Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-12-21
/ THE OIL FIELDS OF EASTERN UTAK.

price. Utah. Dec. i7-The great oil
excitement which has swept over Utah
during the past year has been confined
mainly to two localities, corresponding
10 the two so-called "oll horizons"
The principal Of these oil horizons Is
of crctaceous age. and may be said
approximately, to lie south Of the
Book Cllns and east Of the Wasatoh
mountains II forms the lower Green
River and Colorado basin, and IN It are
situated the so-called Green River oil
fields, the San Rafael oil fields, the
Clark Valley oil fields and the Castle
Valley OH fields, besides others cover
ing an area Of about one hundred by
two hundred miles, and extending east
erly into Colorado,
In this tract an immense amount Of
erosion has taken place which has re-
moved the upper cretaceOus measures
and left the uretacoous sh0les (the So
called blue shales) everywhere exposed.
These coll fields again correspond
with certain geological features called
"antlolnes," upllits which have web
defined crests running In definite diver
sions, producing slopes In opposite d.
rections Hence the name 'anticline."
The other prominent horizon Is Of
tertiary age, which IL of much younger
or newer formation 1t IL situated on
top of the colossal coal measures OF
Utah The cretaceOus oil horizon lies
Immediately under or beneath them 1t
corresponds with the upper and middle
Green River basin and extends also
into Colorado and Wyoming I'm II are
situated the Soldier Summit, Emmas
Park Nine Mlle Argyle, Ashley and
the Uintah reservation oil fields, 1t
presents geologicaly the most Interest,"
ing features for with II are intimately
associated the gllsonlte (Uintahite, the
elaterite. wurtzeite and ozokerlte), and
other similar deposits, which VIII
some time yet be the source Of great
wealth in Utah,
In this horizon also occur the So
called lime asphalts, which are 80 val
liable for paving purposes These lat
Ter are very extensive and have, 80 far,
been but very little prospected They
are richest and most extensive on the
tfintah Indian reservation, being intl-
mntely connected with the elaterite,
OIL DEVELOPMENT.
So far the results from attempts at
development have been small though
not necessarily discouragng The fact
of the matter s that new countries
always present new conditions-neW
obstacles to be met and overcome, BOT
ings have been attempted In both OF
these oil horizons, small flows OF OIL
have been encountered In each but the
great gusher' has not yet made lts
appearance. Whether It will or not the
future alone can tell All the neces-
sary conditions az far as known are
here, and there Is no doubt In the writ,
er's mind but that when our 'nelds'
are once systematically and scientific
ally prOspected the big flow VIII be sure
TO come,
WHAT is DOING
From Soldier Summit on the west TO
the Colorado line east, and beyond and
well into the Centennial state, most OF
all Of the lands have been located dur
Ing the past year for oil. The original
discoveries of the eastern Utah oil
fields have been people from outside the
state. Unlike gold and silver and cop
per prospectors, they have been men
of money having the capital or know
ing where they could put hands on II
mfiicent to carry out the work of de-
Velopment on q large scale, until today
kaNs nd