bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Possible Occurrence of Oil and Gas Fields in Washington
Authors: Weaver Charles E. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 239–249.
During the past few years there has been considerable activity in prospecting for oil and gas in several parts of western Washington. From time to time seepages of oil or emanations of gas have been re- ported from various places. Several companies have been organized for the purpose of drilling, but only a part of these have actually begun operations. In certain localities very small seepages of oil occur, but up to the present time no oil or gas in commercial quantities has been obtained.
In order to determine the conditions which may be favorable or un- favorable to the occurrence of petroleum it becomes necessary to know the character and extent of the geological formations in which such deposits might occur. In other regions where producing wells have been developed it is possible to know what formations contain the oil and what structural conditions influence its concentration in reservoirs or zones. It is usually possible to determine those strata which contained the materials from which the petroleum may have been derived and also the position and distribution of the more porous sandstone belts into which it may have collected. Detailed stratigraphic surveys may even determine the depth at which a certain known oil-bearing zone may be tapped at any particular place. It is also possible to recognize those formations which are presumably barren of oil, as well as those which are absolutely so.
In new regions far distant from any of those which are now producing or have produced in the past, it becomes absolutely impossible to foretell whether oil may exist in commercial quantities or not. Assuming that such deposits do exist, it is extremely difficult to predict at what depth the producing zone or zones occur. However, in prospecting in a new and unexplored region, use should be made of such laws as have been found to govern the occurrence of petroleum deposits in other well-developed fields. Such deposits in their world-wide distribution are found almost exclusively associated with sedimentary rocks. Areas composed predominatingly of igneous and metamorphosed rocks are to be regarded as extremely unfavorable localities for the occurrence of commercial deposits of oil or gas.
T.P. 052–19
Oil, Gas, and Water Content of Dakota Sand in Canada and United States
Authors: Huntley L.G. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 329–352.

Introduction
In view of the recent advance made in the knowledge of the nature and conditions accompanying the occurrence of oil and gas, and of the recent activity in drilling in Wyoming, Montana, and western Canada, a discussion of the probabilities of obtaining production in such a reservoir as the Dakota sand in General, and in particular districts, is thought by the author to be timely and likely to result in more intelligent operating in certain parts of the territory underlain by this sand. In Canada particularly it is thought that these general considerations have equal if not more significance in a consideration of the oil and gas possibilities of the formations than have the various local conditions.

Age of Nature of Deposition of the Dakota Sand
The Dakota is distinctive in that it is known to form a generally continuous sheet of sand underlying the greater part of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North and South Dakota, Montana, and large areas in Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming. It does not seem to have been laid down in more or less isolated lenses, as has been the case with most oil-sand horizons.
Except in northern Alberta, the Dakota sand contains fresh-water fauna, having been deposited very uniformly over these wide areas in shallow water with prevailing strong currents. In northern Alberta marine and brackish water conditions prevailed. In this district it forms the basal member of the Cretaceous sediments, directly overlaying beds of Devonian limestone along a great unconformity in the Athabasca River valley and eastward. In southern and western Alberta it is underlain uncomformably by the Kootenay shales (Lower Cretaceous), and by Jurassic and Carboniferous rocks. In the United States in South Dakota it was in places deposited upon Cambrian quartzites, and in other places directly upon the granite.
T.P. 052–24
Correlation and Geological Structure of the Alberta Oil Fields
Authors: Dowling D.B. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 353–362.
The interest which has been aroused in prospecting for oil in the foothills of southern Alberta, and in the oil possibilities of the known gas fields situated in the less-disturbed areas, called for a much closer examination of the structure, thickness, and composition of the under- lying rocks of the region than had hitherto been made. The areal geology of the larger part of the great plains was outlined by Dawson, McConnell, and Tyrrell, between 1881 and 1885. The foothill area was not critically examined at that time, owing to the time which would have been required for its proper study and the difficulty that was found in recognizing in the foothills the divisions which had been adopted in the mapping of the formations of the plains. This was due in great measure to the paucity of exposures in continuous sections of the lower divisions of the Upper Cretaceous. Since the pioneer work on the plains was published, the beds which form continuations south into Montana have been critically examined, The Canadian beds arch over the end of a flat anticline which rises to the south; and two sections in Montana, one on each side of the anticline, help to explain some of the difficulties previously encountered in the mapping of the measures found in the foothills. The index map, Fig. 1, shows the area studied, and its relation to southeastern Alberta, and to Montana.

Problems of Correlation
The principal difficulty experienced in correlation was in connection with the measures known as the Montana group. The beds of this group did not seem to agree in the two Montana sections. They showed the same differences to some extent as are encountered in comparing the foothill measures with those of the plains.
