Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1918-11-14
OIL IN SOUTH DAKOTA
srATE eGoLoo,sr napoRrs
FINDINGS OF OIL AND
oAo oUAvEY.

Harding county, and In the adjoining
region. This Is the conclusion OF DR..
Freeman Ward, professor of geology
1t the University Of South Dakota
and state seolosist, who spent last
summer investigating the Harding
county region. In his recent repor.
DR.. Ward said:
Interest in oil and gas In this
state runs high. despite the lack Of
any finds to date. Considerable In.
curry has been made concerning the
northwest part Of the state. To meet
this demand the past field season was
devoted to study of the region. Eur.
Their hsld 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, q few deep holes are
put down.
1.-THE rocks of this region are all
Of documentary origin. Probably four
fifths 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 10 Fort Union. In the Slim
Buttss and Short Pine Hills-south.
oaak and aouth-Aat rork - thA onu,,.
u respectively-the Arikaree and
White River occur. The first two
formations are made up predominatly
OF Sandstone. The latter IL chisfy
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 none of them
have been indicative Of oil or gas. As
far rs is known there is no authentic
case of surface evidence of oil or gas
in the county.
1.-THE belief. that oil or gas may ex
list 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
fields, the correct correlation and
possible variation Of the same strata
in the given distance, and other fac.
tors.
1.-THE nearest productive field In
Wyoming is the Moorcroft field In
the northeast part Of the state. 1t is
20 miles from the nearest part Of
Harding county. It has never reach.
cd quantity production and At tho
present time it is rated as non-produc.
tive. The chief oil horizon is the
Graneros. There are other anti
clines In Wyoming nearer to South
Dakota. These are now being ex-
plored.
Until oil or gas is struck in com.
mercial quantity in the northeastern
corner of Wyoming. the relation be-
tween Harding county and the Wyom-
ing oil field can only be considered
suggestive; It should cause no excite.
ment nor create any strong hopes Of
success.
The nearest productive field in Mon.
tana is the Baker field. which 10 IS
miles from the nearest part (north.
west corner) of Harding county.
This field il already productive OF
gas (no oil YETI on q commercial
scale and bids fair to increase in i'm.
portance very decidedly. 1t is 10.
Gated on the Glendive anticline al
ready mentioned. The gas horizon is
Q sandstone bed in the Pierre.
1.-THE absence of surface evidence 10
q 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 neld is only
suggestive, but the Glendive eanticline
Of Montana is known 20 enter Hard
ing county and 90 does give reason.
able hope for gas (and possibly OLD
an South Dakota. It IL not known
whether the Cretaceous strata below
the area have bed porous enough to
act az reservoirs even II oil or gas 10
present in the formations. Further
west this favorable condition exists:
further east 1t 10 known to be absent.
Field examination Of the area shows
structure paralleling the Glendivs
anticline. but with lower dips. A
fairly we'll marked dome was found,
which is one Of the favorable loca.
lions for putting down q hole. Other
anticlines will probably be found:
they arc moro likely to occur in the
western part than in the eastern part
of the county. It is beloved that
there is q reasonable chance of strik
ing gas land possible oil) in the
county. The most avorable places
for putting down holes are on the
Glendive anticline itself and the
smaller anticlines In the adjoining
area. one Of which has already been
located.