OCR Text |
Show Big Oil Interests Planning j Campaigns in Uinta Basin One Anticline Declared'to Cover 100,000 Acres; Geological History of District Related By STEPHEN W. JOHNSON. ' ! WITH the discovery, adjoining Duchesne, Utah, on the south, of the Cline anticline, which covers approximately 100,000 acres of land, and a favorable report on this structure of over twenty treoloirtsts. many of them of national reputation, a trrowin interest has been created In oil circles throughout the United States. Preparations Prepa-rations are now being made for the starting of test wells as soon as win-ter win-ter breaks. In view of the Interest created by the activity of the geologist of .the Itoyal Dutch and Standard oil and others, the writer has spent considerable time In consulting authorities and also In making mak-ing inquiries of visiting geologists and now venture to present the following sketch of earth history and geological condition of this section. The Uintah basin, ss we know, Is a topographic baaln bounded by mountainous moun-tainous regions. On the north It la limited by the Uintah mountains; on the south by the Book cliffs: on the west by the Wasatch mountains; and on the east by the Kangley dome. Moreover, the Uintah basin is also a structural basin; that la to say, the formations are bent Into an enormous bread trouffh. TKLI, STOHV OK AXTIUVITT. In the region around Duchesne nothing noth-ing but Tertiary formations are exposed. ex-posed. However, great thlckncses of older rocks are exposed In the Uintah mountains on the north and in the Book cliffs and the Ban Itafael swell to the south. It Is believed that these older formations are present, although at very great depths below the surface sur-face here. These older formations tell a storv, dimmed by antiquity, of long periods when the region was completely complete-ly covered by the ocean, and, what seems still more remarkable, they tell of even longer periods when the sea was excluded from this portion of the earth's surface, and the region was occupied by vast and terrible deserts that extended throughout central and southern Utah Into Artsona and New Mxico. Just prior to the Tertiary period the ocean occupied this particular region as well as a vast area throughout the Itocky mountain states. purine this time the liakota. Mansos and Mesa-verde Mesa-verde formations were deposited. During Dur-ing the Mesaverde epoch great thicknesses thick-nesses of vegetable matter accumulation, accumula-tion, giving rise to the coal that Is now mined at Uastle (late, tiunnyslde and other Places throughout northern1 Utah. Interesting as these things might be to the geologist, for us the most Interesting portion of the geological geolog-ical history of this region is that of the Tertiary period, as It was during this oerlod that the formation Immediately Imme-diately around us were deposited. 4'MMATK rHAVUK. At the beginning or the Tertiary period, pe-riod, earth movements raised a great portion of the ftocky mountain states, above the level of the sea. In this region re-gion a large Inland basin was formed. The first formation deposited In this basin consists of massive sandstones, briaht red snd green shales, conglomerates conglom-erates and some limestone. The climate cli-mate of the region during this period seems to have been a aemlarid climate. Near the margins of the ancient basin there were a large accumulation of boulders and coarse sands, giving rise to conglomerates. The finer sands or mud were spread over the central and In this region, the Green River formation forma-tion Is of the greater interest. It has been estimated by govern- i ment geologists that the oil shales "of the Green River formation. In the L'lutaJa- basin Iob, wou!4 yieidV e , distillation, several times the total amount of oil heretofore produeed by all the oil fields of the whole world. When the present resources of crude petroleum are depleted there Is no doubt that an enormous industry". n the producing and refining of shale oil .will he built up in this region. However, this Is a matter that wUl probably not claim our attention for a few years, and in the meantime we are Interested In the possljtltty of obtaining . liquid petroleum in this region by toe drilling drill-ing of wells. ' ( ' It well known to anyone tha(,ne shales of the Green river contain, .oil in such a form that It may be recovered recov-ered by mining and heat treatment, but It Is a disputed question asto whether this formation contains free oil that could be pumped from weUe. Home eminent geologists claim, toat this Is impossible, and that only 'oil contained in the Green river Is locked up In the shales In such a way (Hat only by the use of heat can it be liberated. lib-erated. Others are Inclined to beTlere that there Is a possibility of finding free oil in this formation. Up to at year, however, none of these more venturesome ven-turesome individuals has cared to test his Idea by risking money enough to drill a well In the hope of discovering oil. The Matador geologists