The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-12-15
FORMATION OF
SAN JUAN FIELD
Eight Distinct Oil-Bearlng SANDS
Found in Canyon Sections.

The boundaries OF the San Juan oil
field have not been determined. Inc
scene OF the present development is
along Limestone creek. twenty-five
miles west OF Bluff. San Juan county.
Utah. and the claims that have been
staked arc included In an oval area
which has a northeast-southwest axis
Of about thirty miles, and north
west-southeast axis Of twenty miles,
and is divided into nearly equal parts
by the canyon Of the San Juan river,
says H. E Gregory of the United
States Geological survey.
The prices Of groceries, hardware
and other supplies ut Bluff are In
general those at the railroad plus
freight The freight from Dolores to
Bluff is $3.50 and from Bluff to Good
ridge 81 a hundred pounds.
Fuel for boilers and for domestic
use consists at present of driftwood
brought down by San Juan river when
at flood stage.
Labor for the most part will have
10 be brought N, although under skill,
full leadership the Indians could be
relied upon to supply the demand for
labor In part The Nayajos partlc-
,ularly are intelligent and faithful
workers.
The San Juan oil field Is part OF
the Colorado plateau, a photographic
province with attitudes ranging from
5000 to 1000 feet, composed largely
of flat-lying sedlmentary rocks rang
ing in age from Carboniferous to Gre
taceous. The river valleys are can
yons cut I'm solid rock. The eleya-
tlons are either meSaS and buttes re-
naming after the erosion OF the sur
rounding areas or are the volcanic
necks and laya-capped mcsas. Much
bare rock Is exposed at the surface.
The area included in the oil field has
an altitude of 1000 TO 5000 feet, and
differs In typography from the typ
ical Colorado plateau only IN that
the rocks are folded into wel-marked
synclines and anticlines.
The region is drained by San Juan
river, a tributary TO the Colorado, and
through this part of It's course is
permanent stream. The northern
tributaries are Comb wash. Lime
stone creek, John canyon and Grand
gulch, none of which flow permanent
ly. The sands of Comb wash are,
however. saturated with water, and
springs issue from the rock floor at
several places along the other trib-
utaries. Limestone valley carries the
run-off from the region between the
cast anticline and Cedar ridge, It's
upper part is a wide valley cut In
sandstone; the lower part Is a box
coRyon,
The most prominent topographic
features in that part Of the oil field
which lies north of San Juan river
are East anticlino and Cedar ridge.
East antcline Is a fold six 10 eight
miles wide, on the west flange of
which are upturned the red rocks of
Limestone valley on the west, and the
serate hogback ("the Comb'D on the
east Uneroded remnants OF overly
ing rocks stand here and there above
the exposed top of the fold. but the
general surface OF the ground CORE
spends with the position and dip of
the limestone cap Cedar ridge is 4
broad mesa terminating on the south
and east In precipitous cliffs 400 20
600 feet In height This ridge is tho
uneroded portion of West anticlinc
and stands fourteen miles northwest
OF East ant,clIne At the base of
Cedar ridge and In the syncline dralu.
ed by Limestone creek are many
! buttes and pinnacles of grotesque
shape, 100 to 800 feet in height, cmt
from the red sandstone and shale
everything the limestone of East anti
cline. South OF the river East anti
cline 1lattens and disappears and the
continuation of Cedar ridge Is repro
sented by pinnacles. monuments, and
tluted buttes, constituting one of the
most remarkable groups of erousion
forms to be found in the United
States. The smaller buttes, both
north and south of the river. are
made OF strata represented in Cedar
ridge. the particular strata involved
depending upon the height and the
position OF the butte.