682.* Major Tectonic Provinces of Southern Oklahoma and their Relation to Oil and Gas Fields. E . A . Paschel. B ull. Amer. A ss. Petrol. Geol., Ja n u a r y 1941, 25, 1-22.—
Southern Oklahoma and adjoining areas are divided into five tectonic provinces, which, from east to w est, are the O uachita M ountains province, the A rk an sas Valley geosyncline, the H unton-Tishom ingo uplift, the A ndarko-A rdm ore geosyncline, and the A m arillo-W ichita-R ed R iver uplift. One is considered a p art of the A p palach ian- O uachita-M arathon homogeneous mobile belt which exten ds across the Continent from E astern O k lah om a; the other four are regarded as h avin g th e features of a available the Ordovician beds at 10,000 ft. will prove profitable for developm ent.
R . J . W. correlated for the first tim e some of the higher D es Moines B ed s in th e areas surveyed.
Eleven generalized columnar sections are described, and show regional variations in lithology and thickness. Further work in the sam e series from the south an d west valuable m arker where persistent and diagnostic units are generally lacking.
R . J . W. Perm ian stratigraph y. Certain m ajor structural features were recognized and were controlling factors in Perm ian deposition, an d the stratigraph ic phenom ena of
dis-A B S T R dis-A C T S . 279 a section now considered gas-bearing only. L ife of individual wells should lengthen with improved com pletion m ethods an d restricted flowing rates of the gas as com the east it rises above a general level of approxim ately 5000 ft. an d 7000 ft. on the w est, the largest tow n on the east side being Lander, an d Pinedale on the w est side. W ind absent. Eocene, Oligocene, Pliocene, an d Pleistocene overlap older form ations in some places. On the east side a series of anticlines parallels the m ain range about
2 8 0 a A B S T R A C T S .
tions of the dense derivatives of percolating ground w ater through grav ity differences retained in trap s which tem porarily a t least preserve th ese concentrations from flushing b y norm al ground-water circulation. These brines are therefore considered as residual accum ulations b y differential gravity, a process relatively unique in the concentration of economic m ineral m atter in a dissolved form. The m aterials essential to the form ation of such a brine are dolom ite and gypsum with contained accessories, on incompletely developed properties ; the latter, which is con servative an d relatively safe from large errors, is more often applied to proved areas, although w ith reasonably active wildcatting and developm ent it is likely to show larger increm ents in reserves molluscans an d echinoderm faun as, representing forty-seven nearly consecutive horizons, from th at of Turritella inezana var. hoffm ani upw ard to well above that
A B S T R A C T S . 28 1 A continental deposits being locally laid down near the present coast.
In the u pp er Oligocene the sea invaded the S tate as a narrow inlet occupying the newly initiated Caliente trough, continental deposition continuing in m ost former areas of th at nature. The marine Miocene of California is a tran sgressive series, conformation basinw ard, b u t revealing strandw ard the occurrence of two oscillations which respectively inaugurate an d divide its upper third, com prising three nearly equal m ajor n atural divisions, the V aqueros (Lower Miocene), Tem blor (Middle Miocene), and Monterey (U pper Miocene). E ach of these has a more or less distinctive epeirogenic history, fauna, an d average ph ysical aspect. The sea transgressed during both Lower Miocene an d Middle Miocene periods, with som e regression during the latter period. I t ad van ced once again w idely during early U pper Miocene tim e, and reached its w idest exten t during this epoch. Progressively cooler w aters are recorded during the Miocene series, the earlier tropical fauna being replaced b y subtropical fauna with slightly hardier fauna a t a later period. E ach fauna changed relatively slowly during its stage, w ith hardier form s w ith the cooler w aters, the Miocene series of California being divided into approxim ately equal thirds as regards m ajor physical and coincident faunal incidents. W ide regression, resulting in complete emergence of California, separates the Miocene series from the m arkedly different and more restricted Pliocene series. The auth ors sta te thari except for p arts of the B ilter Creek area, their field-work over twelve, seven, an d three years, respectively, repre
sents only a rapid reconnaissance m ade a few days a t a tim e, b u t th ey regard th is as providing prelim inary fram ew ork for future investigation. R . J . W.
690.* Micropaleontology and Stratigraphy of a Deep Well at Niceville, Okaloosa County, Florida. R . H endee Sm ith. Bull. Amer. A ss. Petrol. Oeol., F eb ru ary 1941, 25, 263-286.—A water-well w as drilled a t N iceville to a depth of 524 ft. on A pril 1939, cuttings were taken ap pro xim ately every 10 ft. an d sav ed an d carefully exam ined, thus enabling the auth or to establish som e dip and strike control of the form ations, and giving the first occurrences of som e typ ical form s in the column where previously in the U pper an d Middle Miocene sections considerable doubt h ad existed as to the
691.* Pre-Cambrian Zeolite-Opal Sediments in Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma. C. A.
