Montana oil and mining journal., 1941-07-19

4 hC0NAAYoAlac ~ 01l44&a~AAA4t Aaa=H& 49,
mans theories adopted and made "a
Thus we see" said Mr. Leyersen,
how our theories and ideas change,
our concept of the undiscovered reserve
changes and that it has increased ex-
actly in proportion IS our limiting
viewpoints were destroyed. And so It
goes. with the result that today our
mental limitations on what constitutes
favorable oil territory are at the lowest
IN our history and the favorable areas
for future possible discoveries the
highest.
"Along these lines Of thought. the
Research committee Of the American
Association of Petroleum Biologists last
April conducted q survey OF the un-
discovered oil reserve possibilities OF
the United States and Canada outside
the present producing areas. The sur
vey was participated IN by between so
and 20 geologists To begin with, we
listed the criteria which might be con-
Sidered as indicating the ultimate de-
velopment of an oil province. 9.
They are quite different than would
have been used 20 years ego for they
reflect much intervening experience.
These criteria were applied to the
various unexplored areas of Canada
and the United States with the result
that such large reserve Of reasonably
favorable oil territory remains to be
explored, exclusive of the present pro-
ducing provinces, as to leave no ques-
ton but that sooner or later 1t viii
be translated into proportionately large
reserves.
80 much for the question as to
whether or not we have the oil yet to
discover.
I'm the second place it is generally
conceded that the American petroleum
geologists and geophysicists. as
whole, are the most efficient and ef-
fective oil finders in the world. This
does not mean that geologists from
foreign countries are not good-many
of them are individually the equal Of
any in this country when it comes to
scientific and academic geology. How
ever, except in isolated instances, they
have had neither the opportunity nor
the incentive to spend their time IN
looking for new oil and gas deposits,
and as a consequence they lack the
know how which comes to any worker
after he has had experience in his field
of endeavor.
The Incentive to Risk
However, these two factors do not
alone insure future discovery. The
other big advantage which in the
United States probably outshadows all
other factors is that our laws are such
as to stimulate discovery and provide
the incentive for taking the necessary
risks. The United States Is one of the
few countries in which the reward Of
discovery goes to the man or company
making it. Consequently, anyone with
any kind of an idea about finding oil
has all that he needs in the way Of
opportunity and incentive to try it out |
The result Is that countless exploratory I
holes are drilled and the variety of /
ideas which have been enlisted to JUS |
tify the drilling or wildcat wells range |
from the most scientific to the most /
and all have been known
to succeed. This has been called the
principle of multiple effort and as
long as we are permitted to apply 1t
to the discovery process and thus pro- !
vide continuous supply of new data
on which to build our theories, then
so long shall we continue to make dis
coveries.
Freedom Of Opportunity
Let us examine this a little further.
According to Lawrence Smith Of
the Independent Petroleum Association
Of America, three-fourths of all of the
oil fields discovered annually in the
United States are found by the little
fellow, the independent and the nom
company. That does not
mean that it Is non-scienttfic-
much or most of the discovery effort
now is scientific-but it means that
when government allows 1t to be worth
the while of the little fellow to go
out and try his hand at prospecting.
then discovery results. This may be
Tue to the fact that there are so many
If them; that they are more daring in
heir Interpretation Of the possibilities
If discovery; or that they have indi-
yidually more at stake and are con-
better gamblers than the in
iividuals directing the larger and more
conservative oil finding organizations
nevertheless, whatever the cause,
hey are responsible for the major
1art Of our discoveries.
Nov these Independents, individuals
md smaller companies who find the
majority Of our oil fields in this coun-
ry are the very ones who do not have
'ither the incentive nor the oppor-
unity Of discovery IN most countries
outside the United States. Just con-
ider for a moment, any one Of the
arge oil organizations which are ex-
'loring both IN this country and
broad If their percentage Of discovery
5 no better In Germany, for example,
n Italy, or China, or South America
han 1t is in the United States, think
low much oil there Is yet to be dis