The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-05-20
HILL COUNTY OIL
STRUCTURE GOOD
GEOLOGIST SAYS NORTH OFFERS
WONDERFUL POSSIBILITIES
FOR DEVELOPMENT
Three Wells Drilled Near Havre Sup
ply That Center With Gas; Eagle
Sandstone Penetrated Near Fort
Assinniboine at Depth of 1,5OO
Feet.
BY Charles G. Coulter, Geologist

BY Charles @. Coulter, Geologist
There is at the present time fever
ish interest being manifested in the
oil possibilities in the north-central
part of Montana in a region OF great
potential proportions surrounding
Havre, the county seat of Hill county.
Three years ago the United States
geological survey completed a recon
naissance survey of this section, the
work being carried out under the dir
ection of Eugene Stobinger. This
survey comprised an area including
Hill, Blaine, Fergus, Chouteau, Toole
and parts of Teton and Cascade coun-
ties, and has been of great interest
and vast assistance to the present pet
roleum pioneers who have recently
made their applications for oil claims
under the recently enacted leasing
laws of the government.
The writer had occasion to visit
this field quite recently and several
days were employed in checking up
the previous work done by the gov
eminent survey, covering principally
the anticlines and faulted structures
as outlined in bulletin No. GAL. 1t is
the intention of this paper to briefly
outline only his conclusions as to the
potential value of the field from a
petrolific viewpoint.
A great glacial drift owe this
whole area, the surface being COM
posed of gravels, clays and rounded
boulders of the pleistocene age. This
great covering conceals much of sub
structural interest, as doubtless well
defined oil and gas structure is bur-
led deeply beneath the everything
drift; but it is a country wherein the
streams and canyons are deeply cut
and numerous exposures are at hand
to sufficiently warrant the conclusion
that upon the whole it is one of great
Importance from the viewpoint OF
petroleum prospecting,
There are noted but two areas of
undoubted anti-clinal character, but
perhaps a dozen additional faulted
structures or semi-anticlines present,
or it should more reasonably be
stated, perhaps, that now lie exposed
above the glacial drift and that are
susceptible of detailed description.
These two cases above mentioned
are those of the two parallel Box
iLluO1 AClC0hJ dnIlO1lhCOy 90 Out1lhCo
and carefully traced by Stobinger, To-
Gated some six to nine miles in an
easterly direction from the city of
Havre. These structures are best
studied from the .flood-plain of Box
Elder creek which enters the Milk
river a short distance north. The
second example is that of the COM
plete anticlinal structure situated in
townships 33 and "a north, ranges
13 and IA east.
From the outset the difference in
the trend of direction and strike is
Immediately noticeable and doubts
may even exist with any one not ac-
quainted with the true field cOndi-
lions as to the value thereof, owing
to the apparent lack of continuity of
the formations and t~ectonic condi-
lions which exist. 1t is not a field
wherein the formations which con-
troll are badly displaced and it may
be safely stated that every possible
geologic condition is favorable in
both fields for accumulation and stor-
age purposes and that the area of
each field is sufficient In scope to JUS
tify the conclusion that if OF. is pres
emit, it will be found. within these res
in commercial quantities.
1t is sufficient here to explain that s
throughout this region of tilted and ]
formation that although these ]
formations may be irregular in places i
in trend and distribution, it should
also be understood that in but a very S
few isolated places is the formation /
disturbed to such an extent as to rem
Ter petroleum mining unsuccessful. c
In the faulted areas this condition 7
also maintains in all the structure {
more especially in townships S
and 35 north, ranges IL, 10 and \
Ia east, where the chances are all in C
of successful production, I'M
ess, of course, displacement or rup- I
.ure has permitted the escape of the L
ills. These faulted structures are
rom three to 10 miles in length, with
of strata running from
i've to as much as 80 degrees in 4
as shown in the creek and cam a
c-ross-sections. They are normal il
md regular faulted structures of a
he thrust type. v
Six or eve wells have been drill e
ID within this area for water and gas r
tut none for oil. A correlation of e
hese logs enables one to arrive at a Il
airly definite estimate of depth, a
thickness of members, continuity of "
ormation as well as the chances of g
ncountering the oil sands at a lower Il
ORION. j
The city of Havre has drilled three fl
as wells which now supply the city IL
nth gas. At Assinniboine, five miles tt
outh of Havre, a we'll was drilled 81
Or water in 1893 to a depth of 1900
set which penetrated the Eagle sand
A well drilled for gas by the Il
Natural Gas company in 1915 10
l section 33, township 33 north, II
ange 16 east, some two miles east of 81
is 947 feet deep and at the Ii
ottom undoubtedly encountered the W
agile sandstone. This we'll obtained IN
cubic feet of gas each "a
ours, having an initial closed pres re
Ire of 499 pounds to the square 81
oh. in
This we'll penetrated the glacial gr
lift to the underlying Judith River al
rmation, here about $50 feet thick, be
the underlying Claggett shales In