva limestones are exposed that the vertical distance from the 

top of the Neva down to the top of the Cottonwood is about 57 feet. 

If the elevation determined on the Cottonwood is, say, 1,100 feet, 57 

subtracted from 1,100 will give 1,043 feet, the elevation of the Neva 

at that point.

In order to obtain the data for mapping the structure the first 

step is to study the rocks exposed and learn the distance between the 

prominent beds on which elevations may be taken and the characteristics of those beds, so that when an outcrop is encountered it will 

be possible to say which bed it is and just how far above or below 

the key rock it should be. The second step, which may often be combined with the first, is to determine the elevations at many points 

on the outcrops scattered over the area which it is desired to map, 

locating each determined point on a map and recording the bed upon 

which it was taken. The third step is to compute from these elevations those of the key rock as outlined above, and by connecting

1 Geikie, .Tames, Structural/ and field geology, 3d cd., p. 104, 1912.
32 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

points of equal elevation on ;the key rock to draw the structure contours, which show, to those who understand reading contour maps, 

the form of the surface of the key rock as plainly as if all the earth 

and rock were stripped from above it, leaving it exposed to view. 

(See explanation of contours below.) The structure in the deeply 

buried sands does not as a rule exactly parallel that shown in the 

beds at the surface, and hence there is always a possibility of error. 

When wells are drilled in this region, the well logs will furnish information by means of which the structure may be ascertained much 

more exactly than is possible through work with surface outcrops 

alone, and the structure contours may be revised. It is hoped, therefore, that when the full report for this quadrangle is prepared well 

logs will be available.

METHOD OP REPRESENTING STRUCTURE.

Structure may be shown graphically by structure contours, by 

cross sections, and by block diagrams or stereograms.

Contours. A structure contour, like a surface contour, represents a line all points along which are uniform in elevation. Thus 

any point on the key rock which lies on the line represented by the 

contour marked 1200 is at an elevation of 1,200 feet above sea level, 

and any point on the line represented by the contour marked 1250 

lies 1,250 feet above sea level. Every tenth contour is printed on the 

map in a heavy line as a matter of convenience in reading and tracing the lines. The contours are spaced at intervals of 5 feet that is, 

for example, the contours between those marked 1200 and 1250 represent lines at elevations of 1,205, 1,210, 1,215 feet, etc. By means 

of these lines it is possible to tell to what degree and in what direction the beds dip.

Cross sections. Cross sections show the configuration of the strata 

along some one line, as if the earth had been slashed with a great 

knife and it were possible to see the side of the gash so made.

Stereograms. Stereograms are sketches of the surface of the key 

rock as reconstructed from the contours. The sketch is so shaded 

that the features of the surface appear to stand out in relief, just 

as if the surface were exposed and had been actually sketched from 

some point at a distance and slightly above it. The vertical scale 

is much exaggerated in the stereogram, so that the relief is greatly 

emphasized.

, MAJOR STRUCTURE.

The Foraker quadrangle is situated on the west flank of a great 

regional uplift, the center of which is occupied by the Ozark 

Plateau. The west flank includes a great area in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and northwest-
STEREOGRAM OF THE FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OK

Represents surface of Foraker limestone.
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 33

ern Arkansas in which the prevalent dip of the strata is to the west. 

In the Foraker quadrangle the general dip is almost due west at an 

average rate of 30 feet to the mile. However, the dip is far from 

uniform, being in comparatively few places exactly or even approximately 30 feet to the mile. There are many steepenings where the 

slope may be as much as 80 feet to the mile, and a few where it is 

twice that. These are compensated by flattenings where the strata 

may be horizontal or even dip toward the east for a short distance. 

If all the earth and rock were removed from above some persistent 

stratum which at present lies wholly below the surface, the stratum 

would appear as a broad plain sloping gently westward. The uniformity of this plain would be modified by low, rounded hills with 

broad, slightly arched tops; low ridges, most of them running in a 

general westerly direction and pitching to the west; and wide, shallow valleys with smoothly curving sides. At no place would there be 

such abrupt rises or steep-sided depressions as are visible on the 

present surface. The whole plain would be characterized by smoothness and very gradual changes in the direction and degree of slope. 

(See Pis. II and III.)

MINOR STRUCTURE.

The term minor structure is used to indicate subordinate folds 

whose forms differ noticeably from that of the major structure upon 

which they are situated.

ANTICLINES. 

BEAVER CREEK ANTICLINE.

The Beaver Creek anticline, named from its position west of 

Beaver Creek, is by far the most pronounced fold in the Foraker 

quadrangle. It is in the northwest corner of the quadrangle, and 

only a small part of the complete fold is shown on the map, as its 

northeasterly extension lies in Kansas and its southwesterly extension in Kay County, Okla.

