Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1933-03-18

Take 4 layer cake, to represent
the crust OF the earth. The white
layers eepresezE the sands and
Ifmes-fhe ocean periOds-and the
dark layers represent the land per-
iOds. Bend the cake BY exert1ng
a pressure beneath. II a. IS
brides cake or was not baked well
enough, II may bend. But IL the
pressure continues, one side viii
cake Is done and the Layers are
firm, & win first CRACK AS the
along the crack--and In due coarse
of time as pressure continues, one
side win slowly rise above the
other side OF the crack. One side
will stay mp and the other side win
drop down with q thump. That.
In miniature is what happened some
where Of the coast Of California last
week. II was the THUMP Of the
slipping side Of the layer cake. that
caused the quake and quivers. The
actual break was somewhere out in
the ocean.
Herein is contained the story Of
oil. Take a couple Of rocks and
rub them together brfskIy. They
get HOT. IL Is impossible to iHn-
aglne, but try TO visualize that the
layers of rocks, being rubbed to-
gefher by an irresistible force.
HEAT beyond the imagination Of
man is created. Apply heat to the
rocks OF the earth and rocks be-
come either slate, IL the heat is
low, or become molten or fluid, 81
the heat Is greater and become
- 4ssfa
Rocks turn TO vapOr under the
heat Of earth movements. These
gases are likely TO separate and
take new form, when condensed,
just as crude oil, when heated, gives
off gasses which oorS1ense into
gasoline, kerosene, Illustrating oil
and other different products. So
do the gasses Of the earth, formed
by this terrific friction, In the raab-
bling and grinding OF q thickness
OF miles upon miles OF rocks, event.
uaIIy take new form as they cone
dense: some as minerals and some
as petroleum, depending ON the
density OF the gas. Everything tn-
Guiding gold and other precious met
als, we are informed, eEninatc from
the bowels OF the earth as GASSES,
forming i'm veins and assures OPP
ened mp by the mflIi0n-year process
of fauIting and, IL You please,
EARTHQUAKES.
The relation OF fanlting to the
accumulation of OH is today of
more Importance than the anticlin-
al theory, pwOpounded by White
two decades ago although the two
IL
low the escape Of petroleum and
petroleum gas upward from lower
horizons, into porous materials with
I'm reach Of the drAli. F&ultang al-.
so serves 10 halt migxa&z0m through
porous materials am In the oxamapAe
OF the layer cake, where the white
layer Is found In contact with the
dark lmyer.. on can travel through
fmpervi0us shales. So Il accumu-
lates at the point OF the faukt.
We have tho sfnaiIe o9 the brides
cake stfII before MS. If IL Is etiil
doughty" if bends as pressure APP
plies fr0m beneath and fG may soon
look like q circus tent, II II is
sticky enough. That action forms
an Oh dome. ~ aa1e beds ara
young-AOt cooked haw1 by the
aeses--szsey win BEND and mot
break. IAmestones win seldom
bend. They BREAK, but young
shales frequently BEND. So OIL
may migrate ND through cracks I'm
the lime and would esCape except
that IL Is halted by the plastic
shaIes which stretch and bend into
q dOme-Efke trap 90 hold the oil
until q drill releases the pressure
or until some future time when
the shifting weight OF the earth
win cause another heave against
the same line OF fracture which
may next time break through the
earth's surface.
imagine the CONSERVATION Of Los
Angeles A. its earthquake did what
AE0nfama's great earthquake did day
before yesterday ge0Aoalcaliy
speaking, that meaning about IS
...tHFa~.,. s-e~..~a 1000