The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-01
SEARCH FOR OIL
At RENO. NEVADA
Report Issued by United States
Geological Survey on
the Field.

Engineer Robert Anderson Of the United
States geological survey has a paper on
the geology and oil prospects OF the
Reno, New. region in the Bulletin No. JSl,
entitled Contributions TO Economic
Geology" jus, issued by the survey. His
conclusions cannot but be OF interest. and
they hero follow;
The question whether or not oil Will
be found In the Reno region may be I'm
tied To the Truckec formation. for tbat
formation alone affords strata In which
oil might be reasonably sought in APP
preciaolc quantity From the charac-
Ter Of these strata such search Is not
entirely without reason. The fact that
tho hcCs are so rich i'm dlatom remains
suggests the possibility that oil might
have originated in them as IT is be-
lcvcd 10 have done in some OF the dia
tomaceous beds OF California. the dia-
toms being tho supposed source. at least
in part. There is. however. no ground
tor the popular misconceptions that the
beds IN Nevada are the same tho oil
bearing strata ia California and that
continuous pc,roliicrous belt is traceabic
from the Bakersfield region nDrthward
through Nevada. AS matter of fact. no
such belt and no close relationship be
tween tho formations exists. The beds in
Nevada were deposited In fresh water
and upon the land. whereas the -beRr-
!nG strata in California were laid down In
the sea. The questions as TO oil occur
renee must he treated independently In
in different parts of Nevada are OF dif-
ferent age and origin and each locality
requires TO he treated on It's own merits.
The conclusions presented below apply
to the Reno region only. They are not
claimed TO be more than tho individual
opinion OF an unbiased observer.
II is believed that the Truckee forma-
ton does not contain petroleum In pay
ing quantities. II Mt all. The following
are the principal reasons FOR this con-
cluSicn:
At. q
oil has been discovered In the beds at
the surface although they arc tilted
and the succession is exposed as whole
in such q way that some Of the Oh could
hardly fail TO escape TO the surface and
leave a trace. II any were present More
over, the completely permcating system
OF small faults would furnish further
avenues of escape. The supposed indlce-
tons OF oil that have been reported by
previous observers arc iron. manganese
and vegetable strains in certain strata
and on the surface of standing pools OF
water In the vicinity.
tb) The structure Of the beds is that
oi a monoclinc OF considerable dip, at
the base OF which the oldest beds o;
desite and older rocks of the mountains.
\ large amount OF the formation that
was originally deposited and upheaNed
has been removed by erosion including
tho upward fold OF tho beds that prob
ably once arChcd over toward the west
into the southHestpard dipping strata OF
tho Verdi region. That fold. even II I'M
perfect would most probably have con-
talncd tho greatest ConContra tlon or the
oil VI any had been present
Co The monoclinal structure, the
truncated and Intricatcly faultcd condi-
ton OF the strata. and their general soft
ness and porosity would favor diffusion
and escape OF the oil rather than its ac-
cumulation in large quantities IL any
were present,
No definite reasons can be given for
the failure nj the diatomaccous beds
Of tho Truckee formation TO produce pc
trolcum while the diatom content OF the
original pctrohfrVous formations in Call
fornia is thought 20 have been tho source
Of much OF tho oil there. Some persons
have expressed the opinion that oil is
never produced In fresh water beds. Tho
probably not 10 be sought. however. in
the inability OF fresh water organisms To
produce oil but rather in tho manner in
which the beds were laid down and the
conditions 10 which they were subjected
after their deposition. Tho diatomaccous
beds Of the Truckce are thought To have
been formed in marshes and shallow
meuts 10 the surface causing them 10 he
exposed TO conditions faNorine dcComposi-
ton and escape OF the organic matter
they contained The manner OF deposit
ton or tho marine beds in California on
the other hand. must have been very df-
frrcnt. owing 10 tho depth OF burial OF
the organisms. tho possibly greater ra-
pidity OF burial and tho chemical cohsti-
tuition Of the sea water, Moreover the
partial alteration OF the beds in Cslifor-
MIA through pressure. heat and other
Causes may have furthered the process Of
distiIlation Of the oil. whereas the soft
beds Of the Truckce formation have suf-