Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1907-11-20
PETROLEUM AREA
OF UNITED STATES

The areas in the United States pro
ducing petroleum and natural gas in
commercial quantities are comprised
within five great fields and a few small
= and scattered tracts, the division
into fields being governed by the Ioca-
ton of the areas and the qualities of
The oil produced. These fields are
known as the Appalachian field. the
Observation-Disclosures field. the Mid
Continent field, the Gulf field, and the
California field. Four Of them include
more than one state. and one state.
OHIO, includes parts Of two fields. The
geographic limits and general g.ulOg-
| ic features Of these fields. the charac-
ter of the oils and detailed statistics
of production are set forth by ". T.
GriswOld IN an advance chapter on pc
LrOleum from Mineral Resources of
The United States, Calendar Year
1906" from which the following state
ments are distracted:
The Appalachian field extends along
the western side of the Appalachian
mountains from New York through
| Pennsylvania, southeastern Ohio, West
Virginia and Kentucky into Tennessee.
The oil is derived from porous sand
stones and cGnglOmeratEs, which are
imbedded in and underIain by great
masses of shale. The oil of this field
has parafhne base and is Of the very
best quality The oil of certain areas,
sUcn as the TiOna and Middle districts,
is of quality so high that it commands
a premium of 10 to Is cents above that
Of Pennsylvania grade, the standard by
which the prices of all oils are deter
mined. None of the Kentucky and
Tennessee oils are of so high grade as
the Pennsylvania oil Wells at Frank
lin, Pa; Petroleum, W. Va, and Mecca
and Belden, Ohio, yield a natural lubri-
eating oil that brings a high price,
but the quantity produced is very small
compared with the total oil production
of the Appalachian field.
Within the last few years the pro-
dHctiOn Of the Appalachian field has
dropped from over One-half the total
production Of the United States to less
than oHg-f0urln, net 50 much by falling
of IN the output of the field itself as
by the great increase in the quantity
Of oil produced in other parts of the
United States. The total production Of
the field in 1867 ,741,472 barrels
was 1858 .961 barrels less than in 1900,
the year Of greatest production.
The observation-disclosures field in
cludes the northwestern part Of Ohio,
strip through the middle Of Indiana,
and the southeastern part of Illinois.
though for geological reasons Illinois
might perhaps better have been added
TO the Mid-Coutinent field. The pro
ductive rock "A this field is the Trenton
limestone, which is from 400 to 600 feet
thick, but the oil is derived only from
certain portions of this formation.
whose structure or relative elevation
is the governing factor in the accumu-
lation OF the oil or gas. This field fur
nishes oil that has parafine base but
contains a percentage Of sulphur. In
1906 it produced q .S51,711 barrels of
oil. OF 523.455 less than in 1905.
The Mid-Continent field includes the
western part of Missouri and the states
of Kansas and Oklahoma 1t produces
oils with mixed asphalt and parafiine
base These oils differ greatly in quail