, 1922-03-30
RESOURCES HANNA,
EIlK MOUNTAIN

Hanna Formation-Most Of the
coal mined in the Hanna Basin comes
from the Hanna formation, which has
a maximum thickness Of about 1000
feet and -unconformably overiaps all
underlying fOrmaAona. II was forlme,-
Of debris weathered from older beds
and deposited in streams and lakes.
and these older beds were folded ard
faulted and deeply ehanneled and dis
sected by streams before and during
its deposition. Accordingly. the struc-
'nre Of the beds below. the Hanna
does not agree with that Of the
Hanna beds, and the surface upon
which 1t lies IL uneven.
The coal of the Hanna formation Is
like that Of the Ferris and Medicine
Bow formations. but the beds are
more numerous and are locally thick
nr. although they are very lenticular.
One bed which is 35 feet thick at
Hanna pinches outwithin two miles.
The beds near Hanna are thick, nam
erous and valuable. but those found
farther north + of much less value.
The coal corresponds in its poor
stocking quality to the coal OF the
Ferris snd Medicine Boy formations.
Formstfors That May+afield Oil
Every ,forhnation beneath the Han
ma Basin tb4tfis older than the Mesa.
verde has yielded oil at some place
IN Wyoming or in Montana and Gallo
RADIO. HE Mesaverde and Lewis
formations have not yielded oil in
commercial Quantities. but produc-
ton from them Is not impossible.
The formations abo evthe Lewis in
this region are undoubtedly barren of
Eoil except that which may have mi
grated upwsrd from underlying
formations. II is more likelv to be
found in the Hanna formation than
in the Ferris or Medicine Bow. for
the Hanna is In places in direct con-
tact with formations that elsewhere
carry oil, and the other two forma-
relation anywhere in the basin.
tions are not known to have this
relation anywhere in the basin.
In most of the Hanna basin there
is little prospect Of obtaing oil from
highest formation from which pro-
is the Frontier, although there is
slight possibility of production from
the upper part of the Steele shale.
from the Mesaverda and from the
Lewis. Fortunately the parts of the.
basin in which the geologic strnc-
ture is favorable for the accumula-
ton OF oil are also those in which
the most promising formations lie
nearest the surface. These most
promising regions are described be-
low. Areas not specifically men
toned are considered SO uhpromis-
ing as not to merit special treat
ment.
Elk Mountain -Anticline = The
north end of the Elk Mountain anti
cline lies in sections 26, 81. "a, and
IS. Township 81 north, range 81
west. In sections "a and 35 the
Steele shale Is the surface formation.
but 1t dips northward beneath the
Nesaverde, which covers most OF b
surface in sections rs and ~. The
axis of the anticline passes through
the east half OF section "a and the
southeast quarter OF section IT. Near
The south edge of section "a the
Frontier formation probably Is less
than 5000 feet beneath the surface.
To the north. near the center Of sec
ton 26. chances of obtaining oil are
urobab bly, limited to sands In the up
per Steele and basal Mesaverde form
atoms.
A we'll drilled by the Kasoming
Oil company in section 4. township
20 north, range 81 west, reached q
depth Of about 27O0 feet without en-
countering either oil or gas In pay
ing quantity. Should this we'll,
which is drilled near the axis OF the
-