The Montana group in Dakota and Manitoba consists of a series of shales of marine origin.
T.P. 052–25
The Role and Fate of the Connate Water in Oil and Gas Sands
Authors: Johnson Roswell H. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 587–610.
What becomes of the water which must have filled the oil and gas sands at the time of deposition, has long puzzled students of oil and gas and has found expression in Munn's well-known article on the hydraulic theory. Both Munn and Clapp have pointed out that in the Appalachian field the deeper sands carry increasingly less proportionate amounts of water.
It seems to me probable that the principal source of oil and gas has been in the shales in proximity to the sands which now contain these products. The sand spits which mark off the lagoons from the sea comply particularly with the requirements of a limited sand imbedded in shales rich in organic matter.
Cunningham Craig has objected to this view that the rich organic muds of lagoons are found only at the surface. That such muds do extend to considerable depth I am assured by Prof. Douglas W. Johnson, who has made an extensive study of the Atlantic Coast marshes.
As any particular sand body becomes weighted by a heavier and heavier overburden, the result of increasing deposition, a part of the very large percentage of water in the uncompacted sand and mud is forced out. The water percentage of freshly settled mud is vastly higher than that of the resultant shales, or even of a very porous sand. If beds of less compressible material meet or underlie the shales in question, there will frequently be a lateral motion along such beds to some point where the upward movement will be resumed.
We find in our laboratory work here that oil, gas, and water have extremely slight capacity for gravitational sorting while in a state of rest, but when moving the gravitational sorting is readily accomplished. As the oil, gas, and water pass a body of larger pores, the gas, owing to its lack of capillary attraction, is retained in the large pores.
This has been predicted by Washburne, Blatchley and others on the ground that the water has a higher capillarity and grips the finer pores in such a way that there will be a greater proportion of oil and gas in the large pores.
T.P. 051–39
The Petroleum Fields of Alaska
Authors: Brooks Alfred H. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 611–619.

Introduction
Petroleum seepages are known in Alaska at four localities, all on Pacific seaboard. These, named from east to west, are Yakataga, Katalla on Controller Bay, Iniskin Bay on Cook Inlet, and Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. Besides these, a petroleum residue has been found near Smith Bay on the north Arctic coast of the Territory. At Katalla, Cold Bay, and Iniskin Bay there has been some drilling for oil, and in the first field several productive wells have been opened up. Alaskan petroleum, so far as its composition is known, is a refining oil, with paraffin base and low sulphur content.
Most of what is known of the geology of Alaska oil fields is based on the investigations of Dr. George C. Martin, of the United States Geo- logical Survey. A, G. Maddren, of the same service, has recently made a reconnaissance of the Yakataga oil field. The data to be here presented are chiefly taken from the following publications:
G. C. Martin: The Petroleum Fields of the Pacific Coast of Alaska, with an account of the Bering River coal deposits, Bulletin No. 250,
U. S. Geological Survey, pp. 9 to 27 (1905).
G. C. Martin: Geology and Mineral Resources of the Controller Bay Region, Alaska, Bulletin No. 335, U. S. Geological Survey, pp. 112 to 130 (1908).
G. C. Martin and F. J. Katz: A Geologic Reconnaissance of the Iliamna Region, Alaska, Bulletin No. 485, U. S. Geological Survey, pp. 126 to 130 (1912).
A. G. Maddren: Mineral Deposits of the Yakataga District, Bulletin No. 592, U. S. Geological Survey, pp. 143 to 147 (1914).
Katalla Field
The Katalla field is marked by a series of seepages and gas springs occupying an east and west belt, about 25 miles in length and from 4 to 8 miles wide. (See Fig. 1.)
T.P. 051–40
Comparative Costs of Rotary and Standard Drilling
Authors: Requa M.L. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 635–637.
In the fall of 1910, the Nevada Petroleum Co., operating in the Coalinga field in California, determined to drill a number of wells with rotary tools, in order to prove conclusively the relative value of the rotary as compared with the standard rig.
At that time, the rotary was but little known in California and its proposed introduction met with considerable criticism on the part of the operators and quiet opposition among the standard drilling crews. There were few men available who were competent to handle a rotary outfit, and these few had had but little experience in California fields. Machines as then built were much inferior to those now used, being lighter in construction and of a poorer quality of material. The shells encountered at depths between 1,700 and 2,000 ft. seemed to be too hard to permit of successful drilling, and at these depths the rig was changed over to standard tools and by them completed.