who were here a few weeks ago appeared ..to have made the most comprehensive study of the region. They admit that they have not been able to find anothrr favorable structure within the limKs'of the Uintah basin. It appears certain, therefore, that if oil is contained -In the Green Hiver formation, Uuohewne will be the future oil center of the tra-sin tra-sin and will lead In this Industry as she leads in all other phases of human endeavor. , Invettment Securities (garnished by J. A. Heels Ce,,' BANK IITOCKB. ' I Bid. Aetaee. Hankrtf Treat 1M ......... . Celanaeie Trust ,....,.. ,ft M. rx.Tt Nation. .? i'.0 1,4 oe Perft Savings SM.e lilt riret National of Ufrien IU.M UrCtrnlrk A Co lee.tt Natl Hark of Repuellc lftS.M Nat cur Bank. f lM.eS Nat 'oppr lll.M ...i'."r. Hararlty State Rank 'Tff.oe t'tah Htate National , 17i. I'tah Having A Truit I0t.ee Waikar Broa.. Ban her 2&T.t0 tl.0 Zlona flavina A Truat ... lU.Se INDUSTRIAL STOCK 8. ' Amal Re Is pfd 94. .71 amalgamated Hug eem .. t-40 "' a. 7 oiHsnt Kcurlties lia.ee rnVolidatd Wo ..... M. Itl.M I Horn Klre Ina 77. I lntttpinlt-nt Oeal !t Stfttea TH Tel S3 ; Hrhnmm-Johiuqil I pfd -let. HtantJard Coal . S . .-i . . l'iah'Mho su-Tar Utah Fire Clay S4.M Ct Pr A 1st 1st pfd 3i z. c. M. I iJ.eeL..i2,e B trr. a pfd -com rw.4.ei PaApP-a Suirar pfd -com .wasai-Zt Waal Cache uar si 1lta a' n BONDS. nn Mnn Coal Is sue Kfdg ss mi as.ss wt n L Stock Kx I? .fr." Standard Coal (a 124 Jl rt Pr A I.t Ut la 1U44 .. TS.se Ao Ct 1st A Pr 4a 1SS0 0 Ct I.t A Pr fta 1W3 4w' Utah rur1tl 122 It1 ft Ou a Coke lat fta ltl Xw 09 I'tah Hiat 4Ha .... 91. tt TL 71 t:tah-Ma Suar 7s 19 Z9 41 A Is O ia 11 t. Mm0 lower parts or me nasin uy pi rrm. During portions of this time the climate cli-mate became more humid end small Intermittent lakes were formed in which there were accumulations o( limestone These conditions persisted until a great thickness of material, warring In different places from 5000 to r.000 feet, had accumulated In the bAtB,tbs close of the Waaatch deposition deposi-tion the climate appears to have become be-come more humid and the basin bww occupied bv great Inland lakes In which another formation, called the Green River formation, was deposited. .The materials which now constRute this formation are fine-grained sandstones, shales, maris and limestones. Along with the sand, mud snd carbonate of lime much material derived from plant was deposited. When the shales and limestones of the Clreen River lwm-Hon lwm-Hon are examined under the mlcm scope they are found to contain numerous spores, pollen grains, fragments of wax and r"sln. together with a few leaves and stems. Fish scales are quite abundant The bituminous matter In lite oil shales Is due to the organic matter It contains. After the deposition of the Green River formation there was a period of earth movement, and It Is probable that the lake was drained at this time. Then a aeries of rock unlike the Green Itlver formation was laid down over it. These latter b.ds consist of a series of red, brown and green sand-atones sand-atones and shales. They are called the llridger and I'lntah formations. ln-hke ln-hke the beds of the tlreen Itlver, the beds In the Hrldger snd Uintah formation forma-tion were land laid, and they contain bones of numerous species of lend mammals that lived In this region during dur-ing that time. After the deposition of the Tertiary, earth movement again occurred. The uplifts bounding the present Uintah basin were then produced and the basin ba-sin waa outlined In its present form. In the region of Duchesne the beds Involved In-volved in the uplift of the Koan and Bonk cliffs underwent a local burkling producing the minor structure that we are now In the habit of referring to as the "I'llne anticline." It ia this minor fold superposed on the larger uplift lhat has recently attracted the attention of certain visiting geologists. After this uplift there followed a period pe-riod of erosion during which the larger rinvons and atream valleys were evolved. It is Interesting to note thst there now came another climatic change. . The region became colder, snowfall increased, and in thte higher portions of the surrounding mountains glaciers came into existence. This took place during the time w hen the northern portion of the United States and Canada were completely covered by enormous Ice wheets. In this region, however, the Ice sheets were limited to the higher mountain ranges and the onlv effect of this glacial action visible tn the Uintah basin Is the large deposits depos-its of gravel occupying the high terraces ter-races gbove the present stream valfeya. These gravels were washed down by strong floods coming from the melting of large nuantitiee of Ice In the mountains moun-tains during spring snd summer seasons. sea-sons. After s time the climate became milder and the Ice sheets in the mountains moun-tains gradually melted away and the Uintah basin was left much as it la todny. From the pfrrt of vle-w of IndlTld-' uals concerned wttli production of eil |