The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-11-08
OIL IN SOUTH DAKOTA
STATE GEOLoGisT REPORTS
FINDINGS OF OIL AND
GAS SURVEY.

region. This is the conclusion Of DR..
Freeman Ward, professor Of geology
at the University Of South Dakota
and state %geologist: who spent last
summer investigating the Harding
county region. In his recent report
Dr. Ward said:
Interest in oil and gas in this
state runs high, despite the lack Of
any finds 10 date. Considerable in
curry has been made concerning the
northwest part Of the state. To meet
this demand the past field season was
,evoted to a study of the region. Fur
ther field work is necessary before
anything more positive can be said.
The problem will probably never be
entirely settled until, in addition to
the field work, a few deep holes are
put down.
THE rocks Of this region are all
OF sedimentary origin. Probably four
ffths Of the county is covered by the
Lance. This consists essentially OF
clays and shale with local beds Of
sandstone. None of the strata are
widely persistent; rather, variation is
the rule both vertically and horizon.
tally.
In the northeast part Of Harding
county and further west in the Cave
Hills and Table Mountain the surface
material is Fort Union. In the Slim
Buttes and Short Pine Hills-south-
east and southwest part Of the coun-
~ respectively-the Arikaree and
White River occur. The first two
formations are made up predominatly
OF Sandstone. The latter is chiefly
clays.
mo oil seepages or scums, no gas
springs, no asphaltic substances, etc,
have been found by this survey. A
number of scums have been reported.
These have been examined insofar
as that was possible and n Of them
have been indicative Of oil or gas. AS
far as Is known there 10 no authentic
case of surface evidence OF oil Or gas
IN the county.
The belief that oil or gas may ex
st below the surface in this county
has arisen because in the neighboring
states Of Wyoming and Montana both
oil and gas have been found. The
value OF this relation depends on the
distance from the nearest producing
!elds, the correct correlation and
possible variation of the same strata
IN the given distance, and other fac
.ors.
The nearest productive field In
Wyoming is the Moorcroft field in
he northeast part Of the state. 1t is
% miles from the nearest part OF
Harding county. It has never reach
ii quantity production and at the
PRESENT time it is rated as no~n-produc.
i've. The chief oil horizon is the
Graneros. There are other anti
lines in Wyoming nearer to South
Jakota. These are now being ex-
lored.
Until oil or gas is struck in com
.lercial quantity in the northeastern
aorner Of Wyoming, the relation be-
veen Harding county and the Wyom-
.ng Oil field can only be considered
digestive; 1t should cause no excite
lent nor create any strong hopes OF
'uccess.
The nearest productive field in Mon
ana is the Baker field, which is So
niles from the nearest part (north.
west corner) of Harding county.
This field is already productive OF
gas (no oil yeti on a commercial
scale and bids fair to increase in i'm.
p%ortance very decidedly. 1t Is To-
Gated on the Glendive anticline al
ready mentioned. The gas horizon Is
a sandstone bed in the Pierre.
The absence OF surface evidence Is
a negative argument; 1t neither sup
ports nor refutes the belief that oil
or gas is present. The expectation
Of oil or gas in this area is based on
its proximity to the productive
Wyoming and Montana fields. The
relation to the Wyoming field is only
suggestive, but the Glendive anticline
Of Montana 10 known 70 enter Hard.
ing county and so does give a eason
able hope for gas land possibly OLD
All OOulu bdhOtd- IL - nOI hA0Wu
whether the Cretaceous strata below
the area have bed porous enough to
act as reservoirs even II oil or gas Is
present in the formations. Further
west this favorable condition exists;
further east 1t is known to be absent.
Field examination Of the area shows
structure paralleling the Glendive
~anticline, but with lower dips. A
fairly we'll marked dome va found,
which Is one Of the favorable loca-
tons for putting down a hole. Other
anticlines will probably be found:
they are more likely to occur in the
western part than in the eastern part
Of the county. It is believed that
there il a reasonable chance Of strik
ing gas land possible oil) In the
county. The most adorable places
for putting down holes are on the
Glendiye ~anticline itself and the
smaller anticlines in the adjoining
area, one Ct which has already been