The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-06-03
UTAH OIL FIELD
NOT YET PROVED
v. s. Geological Survey Finds OIL
Prospects Near Green River Not
So Promising AZ Was
Expected

United States Geological Survey ha
recently made an examination OF
reported oil field in Grand county
Utah. south and southeast OF Greer
River. but 1t found the surface indi
cations for oil less promising than
was expected and the development
work up to date far from successfui.
The area examined lies east oil
Green River and south Of the Denver
& Rio Grande Railroad. 1t extends
eastward as far as the middle line OF
r, 20 E., and south to the center line
of T. "a S. A report on the POSSIBLE
tiles of finding oil in this field Is now
in preparation by G.. +. Lupton, asso'
ciate geologist of the survey.
Prospecting for oil in this general
region has been carried on at inter
walls for over 20 years. About 1881
a well was drilled to h depth of 1000
feet in the northwestern part OF
Grand county near the town OF Green
River. The result was not encourag-
ing and no other development work
was done until 1899 and 1900, when
three wells were drilled; two we're To-
Gated in Emery county west Of Green
River and the other in Grand county
near Cisco. One of those IN Emery
county, situated about 10 miles south
west of Green River, yielded a little
gas, and the other, 10 miles north
west Of the same town, gave trace
OF oil. The Cisco we'll Yielded neither
gas nor oil. About 1910, owing to the
finding at several localities Of rocks
saturated with oil and aspnaitum and
also to the constant increase in the
price Of petroleum and It's products,
interest was again aroused in this
field and during the last three years
several wells have been drilled. The
results of this work have furnished
only doubtful encouragement TO those
who have been most interested. Six
of these wells have been drilled or
are being drilled in the area mapped
by the Geological Survey and sum
mary Of the results Is given below
The Klondike well in sec. 26, r.
23 s., r. 10 E.. was drilled by the
Moab OIL Company of Utah to a
depth OF about 700 feet. Gas was en-
countered at three horizons in this
well, but the flows did not last long,
as they were cased off. No oil was
reported. The Collins well, in sec.
20, 7. 81 S., II. IL E., was drilled
TO a depth of more than 2,1O0 feet.
Small amounts Of gas were encounter.
ed at four places in this well. A trace
of oil, as indicated by the rainbow
color on the water, accompanied zach
flow Of gas The same company, 1t
is reported. has begun another well
about l 1-2 miles farther east. The
Levi No. l well, In sec. %, r. 20
s., r. Is E., is reported to have
struck a little gas and small guam
tity Of oil. The Levi No. 2 well, in
sec. 35, T. 22 s., r. II Il, was drilled
TO a depth of about 1900 feet without
en;ountering oil or gas. A 400 foot
hole has been drilled near the Levi
No. 2, but no evidence Of oil or gas
WAS found. The Queen well, in sec.
is, 7. % s., A. 10 E., was drilled
to depth of 800 feet. No gas was
encountered, but showing" OF oil
or so miles southwest OF the town OF
Green River two wells are being drill.
ed at the present time.
Special attention has been given by
survey biologists to the study of the
rock folds, as in this general region
the accumulation Of oil Is largely de- |
pendent on the presence Of anticlines
(upfolds) in the sandstone beds which |
as a rule, are the rocks containing
the oil where II is present. II oil and
water occur In bed OF sandstone
which is overlaln by impervious beds,
the oil tends to rise above the water
and TO collect in the top of the sand
stone along the axis OF the fold. II
suitable folds are not present to re-
tain the oil, It will be disseminated
IN minute globules throughout a great
mass OF the sandstone and will not
collect at any one place in commercial
quantity. II such bed or sandstone
is broken by faults which extend to
the surface, the oil disseminated thru
the rock adjacent TO the fault plane
may seep slowly into the opening and
at length find its way to the surface
as an oil spring or seep which resem.
bles in every way an oil seep rising
from commercial oil pool. In the re.
cent examination 1t was found that
the strata in the area southwest OF
the town of Green River dip gently
TO the north and northeast. There
are no anticlines or domes In which
In