Because of the heavy depreciation, the time lost in converting from rotary to standard, and the comparatively small profit, it was concluded that unless in the future there was some material improvement in rotary rigs, nothing would be gained by drilling with rotary tools upon this property. Little or no drilling has been done upon the property since that time, but in the meantime a large number of men have been trained in the use of the rotary; in fact, many standard-tool men have abandoned standard drilling and, starting in as roustabouts, have become thoroughly competent rotary operators. The improvements in the machinery have been such as to remove many of the objections and the rotary drilling of today is in every way superior to that of 1910.
In contrast, a well drilled recently by the Kern Trading & Oil Co., in the east side Coalinga field may be cited. The first 2,500 ft. was drilled in 24 days and it is confidently expected that the water string will be set with a rotary at 3,400 ft.-a record obviously far beyond that made in 1910 by the Nevada Petroleum Co.
T.P. 051–43
Improved Methods of Deep Drilling in the Coalinga Oil Field, California
Authors: Lombardi M.E. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 52, 1916, pages 638–644.
The Coalinga oil field is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, California. The structure is in general a monocline, the edges of the oil horizon resting on the foot hills and dipping gently toward the east. One prominent anticline occurs plunging southeast. The earlier drilling was done in the foot hills comparatively near the outcrop and the wells were shallow. The sands were followed eastward and, in the case of the anticline, along the plunge, the wells becoming deeper and deeper until the depth of 4,000 ft. was reached and passed. There is nothing to show that the oil will not be found in quantity at still greater depth. In fact, some of the best producers have tapped the sand at close to 4,000 ft. The recovery of oil still farther to the east, and therefore at greater depth, seems to be mainly a question of drilling.
In this territory the formations drilled through are chiefly sands and shales; they will not "stand up" in an open drilling hole; the casing has to be carried close to the bit, and it is always difficult to keep the casing free for any considerable distance.
Ability to carry casing of comparatively large diameter without conductor pipes for distances of 2,000 or 3,000 ft. or over is desirable in such territory chiefly for two reasons. It makes it possible to enter the oil sand with a pipe of ample diameter; it eliminates one or more expensive strings of casing which act only as conductors for the water string, and furthermore, in territory where waters are encountered which corrode steel rapidly, it makes possible the construction of a rust- and alkali-resisting water string.
It is always desirable to shut off top waters, which may lie within 100 ft. or less of the oil sand, with 10-in. pipe. Where the depth is so great that a practical weight of 10-in. pipe will not withstand the probable collapsing pressures, 8 ¼ in. at least is desirable.
About the limit of rotary drilling to date in California seems to be the setting of the 10-in. string at 3,200 ft., although the rapid advance in rotary work during the past year seems to indicate that this depth may soon be increased. It is my purpose now, however, to treat only of cable- tool drilling.
T.P. 051–44
The Practical Value of Oil and Gas Bureaus
Authors: Matteson W.Q. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 57, 1917, pages 1010–1033.
The Oklahoma legislature recently passed a bill providing for "the creation of an oil and gas department under the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission, authorizing the Corporation Commission to appoint a chief oil and gas conservation agent, and conferring exclusive jurisdiction on the Corporation Commission in reference to the conservation of oil and gas, and the inspection of gasoline and oil, the product of crude petroleum, and repealing all acts or parts of acts in conflict there- with and declaring an emergency." Some of the functions of the new bureau include the receiving and filing of all well logs, and the direction and supervision of plugging all abandoned oil and gas wells, under rules prescribed by the Corporation Commission.
The two leading petroleum-producing States of the country, Oklahoma and California, have now established oil and gas bureaus with a staff of inspectors to see that the important rules relating to the conservation of oil and gas are thoroughly enforced. The economic significance and the value of well logs in the conservation work has been recognized, and the necessary legal action taken to insure and procure them. William B. Heroy, of the Government Land Classification Board, in a personal communication to the writer, says that the drilling of wells is also regulated by public authority in the Roswell artesian basin in southeastern New Mexico, where a permit must be obtained for the drilling of any well and a certified log of the well recorded with a county official. The method is said to give fairly satisfactory results.
In a recent article 1 a National instead of a State Bureau was suggested for collecting and filing well logs. In discussing the paper, L. L. Hutchison characterized such a plan as impractical because the average driller or contractor will often juggle or guess at the log and will not keep the record sufficiently close or accurate, making it necessary to maintain a special man at each well for the sole purpose of obtaining such data correctly, a procedure that is expensive.
T.P. 057–50
The Need and Advantages of a National Bureau of Well-Log Statistics
Authors: Matteson W.G. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 57, 1917, pages 881–891.
In 1915, the State of California passed a law of great scope and importance. This law has been in successful operation for a year and may be briefly described as an act "establishing and creating a department of the State Mining Bureau for the protection of the natural resources of petroleum and gas from waste and destruction through improper operations in production; providing for the inspection of petroleum and gas wells; requiring all persons operating petroleum and gas wells to make certain reports" and providing the necessary officers and assessments to carry out the provisions of the act.
