Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-01-11
SHELBY MANS


DEKELD 4 MAN -
CONTINUED from Page Onel
ued AT 1850 feet and at 1860 feet
the first flows OF gas were found
in grey lime The first showing Of
oil was at 1880 with more Oil at
2460. Oil and gas increased at
1850 feet. together with 100000
fee OF wet gas said TO have had a
content OF more than a gallon OF
gasoline TO 1000 cubic feet OF gas.
The gas flowed the oil. whenever
the oil was allowed TO accumulate
in the hole, making a very spec
tacular picture but having little
commercial value. II was signi-
ficant enough, however, to induce
McColl-Frontenac TO do some care
fui geological work. under direction
OF Ed Hunt, former Montana geOlo-
gist and the present test is said to
be slightly lower, structurally than
Two previous wells.
Early Pillmg Report
Loran II. Pnling. writing on the
Deyonian and Moose Dome. while
he was still in college, at the Uni
versity Of Utah said
"A section taken from the gov
erument bulletin shows the follow
ing strata:
Mississippian 1900 feet
Mnnewanka
Upper Devonian 1000 feet
Minnewanka
Lower Devonian 1900 feet
Ghost River 27O feet
Castle Mountain
Middle Cambrian 572 feet
As some of the Banff shales are
eroded eff the total depth of rocks
lying over the Devonian cannot be
more than 1900 feet from the sur
face presented on Canyon and Sui
phur creeks. Thus the lowest
depts in which the Devonian
may be reached is less than
1900 feet while the entire Devon
ian can be penetrated at depths
ranging less than $500 feet.
Shale AS Cap Rock
THE Banff shales with their
total thickness of 1900 feet are
by far the best cap rock" that
could possibly be had. Coupled
with their practically absolute un
porosity and easy drilling they form
an ideal cap rock under which oil
could accumulate. Enough could
not be said of their ability to be a
desirable seal for such a structure
as Moose Dome. II is my conten
ton that as soon as these shales
are penetrated that large flows of
gas will be encountered and these
flows will increase as the lower
lines of the Devonian are drilled
until the more porous strata have
been reached. With structure
with enclosures and dips as marked
as has Moose Dome, strong gas pres
sures are bound to be present.
Both the Banff shales and both
members of the Minnewanka are
highly fossiliferous. Samples OF
either cannot be found that do not
contain both hand specimens Of
microscopic organisms 1t is from
these inorganic plants and animals
that the oil in the Devonian are
formed.
Expects Lower Sands
LAS the seas encroached across
western North America they were
more or less occillatory in their ad
For this reason / be-
lieve that at the bottom of the De
vonian there are many lenticular
sand lesses and exceedingly coarse
grained lhmestones. 1t must be
noted that ordinary building sand |
stone has a porosity OF Is per cent |
and any percentage as high as this |
is very desirable for oil accumula-
lion. The coarse grained limestones |
that persist throughout the Devon
Ian are 50 friable that one can |
break them with ease with the hand.
I'm the Upper Devonian there are
numerous beds of limestone, alter
mated with calcareous shales. Dur
ng the transition from the condf-
ions that would allow the forma-
ion of these TWO beds such as
lear water for the limestones and
muddy water, probably due to either
seasonal changes and general up
lifting or climatic changes, for the
hales, coarse grained limestones
uch as are found in the DeYonian
where it outcrops at Banff exist
n Moose Dome II is in these
measures where oil will probably
,e found in large quantities or In
he Lower DevOnian.'
This report was written in 1880.
t recommended a location for a
est well.
Pilling first leased Moose Dome
IN the geological recommendation