Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-03-01
PIONEER BIOLOGIST

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north and the waters OF Montana
run south II there is not an anticil-
nal condition extending east from
the Rocky Mountains TO as tar as
the Woody Mountains OF CANADA
inst north OF the international
boundary and over 500 miles east
of the Rocky Mountains This,
know, is taking in a lot OF terra
tory. but / hope to convince you
that such an antfclinal eondatloh
exists and did exist before the great
horizontal pressure took place that
formed that part Of the ROCKY
Mountains in Northern Montana. 10
the north OF this east and west
anticline we have a syncline eX-
tending from the Crows Nest Pass
in Canada hundreds OF miles east
along the north side of this great
anticline. While to the south we
have the Blood Greek Syncline just
south of. the Bearpaw Mountains
that runs west to the point where
the Marias River turns south. From
there 1t takes the name Of the Ma
rias River Syncline and reaches the
Rocky Mountains in or near the
Marias Pass.
East-West Axis
Along the axis of this east and
west anticline we have the Bow
doin Gas field, Cherry Ridge
structure, Signal Butte structure
north Of Havre. the Kevin-Sunburst
field and production around the
Sweet Grass HILLS. Then comes the
Border and Cut Bank fields. All.
along the crest of this north and
south watershed. The many seep-
ages Of oil and gas found in the
Rocky Mountains on both sides OF
the Mountains along the course of
this antichne is, to the writer, suf-
ficient proof that this fold was in
existence before the Mountain up
thrust occurred.
Lewis Overthrust
There are numerous theories as
to the origin OF oil. Some scien-
lists believe in the Organic theory.
others in the inorganic theory, and
others to a combination of the
above theories. However. it is quite
generally believed that heat and
great pressure has played the
greatest part In disabling the oil
from the beds containing oil MAX
ing material. The writer was pros
pecting in the area now comprised
in Glacier Park forty years ago
when Bailey Willis was mapping
what has since been known as the
Lewis Overthrust. The writer had
taken crude oil from a tunnel that
was being run to tap a lead that
was outcroping further upon the
mountain. He explained this occur
ance to Mr.. Willis and received his
first knowledge of the Lewis Ov-
erthrust which is the largest known
overthrusting of the older Pre-
cambrian beds up and over the
younger Cretaceous beds for dis
lance Of over 40 miles to the east. |
This overthrust extends for more
than $50 miles south from the |
Crows Ness Pass in Alberta. 1t is !
quite evident that there is an area |
II several hundred square miles |
of Cretaceous beds on top of which /
is resting the Cambrian and Pre- /
cambrian Mountains of Glacier
Park
Makes Several Folds
This great mass OF older for
nation broke up through all Of the
more recent beds in which we ex-
pect to find oil. The pressure
causing this overthrust was of a
horizontal nature and entirely from
The west None of the beds under
ying the Colorado formation has
been found by the writer in any
Of the disturbed belt extending out
Tor from ten to twenty miles east
along the front of the Mountains
one can't believe that such
/ great pressure could have taken
place without npwarping the harder
beds such as the Madison Lime and
Oevonian formations into anticlinal
Odds such as the Sweet Grass Arch
md probably several other folds
there and the front of the
Rocky Mountains.
From the Sweet Grass Arch to
he Rocky Mountains the dip of ]
he beds is to the west. So it is
lain to see that any oil distilled .,
rom the formation by this great
fountain pressure would be carried
asst by hydrostatic pressure into I
ny upwarpdng or lenses that would
orm traps. And following this
heOry one could expect a higher
egree of saturation in folds OF
raps nearest the source of the oil.
Underlying this great mountain
lass a condition exists that would .
1rce oil and gas to the east r
lrOugh and along any beds suffi-
emily porous to permit migration
0 IL the Devonian formation has
eds sufficiently porous to carry
j it is the writer's belief that oil II
i'll be found in places where those
eds have been upwarped into traps. III
Extends Into Canada II
The above condition applies to
e area extending from the Sweet
rass Arch west to the Rocky II
ountains and between the Marias
Id Two Medicine Rivers on the
nth and the Lethbridge trough
} the north
We now come east to the Sweet