Imperial Valley press., 1920-12-30

al time. The erosion from the noun
tains was also carried down into this
ancient lake bed, and together with
the sediments and erosion from the
solid rocks of the Grand Canyon, fur
ther ceiled the oil deposits that was
left in the ancient sea bed. These
formations are general in evidence
along the western fringe of the val
ley as old lake bed formations. The
river continued to spill itself. both
north and south and what we call silt
is the more recent of these deposits.
We now have arrived at a point to
consider these formations which the
average layman sees and the strait
tications that geologists find upon
taking a surface investigation. Oil
has general been found in giant domes
or anti-clines. An anti-cline is for
nation that is folded with it's concave
side downward. These are nothing but
giant wrinkles on the face of the
earth caused by the shrinking of the
earth's crust. Domes are merely anti
cllnes running in circular direction.
These anti-clines Or domes when un-
derl&id with porous sands, form
natural pocket for oils and gases. Oil
and gas being lighter than water ma
turally seeks a higher level and these
domes furnish natural resting placs
for the subterranean oils from the
lower sand strata. All biologists will
agree that we have wonderful struc-
ture nthe fields on the west side of
the valley. The domes are perfect and
the anti-clines are all that could be
asked for, and while we know that
the miocene fossil thrived in what /,
now the Salton Basin, the geologists
will naturally look for more evidence
of the presence of oil.
Generally, in oil fields, seepage oc-
ours. However, while there has been
no large seepage evr found in this
valley, this is not conclusive evidence
that oil does not evist. And when we
look at this question we can easily un-
derstand that no oil seepages could
exist since Imperial Valley is one of
the lowest spots on the earth, being
below sea level. And we now know
that the oil strata lies some 2600 feet
below the floor of the valley; hence,
there could be no seepage except up
ward. Going on this theory, the
country has been fairly we'll combed
and recently there have been found
dcmes, small domes in which oil seep-
ages were found, forced upward by
gas pressure. These domes are formed
by gas coming to the surface and car
rying with it certain percentage of
oils. We all know that there are no
less than seven perfect gas seepages
in Imperial Valley. What l mean by
this is Illuminating gas and gas which
has its origin in oil.
"a collection of these ideas and
thorough verifcations by actual in
spection of the territory adjoining the
valley both on the east and west re-
suited in the drilling of the Brawley
we'll and we are fully convinced that
oil existed.
we have now come to the period
when we can speak of the recent pros
pecting. The first association origin
ated for deep drilling within the last
few years, was the Imperial Oil and
Development Association composed of
zoo valley men with a few exceptions.
The idea being to take a test of the
territory which had the ear marks of
oil ground. And the very best geolo-
gical advice was secured and the geo.
logist which undertook the work was
notified that should his report set
forth that the development of oil was
remote that the territory was to be