The part lying in the Foraker quadrangle trends southwest from 

a point about three-tenths of a mile west of the northeast corner 

of sec. 14, T. 29 N., R. 5 E., and passes into Kay County near the 

middle of sec. 22, T. 29 N., K. 5 E. The easterly dip, which 'persists for about half a mile, is at an average rate of 120 feet to the 

mile. The maximum vertical depression caused by this easterly 

dip is 60 feet, which is twice that of the Foraker anticline, the next 

largest fold shown on the map. The shape of the Beaver Creek 

anticline is undetermined,.as the portions lying in Kay County and 

in Kansas were not mapped. However, it was observed that the 

easterly dip is much steeper than the westerly dip, and that the 

length of the anticline is much greater than the breadth. On the
34 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

east flank of this fold there is a "minor fold whose long axis extends 

about 1£ miles and trends about N. 70° E.

The structure contours showing this anticline are based on elevations at different points on the outcrops of the Wreford and 

Grouse limestones. Exposures are so plentiful that no difficulty 

Was experienced in getting sufficient data for accurate contouring.

LONE TREE DOME.

The Lone Tree dome, named from its situation just east of Lone 

Tree Creek, is a small upwarp about 1 mile long and half a mile 

wide at its widest point. The center of this dome lies about a 

quarter of a mile south and an eighth of a mile east of the northwest corner of sec. 28, T. 29 N., R. 6 E. Its outline is that of a 

triangle with rounded corners and the base toward the south. The 

long axis runs almost due north, and the short one almost due east. 

The fold is nearly symmetrical with respect to the long axis. The 

easterly dip is small in vertical extent, the maximum vertical 

descent of the beds being about 10 feet. The change from easterly 

dip to westerly dip in the region directly east of the fold is not perceptible, as the slopes of the beds in either direction are so slight 

that their approach to horizontality is difficult to detect. On the 

west the slope of the dome merges with that of the westward-dipping monocline, the rate of dip being about 40 feet to the mile.

Elevations on the Cottonwood limestone were used in drawing the 

structure contours that depict this dome.

GRAINOLA ANTICLINE.

The Grainola anticline lies west of the town of Grainola. Its 

highest point as expressed on the surface is about a quarter of a 

mile east of the southwest corner of sec. 32, T. 29 N., E. 6 E. The 

arch of the fold is very low, the vertical extent of the easterly dip 

being about 12 feet. The easterly dip persists for about half a mile 

before it dies out and is replaced by the prevalent westerly dip.

This fold is pear-shaped. Its longitudinal axis is about 1£ miles 

long, and its transverse axis about three-quarters of a mile long at 

the widest point. The long axis runs in a northeasterly direction; 

the short axis is perpendicular to it. The structure is continued on 

the west in an anticlinal fold that pitches westward at a rate of 40 

feet to the mile for the first half mile and at 80 feet to the mile for 

the next quarter of a mile.

The elevations on which the contours are based are exclusively on 

the Cottonwood limestone, which crops out on the flanks of the fold. 

The crest of the fold is occupied by a valley containing no outcrops 

upon which elevations could be taken.
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 35 

BROOKS ANTICLINE.

The Brooks anticline is a long, relatively narrow fold whose major 

axis runs southward from the middle of the southwest corner of 

sec. 17, T..28 N., R. 6 E., to the middle of the SE. £ sec. 32, T. 28 N., 

E. 6 E. It lies west of the Brooks School. Its length is a little over 3 

miles, and its maximum width less than three-quarters of a mile. 

The highest point is about in the center of sec. 20, T. 28 N., R. 6 E. 

The elevations on the west flank of this fold were taken on the Cottonwood limestone; those on the east flank on the top of the Neva limestone. The strata along the crest are hidden by a cloak of soil, and 

the correctness of the contouring is dependent on the accuracy of 

the assumption as to the distance between the Cottonwood and Neva 

limestones. The assumed distance of 55 feet was obtained by projecting dips observed on the two beds and is subject to an error of not 

more than 10 feet. If the distance used is 10 feet too great, there 

would be a marked flattening of dips but no actual reversal, and the 

wrinkles on the west side would still be present. In other words, 

there would be on the west side a series of small folds with their long 

axes trending almost due east and having a pronounced flattening at 

their east ends.

The east flank is mapped as being smooth and free from cross 

folds, but it is probable that the apparent smoothness is due more 

to the lack of rock outcrops on which observations could be taken 

than to actual absence of minor folds.

BROWN ANTICLINE.

The Brown anticline is a large, low upwarp, the highest point of 

which lies about a quarter of a mile south of the northeast corner 

of sec. 8, T. 27 N., R. 6 E., near the Brown School. It is really more 

of a terrace than an anticline, as the total easterly dip amounts to 

only about 12 feet. The flattening is very marked, however, and is 

prevalent over a large area.

