Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-09-06
BO0saIFS Reading Of Rock
Written Record
ARIZONA OF THE LONG AGO
Interesting Theory Accounts
For Oil Basins, Oil Signs
Where There are no De
posits, and Destruction of
Prehistoric Inhabitants.

What destroyed the early races that
inhabited Arizona, the cliff jewellers
and the valley peoples? To what extent
did oil figure i'm the geological changes
the great southwest has undergone
How extensively was it distributed ov-
or the country and how extensively
does it Yet exist? What made the great
oil basins now known TO exist and 9th
ers believed in. but the demonstration
of which is Vet TO be made?
These and numerous other questions
Of interest To minds of scientific bent
and to men who have dollars To spend
in following inviting fields of indus
trial development. are suggested by a
theory concerning the geology Of Ari-
iona and New Mexico, advanced 10y Z.
J. Bonsan a mining engineer of this
city. It is the result of a line of study
and observation undertaken bv Mr..
Bonsall who was employed by a number
of Phoenix men to inquire into the
virtues OF the new seven Lakes oil dis
trict i'm New Mexico. north Of GaIlup
The practical findings of Mr.. Bonsan
Seven Lakes section. though close to-
gether are two entirely distinc- basins
In the latter oil is known To exist in
some quantity and in his opinion in
large quantity. It may or may not
exist in the Gallup basin but thus far
it has not been discovered The Cal
lup basin he feels quite sure was once
an oil basin but he irclines to the be
lief that its former deposits were burn
ed out possibly submerged b. an in
land sea that served to quench the
great conflasration that destroyed the
oil That il was at one time an inland
sea he feels quite certain is demonstrate
cd by the presence of q huge limestone
stratum with which the coal fields are
overlaid.
From the middle Of northern Arizona
there is a gradual slope in the surface
Of the earth as far east as the Gallup
basin, though not level plain of
course. for it is made irregular and
rugged in places by volcanic action that
has occurred since the period % which
he speaks. But he contends that at
one time how long ago he does not
pretend To say, that entire region. per
haps the greater part Of northern Ari-
iona. was covered with an immense
stratum or layer of rock. rich in oil
content SO rich i'm fact. that all it need
ed was the application Of great heat To-
start a conflagration such as civilized
man has never beheld. and beside which
the fiery floods Of Mont Pelee We're but
waZ side bonfire.
He further contends that such con-
flagration occurred. Il may have been
kindled by volcanic eruptions in the
San Francisco or other mountains. or
the formation itself may have con-
tanned constituents that generated a
spontaneous combustion that eventual
" broke into veritable ocean Of fire
and noxious gases.
This raging heat that crumbled the
then surface rock stratum. released its
oil content that flowed with the drain
age of the country, eastNardly across
Arizona TO the Gallup oil basin. a veri-
table deluge Of fire The oil was for
the most part consumed as il tray
eled its fiery path. Much Of it doubt
less reached the Gallup basin, but
whether it was all burned before the
deluge of water that later made the