The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-07-26

OF the Ecuiuglht me ul. I.0II EUNp vast
sums ~ money by uut drilling 100 tho
wrong place. The l|pIDoslst IS often
better able 10 tell whore bot to dr.l.
lhnu whore 10 dTill
The science ~ oil geology I- u1-uI
on the fBct that oil uuI rn-. being
lighter than water. nIW.g- tru,I foo as
cond 10 the highest possible place m
the rocks IN which they uru rDutuIr
cd II gas Oh, and water onrlr 600
tho sume stratum. these three sub
stances will arrange themselves IN the
order Of their spccifl. gravity. TINT
II TO say the gas being lIghtost. VIII
90 to the top. the water bolug heaviest
will sink to the lowest point. white
the oh will he found between the gas
md the water II, an amy particular
place, the rocks have been elevated
10 that they stand higher Than the
surrounding rocks, there any obi und
gus which may be contained Ia these
rocks will Accumulate
biologists, then, iu prospecting for
new oil aud gus fields look for high
pluCas I'm the rocks. The name given
10 an arch, or UPHOLD, lp the rocks. II
the term "snticllne An u|ntlrIlue n
a place where the rUoks have been
folded up into an arch, something like
the waves Of the sea The correspond
Ing down fold, or trough. ls called y
syncline. Some Anticliurq are only a
few feet across, while others may be
several miles wide. and many miles In
length. A short OyaI shaped auticIihc
II usually known as a dome.
An auticlihe IL not necessary, how.
over, for the accumulation " oil or
gas, Tor any form u geological struc.
ture which viii form a high place In
the rocks, may form a suitable reSery
OR 10 retain these substances. In the
California fields, rs well AS certain
fields In Oklahoma, oil aud gas are
found along fault lines. at places
where the rocks have Slipped up on
one side. and down on the other In
Mexico the oil acclmuiates at places
where the rocks have been elevated
by lntrusiOns Of basalt On the duff
coast ~ Texas and Louisiana oil o..
ours under salt domcs, places where
the rocks have been raised something
like a great blister ON the surface of
the earth.
What ! am trying TO say IL that
the form Of structure Is N essential,
but that the thing necessary n that
at ZONE place the rOcks must have
beon elevated higher thar At sur.
rounding points The oh and gas con
tanned " the rocks will then be chr
ried by gravity 10 the highest point
Of the upllft where they may be- reach
Ell with the drill.
For many yenrs geology was not In
good repute among the oil men.
Twenty five years ago oil men had
never heard u geology. Ten years
ago there we're not a dozen active pro
fessional OIL biologists In the United
States. Even today many Of the old
time oil men, those who learned the
business before OIL geology had been
invented, have no use Whatever for a
geologist, and many OF them are wont
10 declare with exceeding emphasis
that there Is nothing to geology. ="
Within the past three years. however.
there has been n marked reverslOn Of
public opinion on the subject among
the practical oil men. The words
anticllne, syncliue, arch. dome, dip,
strike, fault and axis, all good geOio-
gical terms have become part Of the
vocabulary Of tho oil men.
All the larger oil companies Of Oh
J lahoma, ms well as IN other states
now employ biologists. A well equip.
ped oil company now has It's geological
department Just A. II has leasing and
operating department. The men who
are most experienced In the business
would no more think u locating a
well and spending good money IN dHll.
Ing without geological advice, than
they would think Of drilling on 4 tract
Of land 10 which they did not hold
title.
Ten years ago there were but two
biologists In Oklahoma, both teaching
At the State University. Today there
are nor than sixty men In the state.
following the profession OF geology.
More than forty OF these men are In
the employ " the larger oil com
panies about ten are IN state and
government work. while the rest are
In private consulting practice More
Than twenty VI the biologists nov
working IN the state are boys who re
ceived their first training In the de
partment N geology nj the State Uni,
versity Other men are from eastern
schools, or from the universities OF
Europe, while several Of them ar,
men who have had technical tralnih,
at school, but who hsve picked Of
their geological knowledge IN IN,
field.
The methods pursued by the larg,
eat companies I'm locating new oil ter.
ritory. differ hnt slightly IN detail A,
a Usual thing five preliminary step.
are taken before any drilling Is done
First, reconnaissance; Second. leas
ing Third, surveying; Fourth. pre-
pairing a map aud Fifth, locating Ia,
we'll.
Whenever one OF the larger com
panies decides 10 open up an u
tried field, the nrst step will be &,
send 4 corps N biologists 10 scout ON
thu region THIS FIRST scouting 4
known as reconnaissance. The Eeolo
gist travels across the country. or
foot or on horseback. some times In
buggy or Il may be an automobile
carrying with him his anerold baro
meter, and hand level. with theSI
Instruments he takes careful observe
lions OF the outcrops Of all the roCl
lodges he can find, comparing IN
drip. strike. and elevation ~ tho varl
Gus formations, In the endeayor IN L.
cate what 20 his mind. NAV he Al
antlcllne or home. This work Is ofte.
dOne rather rapidly, and he can fre