The axis of this anticline runs in a direction a little east of north 

and is a little over 2 miles long. East of the axis the strata dip eastward at a rate of about 40 feet to the mile for a distance of threetenths of a mile, beyond which the direction of dip is reversed and 

the beds rise to the east at a rate of more than 50 feet to the mile. 

For the first mile west of the axis the dip averages about 12 feet to 

the mile. Farther west the slope steepens, but so gradually that at 

no point can a pronounced change be seen. To the north the region 

of low dips includes a part of sec. 32, T. 27 N., R. 6 E., where it 

merges into the terrace structure of the Brooks anticline. The contours on the crest and east flank of this fold were determined from
36 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916,

elevations taken on the upper part of the Neva limestone, and those 

on the west flank from elevations on the Cottonwood limestone. If 

there is any inaccuracy in the use of these beds it is in placing them 

too far apart, and the possible error does not exceed 10 feet. If the 

elevations on the west side of the fold are 10 feet too great the real 

structure is much like that shown on the map, except that the dip to 

the west is steeper and the anticline therefore more pronounced.

NEVA ANTICLINE.

The Neva anticline is a short, blunt fold which shows dips in three 

directions only to the north, west, and south. The axis of this 

fold trends westward from a point about an eighth of a mile east of 

the southwest corner of sec. 16, T. 27 N., R. 6 E., to the quarter corner 

between sees. 17 and 20, N. 27 N., K. 6 E. The top of the fold is broad 

and flat, the east end showing a dip to the west not exceeding 10 feet 

to the mile. The steepest dip is on the south side of the tip, where 

the beds plunge to the southwest at a rate of 100 feet to the mile. On 

the north side of the anticline the dip is about 70 feet to the mile. 

The greatest change in the amount of dip occurs in the NW. | NW. £ 

sec. 17, T. 27 N., R. 6 E.

The contours representing this fold are based entirely on elevations 

taken on the top bed of the Neva limestone. Exposures are scarce, 

and comparatively few elevations could be obtained; therefore, while 

the general shape of the fold is as mapped, it is quite probable that 

there are minor irregularities which do not appear on the map.

HAY CREEK ANTICLINES.

The Hay Creek anticlines, named from their location near the 

mouth of Hay Creek, are three in number. The east-west distance 

from the highest point of one anticline to the highest point of the 

next is about a mile. The middle one is the farthest north; the western one the farthest south. In point of size they are successively larger 

from east to west. The elevations on which the structure contours of 

these folds are based are mostly on the Neva limestone, but some of 

them are on a limestone which lies about 23 feet below the base of 

the Neva. Exposures are good and no trouble was experienced in 

getting abundant data.

The highest point on the western anticline is about an eighth of 

a- mile due south of the northeast corner of sec. 1, T. 26 N., R. 5 E., 

from which point the rocks dip gently in all directions. To the east, 

south, and west the dip is at the rate of 70 feet to the mile. To the 

north there is almost no dip for the first half mile, and then the 

strata dip north at about 50 feet to the mile. The dip on the east persists in that direction for about half a mile and then reverses, the beds 

rising gently toward the east. The flattened top of this dome is
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKEB QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 37

less than half as wide as it is long. The long axis trends a little east 

of north throughout most of the length, but swings sharply northwest 

at the north end. The long sides bow in toward each other in the 

middle and the ends are rather blunt.

The highest point of the middle Hay Creek anticline is about a 

quarter of a mile due south of the northwest corner of sec. 32, T. 27 

N., R. 6 E., from which point the axis trends a little east of north 

arid west of south. The length of the axis is about 1£ miles. The 

outline of this fold is something like the blade of a knife which lies 

with its point to the north, the length being about three times the 

width. The dip either east or west of the axis is at the rate of about 

60 feet to the mile. That on the east side has a total vertical amount 

of only 12 feet, however, the horizontal distance over which it extends 

being short. To the north and south the dips are very gentle and 

merge into the.general westerly dip of the region without any perceptible change.

The eastern Hay Creek anticline is the smallest of the three folds. 

Its highest point lies a little southwest of the quarter corner between 

sees. 32 and 33, T. 27 N., R. 6 E. In outline it is like the blade ^of 

a narrow, round-ended, round-shouldered trowel. The long axis of 

the anticline points a little east of north. It is a little less than 

a mile long, and its greatest width is about a quarter of a mile. The 

easterly dip is insignificant, amounting to a little over 5 feet at its 

point of greatest development. To the west, however, the beds dip 

steeply for this region, showing for about a quarter of a mile a grade 

of 100 feet to the mile. The change in dip at the upper end of this 

relatively steep slope is very pronounced, giving the structure more 

the form of a terrace than that of an anticline.

