Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-03-27

flat plains, broken by occasional Iow-lyina
hills and cut BY deep channels Of major
rivers. In western Manitoba, the low-lyine
hills Of the Manitoba escarpment euphernis-
tically termed mountains, rising as they dc
1 some 1900 to 1900 feet above the level Of the
4 plains, create considerable Topographic re-
! lief. In the southwestern portion Of the
area, the Dirst and Cypress hills also rise
/ to considerable elevations above the flat
lying plains surrounding them. The broad
1 praires are covered to variable degree with
thicknesses Of glacial dirt, ranging from nil
to 500 feet or over, which makes q large pOr-
ton OF the territory difficult for determining
local structural conditions without recourse
to geographical methods
Regional Geology
The principal structural aspect Of the re-
gion is that Of a broad geosynchlporium
ranging from the Rockies in western Alberta
to the Urecambrian Shield Of Manitoba and
Ontario. This great geosynclinorium involves
many major structures major folds, and is
divided into two geosynchInoria, the Alberta
geosyncline. and the Manitoba Saskatchewan
geosyncline. It is the latter which is Of prin-
eipal interest to us, as It effects practically
all OF Saskatchewan and western Mani
toba excepting the extreme southern portion
Of Saskatchewan, which is separated from
this syncline by a broad arch running from
Regina to Hanley in south central Saskatch-
evan Running IN northerly direction along
the inter-provincial boundary between Alberta
and Saskatchewan Is a broad arch with its
axis very closely following the inter province
iRl boundary On the this arch are number
OF OIL ana gas felCS, the principal tleidS
being Wainwright, Ribstone viking. and Kin
sella as well as the Lloydminster field, to-
gether with q number OF structures so far
unprospected At present, principal produc-
ton Of either gas or oil Of the area is en-
ccuntered on the above noted fields on this
broad arch, which is very aptly described by
Dr. O. s. Hume in Economic Geology
series 5, page 1876 Eastward from the edge
OF the Alberta syncline west Of viking, the
strata dips southwesterly, but at angles de-
creasing in size eastward. In the vicinity Of
Wainwright a regional southwesterIy dip Is
still RECOGNIZABLE, although 1t Is modified in
places by small folds superimposed on the
major structure; but east of the Alberta
Saskatchewan boundary, in the vicinity Of
Battle river. the dip changes to a southeast
direction. The major structure between Viking,
Alberta, and Battleford Sask., is a broad
antcline, the highest point Of which is some
where in the vicinity OF the mouth OF Ribstone
creek on this major structure q number Of
minor folds are known, and although the
accumulations Of oil and gas may in gem
eral way have resulted from the larger struc-
ture. they occur on the minor folds. there
fore. is the most important consideration In
locating drilling sites. for past experience
has proved beyond doubt that wells not
located on the minor folds have small chances
Of striking commercial supplies Of oil or gas
The major structure, which embraces very
large area in an east-west direction, may be
taken as roughly outlining the territory IN
which oil and gas may occur, but 1t is only
the much smaller areas Of local folding that
may be expected to be productive"
On the east flank of the Manitoba-Sas-
katchewan syncline at Hudson Bay Junction,
Pei Wei Hills Thunder Hill. and at other
points, structures have been reported, and
while drilling is going on, the tests have
not been completed on structure to sufficient
depth to prove or disprove the existence OF
commercial gas, though a few miles south
OF Hudson Bay Junction, number Of wells
have been drilled in which comparatively
large quantities Of gas have been found at
a depth of less than 300 feet, giving promise
that, where wells drilled on adequate
structure to sufficient depth, commercial pro
duction OF oil or gas Is to be expected. While
wells are drilling at Riverhurst and at Simpson
in the west central portion of Saskatchewan,
no commercial production has been found up
to the present writing though indications
OF favorable structure exist at these points.
on the northwest flank OF the Williston
structural basin which involves practically all
OF southern Saskatchewan, south Of the crest
of the Regina-Hanley arch above mentioned,
there are a number OF folds, some OF which are
considerably faulted which, due to the exist
ence in the same structural basin OF proven
oil or gas fields in Montana, to the south.
OF which Baker-Glendive and Bowdoin are
notable examples, are certainly well worthy
of serious prospecting and adequate testing
While some drilling has been done in South
ern Saskatchewan notably on the Blackfoot
anticlne, the wells have not gone to SUI
ficient depth to penetrate potential produce
tive horizons, save in the case OF well
drilled a few miles west OF Maple Greek In
southwestern Saskatchewan, north OF the
Cypress Hills, where q considerable quantity
of gas was encountered at comparatively
shallow depth. There Is every reason to be-
lieVe that intensive and intelligent drilling
on any well defined structure in southern
will develop commercial flows
of gas with a probability Of encountering
commercial oil as well.
StratiErsphy
The sedmentaries found in the region
range from Archaean to Cenozoic. Generally
speaking however, the formations Of inter-
est to the searcher after oil and gas range
from the Ordovician upward. the nthologic
character of the underlying series being Of