The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-20
VIRGIN CITY AS
AN OIL FIELD
Geological Survey Gets Out a
Bulletin Covering the
Greasy Subject.

The recent discovery of petroleum near
Virgin City, Utah, has caused much local
excitement and attracted consdera BILE
capital. but outside Of newspaper items
very little has been published concerning
the Oil To help supply the deman1 for
information, pref account of the occur
renee has been prepared by Gsorg9 Il.
Richardson of the United States geological
survey and published by the survey, IN an
advance chapter from Bulletin No. $40,
which forms Part l of Contributions TO
Economic Geology, 1907" Copies of this
chapter may be obtained by applying to
the director of the survey at Washington,
ID. c.
TIE new oil district is situated in the
Plateau province, in the southwestern cor
ner of Utah. near the eastern boundary of
the Basin ranges. The region is drained
by Virgin river and its tributaries, which
flow for miles through steep and narrow
canyons among some OF the grandest seen
cry on the continent This region was de-
scribed more than a quarter of a century
ago by c. E Dutton, In a report entitled
THE Geology of the High PlateauS of
Utah.
First Well Drilled in the District.
Oil seeps have long been known in the
vicinity of Virgin City, and one of them
that occurs close to the river, about one
and one-half miles west of the town, led
10 the sinking of the discovery well in the
summer of 1907. Oil was struck on July IL.
1907 at a depth Of $50 feet below the sur
face, and the well was sunk TO Clio feet.
This we'll is said to yield about ten barrels
in tWenty-fOur hours. Claims have been
staked far and wide, but oil has not yet
been found outside Of the immediate vicin-
ity OF Virgin City.
Examination of the Oil.
sample of the oil was taken by Mr..
Richardson from an open vat, where 1t
had been exposed to the weather for a
week or more. and submitted to DR.. David
r. Day, the petroleum expert of the sur
vey. DR.. Days examination of the sam
pie showed the oil to have a specific grav
1ty of O.9225. equivalent TO twenty-five de-
grees Baume. and TO contain some paraf-
fin, d large percentage of asphalt and ap-
parentiy considerable sulphur. a larger
sample received by DR. Day had speci-
fic gravity of 0.91S. or 90 degrees Baume
Commenting on the results of his analyses
of this OIL DIT. Day says; 1T is evident
that though a satisfactory illuminating
oil can be obtained from this Utah crude
petroleum, the yield is comparatively
small and the oil is better suited for use
as a fuel" Much of the sulphur In the oil
is in the form of hydrogen sulphide, easily
separated by steaming, and hence the oil
is preferable to Texas oil for use as fuel
Future of the Field.
As to the future of the field little can
be predicted. Whether oil exists in COM
mercially profitable quantities can be de-
termined only by the drill The thickness
of the oil-beaTing stratum has not been
reported and whether or not it is per-
sistent over a wide area is undetermined.
II is probable that the oil occurs in lenses
rather than in persistent beds and to
judge from what is known of the geology,
the general conditions are not unpromis-
ing, although there are some unfaVorab BILE
complications.