WAMSLEY CREEK ANTICLINE.

v

The Wamsley Creek anticline is a low, irregular fold south of 

Wamsley Creek. It is made up in reality of two distinct low folds 

or structural swells whose highest points appear at the surface in 

the middle of the SE. J sec. 25, T. 27 N., R. 6 E., and about onetenth of a mile south of the corner of sees. 25, 26, 35, and 36. In 

shape this fold is like a V having thick, uneven sides and pointing 

northwest. The highest points occur at about the middle of each 

side and are separated by a narrow, shallow depression. The long 

axis of the east side of the fold points about N. 40° W., and that 

of the west side about N. 30° W. The fold, considered as a whole, 

is about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. The actual reversal of dip 

is very slight, the maximum eastward descent being about 10 feet. 

The dip to the east is at the rate of about 40 feet to the mile, and 

that to the west has a maximum of about 80 feet to the mile.
38 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

The structure contours showing this fold are based on elevations 

taken on several beds of the Foraker limestone. Exposures were 

abundant and the beds could be accurately correlated, so there is 

small doubt about the exact form of this anticline.

POTATO CREEK ANTICLINE.

The name Potato Creek anticline has been given to a pronounced 

fold whose highest point is in the SW. i SW. i sec. 32, T. 27 N., 

E. 7 E., south of Potato Creek. This anticline is irregular in outline, 

forming an uneven oblong with ends and sides only approximately 

parallel. The major axis is about 1^ miles long and trends about 

N. 20° E. The greatest width of the anticline is near the north end 

and amounts to a little more than a mile. The top of the fold is 

almost flat and covers an area of about half a square mile. It pitches 

to the north at an average rate of 70 feet to the mile, and the beds dip 

to the west at the same rate. Toward the south the dip is not so 

pronounced, the maximum drop being about 40 feet to the mile. On 

the east there is a drop of 15 feet at a rate of 120 feet to the mile, 

followed by a sharp reversal, the easterly dip being met by a westerly 

dip of equal steepness. It is possible that a small fault separates 

the beds here, although there is no evidence of such a break except 

the abrupt reversal of dip.

On the west flank of the anticline, about a mile southwest of the 

summit, there is a structural terrace. The dip to the west flattens 

to about 10 feet to the mile and then steepens abruptly to almost 150 

feet to the mile. The front of this terrace extends along the east 

line of sec. 1, T. 26 N., E. 6 E.

NORTH BIRD CREEK ANTICLINE.

The North Bird Creek anticline is a long narrow fold whose axis 

extends southwestward from a point three-tenths of a mile south of 

the northwest corner of sec. 12, T. 27 N., E. 7 E., near North Bird 

Creek, to a point about one-tenth of a mile south of the quarter corner between sees. 17 and 20, T. 27 N., E. 7 E. The dips on this fold 

are to the north, west, and south. On the east the fold merges into 

the general westward-dipping monocline without any perceptible 

change in the general dip. The greatest flattening shown on this 

fold is in the southwest corner of sec. 11, T. 27 N., E. 7 E., where 

the average dip is about 15 feet to the mile toward the southwest. 

The steepest dip is at the very tip of the fold, where the beds slope 

westward at an average of 110 feet to the mile. At one place on the 

south side of the fold the dip is as steep as that shown on the tip, 

but only for less than one-fifth of a mile.
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 39

Most of the elevations on which the contours of this fold are based 

were taken on beds in the Foraker limestone, but some of them were 

taken on the sandstone which lies about 43 feet below the base of the 

Foraker. Outcrops were abundant and correlations could be easily 

and accurately made.

FORAKER ANTICLINE.

The Foraker anticline is a low upwarp, the crest of which is just 

northwest of the southeast corner of sec. 21, T. 28 N., R. 7 E., northeast of Foraker. The outline of this low swell is much like the bottom of a flatiron with a blunt rounded point and the back side of 

the flatiron slightly curved in toward the center. The major axis, 

which trends a little south of west, is about 2£ miles long. The 

greatest breadth of the anticline is about 1| miles, at the east end.

The dips to the north, west, and south are fairly uniform and 

about 75 feet to the mile. On the east flank of the fold the dip to 

the east averages 25 feet to the mile. The top of the anticline, about 

a quarter of a square mile in extent, is very flat, and dips in any 

direction are hard to detect.

A good deal of difficulty was experienced in mapping this anticline, as continuous outcrops are rare, and the dip to the east was 

determined not by continuous tracing of a single bed but by correlating scattered outcrops. It could not be proved that much of 

the apparent .easterly dip is not due to a fault, but the fact that no 

faults or indications of faults were seen elsewhere in the quadrangle 

would make the existence of a fault here seem very improbable. It 

is, however, possible to say definitely that to the north the strata are 

not broken. Of the exact structure south of the crest of the fold 

very little could be ascertained, as there are practically no rock outcrops in that area. It was possible to determine the general dip, 

however, and although the structure on the south side is probably 

not so regular as the map indicates, it is unlikely that the mapping 

diverges greatly from the true structure.