The statute provides for a separate department of the State Mining Bureau, under the general supervision of the State mineralogist, with a staff composed of a "state oil and gas supervisor" and four deputies.
It rules that all petroleum and natural gas wells shall be drilled, operated or abandoned under the supervision of the State supervisor, who shall order such tests or remedial work as seems to him necessary to protect the interests of property owners and the general public.
It also provides for a board of arbitration to consider orders given by the supervisor which are not acceptable to the well owner.
Section 18 of the act, which is the provision that is directly related to this paper, requires ('the owner of any well referred to in this act to keep a careful and accurate log of the drilling of such well," and further re- quires that this log shall show the character and depth of the formations passed through or encountered in the drilling, particularly the location and depth of the water-bearing strata; the character of the water en-countered (so far as ascertained); whether the water was shut off, and, if so, at what point; that it shall show completely the amounts, kinds and size of casing used; the depth at which oil-bearing strata are encountered; the depth and character of the strata, and whether all water was success- fully and permanently shut off so as to prevent percolation or penetration into the oil-bearing strata.
T.P. 056–47
Granite in Kansas Wells
Authors: Wright Park 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 57, 1917, pages 906–913.
The fact that granite has been encountered by the drill by those in search of oil and gas in Kansas is becoming more and more a matter of interest, not only to the oil producer but to everyone directly and in- directly connected with the oil business. It is, therefore, time that some- one should offer an explanation for its presence and form a definite opinion, based on all the data available, in regard to the effect it will have on the future prospects of the area affected as probable oil, and gas-producing territory. At present there seems to be no consensus of opinion. To the writer's knowledge, only one attempt has been made to explain; by Erasmus Haworth, State Geologist of Kansas, in a paper entitled Bulletin Number Two on Crystalline Rocks in Kansas.
The purpose of the present paper is to offer a theory for the presence of the granite, and to draw conclusions which will aid in determining the prospective oil and gas value of the area in question.
In taking up this question it will be well to consider first the tests in which granite has been reported, with a general history of each. The accompanying map (Fig. 1) shows the location of all wells described.
The first well in which granite was reported was that drilled just south of Zeandale in section 27, township 10 south, range 9 east, by a local company which had taken up a block of leases in that vicinity. At a depth of 958 ft.(291.99 m.) granite was encountered. Drilling was continued to a depth of 1093 ft. (333 m.) in the same formation, at which depth the hole was abandoned. Another well was started 1 mile east of the first well and the same rock was found at a depth of 945 ft.(288 m.). Drilling was continued to a depth of 1200 ft. (365.76 m.) with the bit in the same formation. Samples of the drill cuttings have been examined and they are undoubtedly crushed granite.
The next well in which granite was found was that drilled by DeLaat and Shepard, independent wildcat operators, in section 34, township 19 south, range 7 east, near the town of Elmdale. Granite was struck at 1707 ft. (520 m.) and the hole was abandoned in the same formation at 2525 ft. (769 m.).
T.P. 057–45
The Estimation of Petroleum Reserves
Authors: Pack Robert W. 
Published: January 2015

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 57, 1917, pages 968–983.

Introduction
Sooner or later in the development of any natural resource it becomes highly desirable to know the quantity of this resource in the country as a whole, as well as of the part that is being developed, for the general course and conduct of the development work must be governed, to some extent, by the total supply available. An accurate estimate of the quantity of any natural resource is difficult to make; yet if one is diligent enough one can obtain a pretty accurate idea of the quantity of marketable timber, the acreage of tillable land, or the horsepower that may be developed from the streams, for these are things that may be measured. But any attempt to estimate the quantity of some mineral in the ground appears to enter the realm of imagination and it seems that the estimate can be nothing more than a blind guess. It may appear to be especially futile to attempt to determine the quantity of oil and gas that is available in the ground, for these minerals are so vagrant that even if the quantity now available should be known quite exactly, the quantity that will eventually be obtained may be much less, for certain losses in the extraction of both oil and gas are unavoidable, and just what these losses will be cannot be predicted.
Though necessarily inaccurate, estimates of such mineral reserves are, however, of distinct value, for they summarize the existing knowledge of the deposits of the mineral and thus enable those who are interested in some industry that depends in one way or another on this mineral to formulate a rational commercial policy.
Some time ago, when the price of gasoline suddenly rose in a rather spectacular manner, the writer was one of the U. S. Geological Survey geologists called upon to help to estimate the quantity of oil that could be obtained in the United States, for the fear had become widespread that perhaps the rate of increase in the price of gasoline was a measure of the rate of depletion of the supply of petroleum.
T.P. 057–47