The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-06-18
UNITED STATES POSSESSES MANY
 ASPHALT FIELDS
Valuable Deposits Located In California, Kentucky
 and Middle West.

Few mineral deposits in America are more promising to the prospector or more interesting to the scientist than the asphalt deposits of Califor- mia, Kentucky and the Rocky Noun tain and mid-continent states, accord ing to a report just issued by the United States Geological Survey, De- pertinent of the Interior. There are no deposits in the United States equal in size and purity to the mysterious pitch lake of Trinidad, from which asphalt has been taken for paving the famous thoroughfares of the world for many years without materially lowering it's surface. but there is a great quantity of bitlxnrinous rock that could be used locally in surfacing our vast mileage of unimproved highways.
 Abundance of Native Asphalt.
 Deposits of asphalt and allied sub stances are found in Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri Okla hona, Texas. Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and California The richest and most Utah contains the largest variety of great undeveloped natural resources, Native asphalt. although one of our extensive beds are in Oklahoma put our large imports, but now bituminous has not been extensively mined be- cause of the former abundance of asphaItic petroleum and because of and are of like origin and compost ton, they may be roughly assigned to the same fields products of many varieties obtained from domestic deposits could ade- quate1y supply the requirements in several parts of the country.
 As asphalt is formed from petro- 1eum and is a remarkable preserva- tive, it has long been a subject of absorbing interest to the oil geOlogiSt and the paleontoIogist- Many of the surface deposits throughout the country, like that near Los Angeles, Cal, which yielded remains of the ex- tinct saber-toothed tiger were formed in recent or Pleistocene time. but some arc much older. The asphalt formations range in thickness from a few inches to many feet, and they are associated with petroleum both bituminous substances The strait graphic range of the beds is as wide geographically and stratigra phically as the geographic, deposits being found in strata of all ages from the Ordovician to the Recent. The old est asphaltic formations have been observed in Oklahoma, and the youngest, which consist of recently formed sands impregnated with bitu- men, occur near Carpinteria, Cal, though small superficial deposits of brea are well distributed throughout the country. The largest deposits oc- cur as impregnated rock and veins.
 Numerous and Varied Uses.
 Despite it's wide distribution and it's suitability for many commercial uses, native asphalt has not been produced in great quantities in the United States. The demand for asphaltic material has been largely met by inn ports and by petroleum asphalt man ufactured from the low-gravity oils of California and the Gulf coastal fields. Both materials have been satisfac- tory and are well known wherever asphalt products are used, but petro- leum asphalt is produced from oil of a grade suitably for fuel, for which there is a rapidly increasing demand for use in oIl-burning ships. The large demand for asphaltic material might be met in part by bituminous rock, which could be used for paving both country highways and city streets, and if carefully laid and maintained the paycments would be durable and clean and would produce relatively little noise and dust.
 European countries use large quan- titles of bituminous rock in building roads, and if the United States would adopt the same practice much oil that is greatly needed for use as fuel and for other purposes would be released. Although good pavements of bitumi- nous rock have been laid in Kansas City, Kans.. Oklahoma City, Okla. fou eft = asphalt pavements constructed iE this country have not been successful! .because the contractor failed to un- derstand the nature of bituminous rock The rock differs greatly in qual- ity, and each. deposit must be analyz- ed and treated accordingly. Larger commercial success will probably be attained by the employment of better methods than are now generally known The technical difficulties of utilizing bituminous rock in road surfacing appear to warrant careful research by the best chemists and paving engineers.
 Other varieties of native asphalt notably gilsonite, grahamite, and wurtzlite, are used in the manufac- ture of paint, varnish, roofing, water proofng, insulation. flooring, filler and artificial rubber. Although these products have been marketed for rel atively few years in the United States they are in general demand among use is increasing, as they are elastic use is sSincreasing. as they are elestic antiseptic. acid resistant, and moisture proof
 As asphalt products are widely used and as the domestic native deposits have scarcely been touched, the re port just issued which was prepared by C. C. Osbon, should be of specia interest This report, entitled "As pha1t and Allied Substances in 191S,' contains also data relating to tht origin, mode of occurrence, and tht production of asphalt. It may be ob tained free upon application to thu Director of Geological Survey, Wash - tngton- D. C.
 A lot of people feel that peace witt Mexico would be hastened if w could only get at that Mexican oil t, pour some on the troubled waters