ELM CREEK ANTICLINE.

The Elm Creek anticline is a small upwarp lying on the headwaters of Elm Creek, in the W. £ sec. 9, T. 27 N., E. 7 E. The axis 

of the fold is about 1J miles long and trends about N. 25° E. The 

anticline is really made up of two small domes which are separated 

by a slight saddle. These domes are small oval swellings of nearly 

equal size. Their major axes have a length of half a mile and their 

minor axes a length of a little more than a quarter of-a mile.

The dips on all sides of the fold are gentle. East of the principal 

axis the beds dip eastward for less than a quarter of a mile, to a 

point where the slope is reversed, and the highest point of any bed
40 CONTRIBUTION'S TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

in the anticline is less than 15 feet above the lowest point that the 

same bed may reach east of the anticline. West of the principal axis 

the beds slope away from it at a rate of about 35 feet to the mile for 

a quarter of a mile and at 100 feet to the mile for about a quarter 

of a mile more before the dip merges into the general westward dip 

of the region.

The Red Eagle limestone crops out over the surface of this anticline, and the structure contours are based on elevations on the top 

of this bed.

ANTELOPE CREEK ANTICLINE.

The Antelope Creek anticline lies in sees. 10 and 11, T. 27 N.,.R. 6 

E., just south of Antelope Creek. It is a transverse fold with a curving axis trending about N. 75° W. The general outline of the compound structure is something like that of a two-pronged tooth with 

the prongs pointing west.

The dips to the north, west, and south are at the rate of 60 feet to 

the mile. No dip to the east appears except in one small area on the 

very crest of the wrinkle. Here the beds are inclined to the east for 

a horizontal distance of about one-eighth of a mile, in which there is 

a depression of 10 feet.

The structure contours for this fold were determined from elevations on the Neva limestone, which crops out along the flanks of the 

fold.

SYNCLINES.

No detailed description is given of the synclines, as the purpose of 

this paper is primarily to point out those features which are of economic importance with relation to oil and gas, and a syncline is such 

a feature only where oil-bearing strata do not carry water. As such 

a condition has not been found to exist in any of the oil pools in the 

region surrounding the Foraker quadrangle, it is fair to assume that 

the sands underlying the surface in this quadrangle carry water. A 

mention of the positions of the axes of the larger synclines may be of 

some value, however, as the bottoms of these structural troughs are 

theoretically the most unfavorable places for accumulations of oil 

and gas, and they should accordingly be avoided in wildcatting 

operations.

Synclines occur north and south of the Foraker anticline. The 

axis of the one to the north strikes about N. 75° E. and extends from 

the quarter corner'between sees. 24 and 25, T. 28 N., R. 6 E., to a 

point about 500 feet south of the middle of sec. 16, T. 28 N., R, 7 E. 

The one on the south is a sharper fold but is not so long. The axis 

of this trough trends northeastward from a point a little northwest 

of the middle of sec. 33, T. 28 N., R. 7 E. About 1,000 feet south of
OIL AND GAS OF FOBAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. '41

the middle of sec. 27, T. 28 N., E. 7 E., the axis divides, one branch 

continuing northeast for about a mile and the other trending a little 

south of east for about 1£ miles, to the place where the syncline dies 

out. >

Just south of the North Bird Greek anticline there is a small, welldefined syncline whose axis begins 1,000 feet west of the southeast 

corner of sec. 15, T. 27 N., E. 7 E., and trends northeastward to a point 

1,000 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 12, T. 27 N., E. 7 E.

A large, pronounced syncline lies south of the one just described, 

and its axis, which is slightly curved, extends from a point 3,000 

feet southwest of the northeast corner of sec. 29, T. 27 N., E. 7 E.,' 

to the middle of sec. 24, T. 27 N., E. 7 E., where it passes out of <the 

quadrangle.

In the southwest corner of the quadrangle there is a well-defined 

syncline whose axis extends from a point 1,000 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 26, T. 27 N., E. 5 E., to a point 2,300 feet south 

of the northwest corner of sec. 29, T. 27 N., E. 6 E., just northwest of 

the middle Hay Creek anticline.

Just north of tKe Antelope Creek anticline there is a short syncline 

with a curved axis about a mile long extending from the southwest 

corner of sec. 3, T. 28 N., E. 6 E., to a point about 1,000 feet east of 

the southwest corner of sec. 12, T. 28 N., E. 6 E.

