Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-12-03
From the Scientific American. 1
The Rodks in which Petroleum is Found

MEssRs. EDroRs:
Iuasm,ch as the most crude and errone.
Gus uo'iGs and opinions still prevail, and
are iDculated upon this subject leading to
vain Expenditures of time aud money, and
vexatiOns looking for similarity in geologi-
col strata where none can possibly exist
wish inhhe present communication to en-
large upon this subject, and show how fully
The geological science of our country has
been susniaed by the oily developments OF
be last i've years.
The love est geological horizon, or stra
| tum. in Yhch protrelum is found of com
mercial Importance, is in Canada, al
Enuiskilen, near Lake St. Clair. The oil
| Is 10 tb, cornlferous limestone, which is
largely composed of fragments of coral
with sea shells, often filed with liquid bitu
men which distils from them, as can he
seen in die walls of the Second Presbyteri-
an Chuch 10 Chicago. This limestone in
The Uobed States is in its maximum about
$50 or 400 feet thick Immediately overly.
ing the limestone is the marcellus shale,
which is so highly charged with bilumen
as TO lead 10 great expenditures of time
and money in vainly looking for coal ip it :.
II is about 80 feet thick in Canada. =
These two rock formations, then, which in
Csuada are not over l50 feet 10 thickness
e the reservoirs holding rock oil, how
ever and whenever formed, in that country
Ascending in the geological scale, and
passing over into New York, the mex
stratum Of rock yielding bitumen, oil anc
gas, is there known as the Hamilton Group
about 900 feet thick. The oil spriue
Of Western New York, along the banks O
| its numerous lakes. are mainly in this grout
OF rocks. They have. as yet yielded oil
only 10 small quantities for medicinal pur.
poses But they afford ample scope and
verge for exploration. .,r..
Above this group succeeded black shales
kno wn as the Genessee slate, 800 feet
thick. The wells Of Mecca, in Ohio, and
others of that region, are most probably in
this rock. Above the Genessee slate
comes in the Portage group of slate and
sandstones, 100 feet thick. The deeper
wells OF OIL Greek, Pa, will reach the sand
stone of this group. .,.t,.s. III :,
Still above lie the rocks Of the Chemung
Group, which are mainly composed of thin
bedded slates and l;mestones. In its maxi
mum it is 5000 feet thick, but in Westeru
New York and Pennsylvania it is" much
thinner, being only about l 900 feet thick
Much of the oil OF Oil Greek is f:om thl,
group 400 and 500 feet oft are seen il
the cliffs and hills of Oil Greek, the ALE
gany river, and its tributories above and il
Venango county.
Measured in the maximum development
of all the rocks enumerated, we ind be
tween the oil Of Canada and VehapgC
county, Pa, 5000 to 1000 feet Of sedim
entary rock, all of which bear the appear,
ance Of having been deposited 10 sea water
The entire group of rocks enumerated are
known ss the Devonian series in England.
The oil springs of Eastern Canada anG
New Brunswick, along the guls of New
fouhdland, are in the upper members oi thi'
series. .. .ralr
! la treating of a subject Of such vast i'm
portance as the one under discussion, anC
which is now SO largely eDgrossiug the
monetar! circles Of our country, and giving
TO one Slate from production aud manu-
facture total Of $5l ,0e0, 000--tbe growth
of the last five years-we should enlarge
our scope Of observation and corresponding
Of analy5ug aud generalization.
Leaving for the present those portions
OF the Uuited States where oil has beed
most successfully found, aud before coming
into the geological strata Of the sthick aud
heavy oib, We have on the Appalachian
MountaiIs, 10 Penusy lvania aud Virgins,
5000 feat of the Calskill group of rocks
! tFonsnt Of Professor Rossrs.l Lsppine