The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-01-04
Timely Article On Subject
In View of Nearby Ac.
tivity in New Field.
FORMATION TO SEEK
Two Foremost Ideas As to Oil Bear.
ing GrOund-.TheOrie As to Or.
isin Of Reports Good to Know

entity of lllipah. in which several
local people are interested, viii COM
mence shortly. the following article
read before the recent mining con-
gress by Erasmus Haworth will
without doubt bear large interest to
people in this city, but 80 miles west
of the promising locality which is
shortly to be given test.
My theme is Prospecting for Oil
and Gas" by which is meant going
lont into new territory and discover
ing and opening up oil and gas fields.
The first great general conclusion
based upon experience and observa-
ton. is that oil and gas almost al
ways are found In porous rock
rather than in genuine assure veins.
Sandstone IS the most uniformly por
Gus rock known, and almost all the
oil and gas known TO man have been
found In sandstone Apparently.
however, the reason for it is simply
because il is porous and open
Throughout the great oil fields and
gas fields of western Ohio and Indi-
ana, oil and gas exist in limestone
which has been made broadly porous
In portions of California. oil occurs
IN metanorphosed shale which has
been rendered hard and porous by
metamorphic processes. Another
great fac of observation is that in
every oil field thus far developed p
bed OF fine grained, compact shale or
clay oyerlies the porous stone, which
serves as blanket or covering to
hold the materials in ana keep them
from escaping
! know an instance, for example
where a line of good oil wells had
been drilled nearly a mile i'm length
Later we'll was put down between
two of the old wells, which were 600
feet apart. and this last well found
no oil, much 10 the surprise of every.
one who knew about 1t. But upon in
vestigation it was learned that the
last well found no sandstone where
the sandstone was expected. The ex-
plahdifon clearly is, that along the
old sea beach on which the oil bear
ing sandstone was formed, a mud
bank, due TO the particular combina-
ton of beach line and river mouth,
had been formed and the dry well
penetrated place where eddies de.
posted mud, while sand beds were
forming on either side. Oil fields in
general have been discovered by pros
pectors attracted by surface fnlica-
lions. Usually leaks or springs bring
oil to the surface and prospectors
have placed their drills nearby. X
was the accidental discovery of oil
In boring for salt brine in many
places throughout the Appalachian
region which prompted the supporters
of Colonel Brake TO drill his famous
well in Pennsylvania. II was the ac-
cidental discovery of escaping gas
and oil in many places which led the
prospector TO make discoveries re-
sulting ~ the development of many
other fields.
The Mid-Continental oil field
which lies astride the state boundar-
les between Oklahoma and Kansas, is
now rechUnod as one of the greatest
ever discovered Throughout this en-
tire field, ill is found in sandstone
not in one individual sandstone bed.
but In many. The field Is much more
spotted and uncertain than some
Others. In one very important re-
spect the Mid-Continental field diff
fers strongly from any and all oil
| fields farther east. Here there seems
to be almost total lack of import
ant structural relations. In the An
paachian region we have great broad
antieinal ridges and synelian troughs
which, in measure. control the To-
cation of oil and gas. II seems that
when a gas body exists underground
the gas is trying to escape upward
and may be caught in this arch or
roof, provided our familiar fine
grained shale bed constitutes the
roof. As gas is lighter than OIL ii
Will lie on top of the oil, should the
two exist in the same sandstone. In
regions where anticlinal ridges ex-
/ list, therefore, one should follow them
in search for gas, and after the gas
! has escaped oil may be obtained from
: the same wells. which, in turn, may
| be followed by water after the oil
is exhausted
Many have searched in vain for
well defined anticlinal ridges and syn.
clinal troughs in the Mid-Continental
area. Here and there. locally small
and lily defined anticlinal have been
discovered Usually they are produc-
tive of gas. but occasionally they
overlay mud banks along the beaches
of the ancient seas, and. therefore,
! the necessary porous sandstone does
not exist The absence of this i'm
portant structural relation. which
may be determined by surface con-
ditions, makes prospecting in the Mid
Continental field have a lesser hort
zontal extension than those of a num-
Der of other places This is the Inn
mediate reason for the existence OF
so many pools. Prospecting for oil
and gas in the Mid-Continental field,
therefore, is exceedingly uncertain in
detail, hut comparatively certain ard
sure in a broad, general way.
This brings me to most import
ant point, one limited at earlier, name