East of the Beaver Creek anticline there is a syncline whose axis 

trends northeastward from the quarter corner between sees. 27 and 

34, T. 29 N., E. 5 E., to the middle of sec. 23, T. 29 N., E. 5 E.

In the north-central part of the quadrangle there is a pronounced 

structural depression with an axis trending in a general southeasterly direction from the quarter corner between sees. 25 and 26, 

 T. 29 N., E. 6 E., to the middle of the NW. £ sec. 5, T. 28 N., E. 7 E.

Besides the synclines described above there are many small ones 

whose influence on oil and gas accumulation is minor and in some 

cases probably negligible.

ACCUMULATION OF OIL AND GAS.

The various theories which attempt to give the reasons for the 

accumulation of hydrocarbons at certain selected points in the rocks 

will not be discussed in this paper. The essential thing is a knowledge of certain definite rules which repeated observation has shown 

are followed by the oil and gas in their journey to the points where 

pools are found, and of the conditions under which such accumulations of oil and gas are known to occur. '

Gas, in its journey through the rocks, tends always to reach the 

highest possible point, regardless of the degree to which the rocks 

are saturated with water. Petroleum also persistently climbs the

43768° Bull. 641 17 4
42 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

slope of inclined water-containing strata, if they are pervious enough 

to permit its passage. If water is absent, however, the direction of 

movement is reversed and the oil will tend to travel down the dip 

of the containing beds.

An oil pool must occupy a reservoir capable of containing the oil 

and so situated that the oil can not escape until the pool is tapped 

by the drill. Such reservoirs are usually formed by porous beds of 

rock confined beneath impervious beds. The porous bed is usually 

a sandstone, although it may be a limestone or even an igneous rock; 

the impervious bed is commonly a shale. Although a shale is not 

absolutely impervious, and under some conditions petroleum will 

undoubtedly travel through it, a shale cap over a porous sandstone 

is sufficiently impassable to oil to make possible the largest accumulations of petroleum and natural gas that have been discovered up 

to the present time. fr

Where the succession of strata is such that a suitable reservoir is 

provided, oil accumulations have been found to be in direct relation to 

three factors. These are the attitude of the strata, whether horizontal 

or tilted; the degree to which the strata are saturated with water; 

and the permeability of the strata, which depends on their porosity 

and on the size of the openings between their grains or particles. 

Any one of these three factors may be the dominating one, but the 

first named has appeared to be much the most influential. This may 

be due, in part at least, to the fact that comparatively little study 

has been given to the third, largely because of the difficulty in obtaining data that bear on it. Also, while the third factor is doubtless 

important, there is no means of telling anything about it in untested 

territory, so that even an absolutely clear understanding of its action 

would be of little assistance to the geologist in locating promising 

territory for prospecting. The same thing is true, to a less extent, 

as to the saturation of the strata with water. A single wildcat well 

goes far toward determining this factor. In the present state of 1 

knowledge, therefore, the attitude of the strata is the most practical 

and important indication available to the prospector.

If the influence of the permeability of the strata which contain the 

oil is disregarded, there are four principal conditions which should 

be discussed, each taking into consideration the attitude of the beds 

and the degree to which they are saturated with water.

1. Where the strata are approximately level and contain water 

oil and gas accumulations of commercial importance appear to be 

rare. The controlling factor of those which have been found appears to be the porosity of the bed that contains the oil or gas, the 

pools selecting the most porous lenses or " streaks" and occupying 

them to the exclusion of other parts of the bed. Pools of this type 

are particularly likely to occur where there are great quantities of
OIL AND GAS OF FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 43

oil in the rocks, and it is presumable that the oil in the pools is but 

a small fraction of that which is disseminated through the rock in 

quantities too small to repay drilling. It is likely that some of the 

oil fields of Washington and Nowata counties, Okla., belong to this 

type. The discovery of such accumulations is always the result of 

chance drilling, as surface features can give no indication of their 

presence.

2. Where the strata are approximately level and " dry " oil might 

accumulate in " pay streaks " such as are described in the preceding

_;_- ._..--

1 1 1 HP'ill' i * r i L -" . i I- , ' i - , i -'-| v^LlL.

----- ,-1

hate: -^

FIGURE 5. " Pay streaks " of oil in level strata.

paragraph and shown in figure 5. Some contend that even where 

drill holes are apparently dry the microscopic interstices between 

the grains of the rocks contain water which is prevented from escaping by the capillary attraction exerted by the minute openings that 

hold it. No known oil pools have been shown to have the conditions 

described, and the possibility of such accumulations may be disregarded.

