The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-11-14
GEOLOGICAL
STRUCTURE0 OF
n. D. OUTLINED
Prof. Leonard of Geology Di.
vision Describes States
Ground Formation
POINTS TO BOOKLET
Dakota Sandstone Formation
Has Yielded Gas and Oil
in Some Localities

| tilIdIIon luuL HopcS vi ODtilHlug OIL
| in commercial quantity near Robin
son were unfounded came as a shock
to hundreds Of persons who are re-
ported to have invested money in
| rrOmotio on of projects in the district.
| Although no estimate of the amount
Of money thus invested has been OBJ
tanned by state officials at Bismarck,
| it has been variously estimated at
from 100000 to 100000. Persons
familiar with the activities of A. C..
| Townlev. former Nonpartisan chief
| tain who is financing an Oil promo
| ton project by borrowing money on
! his personal note, say that he has
! collected to date no less than $780,
600 and probably far more than that.
Townley is reported to have agents
in several counties, all of whom are
| equipped with sheafs of blank notes
signed merely with Townley's name.
Instead Of selling stock they are said
to be filling in the notes for the
amounts which the prospective inves-
tor is willing to "loan" Townley to
aid him in financing his project.
Several loans Of from $1,000 to 81 800
per individual have been unofficially
reported to the state securities COM
mission.
| Refers to Booklet
| Commenting on the geological for
nations underlying the state Prot
Leonard pointed to his booklet on the
! possibilities OF oil and gas in North
| Dakota" published in 1920.
! In this document he said: "If oil
, and gas occur in North Dakota they
will most likely be found in the Da-
kota sandstone rather than in any
other formation in the state. The
thick shales which lie above the Dako-
ia sandstone seem to contain in this
region only few thin, sandy layers
and are therefore not favorable for
the accumulation of oil or gas in COM
mercial quantity.
THE Dakota formation has yielded
! oil and gas in several localities. In
, central Wyoming this sandstone in
,. some places lis saturated with dark
| asphaltic oil, and in the Powder river
| field the Dakota is the principal OIL
bearing formation. In the Big Horn
Basin of Wyoming the Cloverly, which
has the stratigraphic position of the
/ Dakota sandstone, and probably COR
responds in part at least to the lat
ter, is one of the. oil and gas-bearing
formations. The great tar seepages
Alberta come from the outcrop of
! beds which have been referred to the
Dakota horizon, and it is from this
! the base of the everything Benton
Bow Island field. Bow Island is $40
miles northwest Of the northwest
corner of North Dakota.
Where Sandstone 10 Found
"A rather fine-grained white sand
stone, which is doubtless the Dakota.
is found in q number Of wells in the
Red River Valley at depths ranging
from $50 to 400 feet, and in several
Of the wells the sandstone was pen
etrated 100 feet. In southea stern
North Dakota outside the valley, the
Dakota sandstone is encountered at
depths varying from about 500 feet
near the western edge OF the Red klv-
err Valley to 1900 feet and over not
far west Of the James river and near
the edge Of the Missouri Plateau
The increasing depth of the forma-
ton is due both to the westward dip
of the Dakota and the rise of the
land surface in that direction. lhe
depth of the sandstone at Enderlin
is $40 feet;' Valley City, about 800
fleet; Cakes $50 feet; Glendale, 1895
and jamestown, 145O feet. The deep
we'll at Devils Lake, in the north.
eastern part of the state. struck. the
sandstone at l43l feet. while at
Leeds, 30 miles northwest of Devils
Lake, it lies at depth Of 2l1O feet
The Harvey we'll. near the. center Of
the state, reached the Dakota at 2235
feet, and a deep boring few miles
| from Westhope, B6ttineau COUNTY
\ eQtered che sandstone at about 1864
feet. The deep drill hole which Is
being put down about IL miles west
of Minot by the Des Laos Western
Oil company has reached q depth 81
800 feet and is probably not far from
the top Of the Dakota sandstone.
| "As disclosed by the wells which
have penetrated it. the Dakota for
NATION Is q soft white or gray sand.
stone in beds 10 to so feet thick, sep.
arated by shale. The entire thickness
varies widely at different points, but
IS commonly 200 to 800 feet.
sliles ASSxs' Sandstone
"Above the Dakota sandstone are
the Benton, Niobrara, and Pierre
shales. Of the Colorado and Montana
groups Of the Cretaceous systems.
The aggregate thickness of these
three fHmations in North Dakota
ranges from 130 to 220 feet and over.
So, far as known, these shales con-
tnin no sandstone beds Of any con-
siderable thickness in this state. and
lin their absence it is not probable
that oil or gasN,is present in these
Ishales in any quantity. Since porohs
/ sandstone beds gre wanting there
dre nt reservoirs in which the gas
: and oil could ascumulate to fotm
I pools. It is known that at least two
of these shale formations contain oil
which 1is, disseminated through it jim
Small quantity, since where the Nj
obrara outcrops in the Pembina
Mountains. on the western edge of
the Red River Valley, it has strong
odor of petroleum and oil has been
distilled from it. The BENTON shale
also has strdng odor n petroleum..
"But though oil and gas may be
present In the rocks, end though pdr-
ous beds; such as sandstone, may de-
cur, which can serve as receptacle
for their accumulation, another con.
dition must be set before it 10 likely
that the hydrocarbons will be found
in commercial QUANTITY. The posia
ton of-ths sttata, o. their sttuctut1,