3. Inclined strata containing water present the conditions most 

commonly found in oil fields and accordingly by far the most important. These conditions are known to exist in the most productive 

districts of Oklahoma, such as the 

Gushing field,1 the Healdton 

field,2 and the Ponca City field.3

The oil travels up the slope 

formed by the rising strata until 

some obstacle which it can not 

pass intervenes and stops it. This 

obstacle may be furnished by the 

pinching out of the bed. In that 

case a condition such as is shown in figure 6 will result, the pool 

forming at the highest point of the porous bed which it can reach. 

The limits of such a pool can not be even guessed from anything 

which appears at the surface of the ground, its discovery being 

dependent on chance drilling.

1 Buttram, Frank, The Cashing oil and gas field, Okla.: Oklahoma Geol. Survey Bull. 18, 

1912.

2 Wegemann, C. H., and Heald, K. C., The Healdton oil field, Carter County, Okla.: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 621, pp. 13-30, 1916 (Bull. 621-B).

3 Ohern, D. W., and vGarrett, R. E., The Ponca City oil and gas field : Oklahoma Geol. 

Survey Bull. 16, 1912.

FIGURE 6. Cross section illustrating 

theoretical pinching out of oil-bearing 

strata, a, Sandstone ; 6, shale.
44 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

In most of the large fields, however, the obstacle to the upward movement of the oil and gas is produced by the flattening

or actual reversal of 

direction of the dip 

of the oil - bearing 

beds. The flattening 

produces a terrace, as 

shown diagrammatically in figure 7. The 

reversal indicates an 

anticline, as shown in 

figure 8. Either one 

may cause an accumuFIGURE 7. Cross section illustrating theoretical accumula-' i , t> --\ -r ±-\

tion of oil on terrace. latl°n 0± olL In th6

Gushing, Healdton,

and Ponca City pools there is an actual reversal of dip of considerable amount. This is the condition which is generally held to be 

most favorable and upon which recommendations for drilling are 

most commonly based. There 

are no recorded oil pools in 

Oklahoma occurring in structural terraces. That accumulations may occur in such a 

position, however, is altogether 

probable, as they are recognized 

in other parts of the United 

States.

A third way in which the upward journey of oil and gas may 

be stopped'is through the agency of faults. If there is a displacement of the strata which results in the porous bed being broken

off and left abutting 

against an impervious 

bed, the migration of 

the oil and gas will 

be effectually stopped 

unless the fault leaves 

an open fissure along 

which escape is possible. There are several considerable accumulations of oil and 

gas which are believed 

to have been caused by 

faults. Some of those in southern Osage County are believed to be 

of this type.1 This condition is graphically shown in figure 9.

FIGURE 8, Cross section illustrating theoretical accumulation of oil in anticline. 

a, Sandstone; 6, shale.

FIGURE 9. Cross section illustrating theoretical accumulation of oil due to faulting.

1 Wood, R. H., personal communication.
OIL AND GAS OP FORAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 45

4. Inclined and dry strata have never been certainly recognized 

in regions where oil has been found. This condition is believed to 

exist, however, and to be the cause of the accumulation of oil in the 

lowest parts of the containing porous rocks. The theoretical relations of such an oil accumulation and the strata are shown in figure 10. 

The petroleum gathers in the porous bed, travels down the slope, 

and is collected in 

the bottoms of 

troughs or synclines 

formed by the folding of the strata. 

In the few known 

oil pools found in 

this position the containing strata have 

yielded no water, a 

fact which appears

,1 , ,1 FIGURE 10. Cross section illustrating theoretical accuinula- to bear out the tlon of oil in syncllne.

theory. No pools

of this type occur in Oklahoma, so far as is known to the writer.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROSPECTING.

There is a distinct order of preference which should be considered 

in the exploration of the anticlines of the Foraker quadrangle. 

Should a fold which is favorably located and structurally suited to 

contain oil and gas be found to contain no such accumulation, the 

presence of pools in adjacent territory structurally less favorable 

would be much less probable. Prospecting should not be indiscriminate but should first test thoroughly the localities where the structure appears most favorable, and if one of these localities fails to 

yield oil and gas, prospecting should be at least temporarily moved 

to a point some distance away.

However, no fold should be condemned on the evidence offered by 

a single hole. The attitude of the strata is by no means the only 

factor governing the accumulation of oil and gas, and some one of 

the others may interfere so strongly that a fold which is otherwise 

pronouncedly favorable for such an accumulation will prove barren. 

One of the most potent of these other factors is believed by the 

writer to consist in the porosity and the nature and size of the openings in a bed which the oil and gas can occupy. For accumulations 

of gas the porosity is the more important. For accumulations of oil 

large interstices between grains are probably more essential than 

high porosity. These factors can vary greatly within a short dis-
46 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1916, PART II.

tance, and that is one of the principal reasons for the above recommendation that at least two test holes should be drilled before an 

apparently favorable fold is abandoned.

In the Foraker quadrangle the anticline which offers the best 

structural conditions for the accumulation in commercial amount 

of oil and gas is the Beaver Creek anticline, in the extreme northwest 

corner. The best point for prospecting is on the very crest of the 

fold, which is a little south of the center of sec. 15, T. 29 N., R. 5 E. 

A well drilled here should reach the horizon of the Bartlesville sand 

at a depth of about 3,240 feet. In case oil or gas in considerable 

quantities are not found in the initial test, a second should be drilled 

about half a mile south and a quarter of a mile west from the first. 

Failure to find oil or gas in the Beaver Creek anticline would have 

little bearing on the possibility of their accumulation in other folds 

in the Foraker quadrangle, as the Grainola anticline, which is the 

nearest one of any great promise, is about 4 miles from the Beaver 

Creek anticline and has ample gathering ground to supply hydrocarbons sufficient for any accumulation which it would be likely to 

hold.

The fold which appears to be second in promise is the Foraker 

anticline. This anticline, though small compared to those in many 

of the Oklahoma oil fields, still offers all the structural conditions that 

are necessary for the formation of an oil pool of considerable proportions. Owing to the comparatively low dip on all sides of this 

fold a hole sunk on the top of the fold, which is shown on the surface, 

would strike the highest point of the continuation of this fold at 

reasonable depth. Although it is impossible to say that this fold has 

the same shape underground as it shows at the surface, the outlines 

should be roughly the same, and the best that can be done is to choose 

the point at which the surface indications are the most promising. 

It is recommended that the first test hole on this anticline be sunk 

600 feet west and 100 feet north from the southeast corner of sec. 21, 

T. 28 N., E. 7 E. It should reach a depth of at least 2,800 feet. If 

the first test fails to get oil or gas, a second should be drilled 

about 500 feet north of the quarter corner between sees. 21 and 28. 

The failure of these tests would tend to indicate the absence of accumulations of oil and gas not only in the Foraker anticline, but also 

in the Elm Creek anticline. If the more pronounced fold does not 

contain an accumulation of oil, it is unlikely that such an accumulation has formed under the less favorable structural conditions present 

in the smaller fold.

Third in importance is the Potato Creek anticline. This fold, 

while less well developed than the Foraker anticline, still offers all 

the structural requisites for a large oil pool. The dips on the several
OIL AND GAS OF FOKAKER QUADRANGLE, OKLA. 47

sides of this fold do not differ in degree enough to affect the accumulation of oil, and the best point for prospecting is the highest point 

of the fold as expressed on the surface. This point is roughly 500 

feet east and 200 feet north from .the southwest corner of sec. 32, 

T. 27 N., R. 7 E. Should a hole at this point fail to show oil and 

gas in considerable quantity, a second one should be drilled about 

2,000 feet due south of the quarter corner between sees. 29 and 32. 

These tests should reach a depth of at least 2,800 feet, which should 

bring them to the horizon of the Bartlesville sand. A good showing 

of oil at that depth would justify drilling 100 or 200 feet deeper. In 

case the Potato Creek anticline is barren of petroleum or gas, prospecting the near-by Wamsley Creek anticline would not be advisable 

unless work to the west should disclose producing territory.

The three localities mentioned above are structually the most 

favorable ones in the quadrangle. The order of importance of the 

other folds that have been described in detail is believed by the 

writer to be as follows: Western Hay Creek, Grainola, Lone Tree, 

Brown, North Bird Creek, Antelope Creek, Elm Creek, Wamsley 

Creek, middle Hay Creek, eastern Hay Creek, Brooks, and Neva. 

The best points for drilling are on the highest points of the folds, 

which are mentioned in the detailed descriptions. In deciding on 

the relative importance of these folds weight was given not only to 

their expression on the structure map, but also to the completeness 

of the data on which the structure contours are based.

PROBABILITY OF FINDING OIL AND GAS IN THE 

FORAKER QUADRANGLE.

There can be little doubt that oil and gas will be found in the 

Foraker quadrangle. Producing fields, some of them, of immense 

yield, have been opened to the north, east, south, and west of this 

area. Oil has been found in commercial quantity in Kay County, less 

than 2 miles from the west edge of the quadrangle, and also in Kansas 

about a mile from the north line. Various test wells near the quadrangle have established the fact that there are in this region numerous sands which are excellently fitted to hold accumulations of oil 

and gas. The anticlinal structure, while less pronounced than that 

in most of the largest oil fields of Oklahoma, is quite as well developed as that in many of the smaller fields, both in Oklahoma and 

elsewhere. In short, all the factors which conduce to large accumulations of petroleum are believed to be present here, and it is most 

probable that drilling will disclose pools in at least some of the 

favorable places described in the preceding pages.