Merritt and W. E . H am . B u ll. Amer. A ss. Petrol. Oeol., F eb ru ary 1941, 25, 287-
2 8 2 a A B S T R A C T S .
covered in 1938 as a result of geophysical work preceded b y detailed surface mapping.
The field is located in the southern p art of Refugio County in the lower Gulf Coastal August 1940 number of the B ulletin in which leading geologists expressed the opinion that field geology as a technique for the discovery of oil-fields h as not only passed its peak, but has practically exh austed its usefulness, excep t in foreign work. The author challenges this conclusion, and wonders whether the decline m ay not be ascribed to other factors, and stresses the value of careful surface m appin g, illustrating this by enum erating fourteen areas where oil an d (or) gas occurs. In only two can in favour of more expensive techniques until its possibilities h ave been exhausted.
R . J . W.
694.* Upper Paleozoic of Western Australia. Correlation and Palseogeography. C.
Teichert. Bull. Amer. A ss. Petrol. Oeol., M arch 1941, 25, 371-415.— T h is paper was originally presented in Ja n u a ry 1939 to the Geological Section of the A ustralian and New Zealand A ssociation for the A dvancem ent of Science. F u rth er field-work carried out during 1939 and 1940 has rendered it necessary for the au th or to thoroughly revise and alter his previous presentation.
The paper deals with those rooks in W estern A u stralia which were— a s elsewhere on the Continent— until recently classified a s Perm o-Carboniferous. There has been a growing tendency in recent years to include these rocks unrestrictedly in the
A B S T R A C T S . 2 8 3 a the structural com plexity of the A ppalachian foreland, m entions som e of the problem s involved, an d considers the origin of the folds, including direction of stress and problems. Also im portant are the accum ulation, correlation, an d interpretation of data on the join ts, local faults, an d areas of exceptionally steep surface dips, it being east, at a depth of 10,167-11,153 ft. A white an d slightly pinkish, coarsely crystalline limestone w as encountered up to 7110 ft., w hilst str a ta of U pper, Middle, an d Low er tinguish crude oils of diverse parenthood, but if it is possible to establish the existence of, and learn to recognize som e type of in varian t property in crude oils th at rem ains
2 8 4 a A B S T R A C T S .
constant and unchanging throughout the course of their norm al evolution, a solution
would be expedited. ,
The author suggests a “ gravity-m terval p attern to serve as such an invariant characteristic for the identification of crude oils. T h is gravity-in terval pattern is based on analyses m ade b y the U nited S tates B u reau of Mines b y the Hempel
tion has as yet to be determined. Original reservoir pressure is thought to have been 1750 lb. per sq . in. U p to Ju ly 1938 212 wells h ad been drilled, m ostly b y rotary,
A B S T R A C T S . 2 8 5 a cu. ft., was stru ck in the following m onth. The well w as carried to 6257 ft. an d then plugged b ack to 5550 ft. an d shot w ith 200 qu arts of nitroglycerine a t 5400—5445 ft.
and, following acidization w ith 3000 an d 8000 gal. of hydrochloric acid, w as com pleted in 1936 as a gas-distillate well with an open flow of 16 million cu. ft. Of the seven wells drilled, four are ga s, one oil, and two dry. The four gas-wells h ave a potential gas production of 170 million cu. ft. One oil-well h as a p oten tial of 259-2 brl. of 37° groups in determ ining the relationship of the Palreoeene fauna to those which precede and follow varies widely. They m ay be segregated into seven more or less clearly defined assem blages, as follows :—
(1) Genera recorded in the M idw ay th a t have persisted from Cretaceous to Recent tim e s;
(2) Those restricted to Cretaceous and Palaeocene ; (3) Those restricted to Cretaceous and early T ertiary ;
2 8 6 a A B S T R A C T S .
whilst restudying old sections new inform ation is presented indicating changes in formation contacts, relative thicknesses of form ations and extension eastw ard of the Tulip Creek formation. A dditional evidence for earlier om ission of F a lls as a form a
704.* Study of Sedimentation and Stratigraphy of Lower Mississipian in Western Michigan. L . H ale. Bull. Amer. A ss. Petrol. Oeol., A p ril 1941, 25, 713-723.—- Form ations representing the lower M ississippian in M ichigan h ave alw ays been con
sidered as unim portant shale sections and have received very little stu d y . Recent drilling developm ents in Allegan, K en t, an d O ttaw a Counties h ave provided good sam ples, proving th at this w estern area differs m arkedly in its sedim entary history and presents several interesting stratigraphic problem s.
The formations discussed comprise the Coldwater, E llsw orth shales an d the upper grey and greyish-green shale with grey dolom ite zones.
The green shales of the Ellsw orth grade into, an d alternate w ith, the black shales of the Antrim, m aking it difficult to determ ine the to p . T h e oldest form ation dis
cussed is the Antrim shale, which cap s the producing Traverse lim estone, an d is con
sidered to bo the source bed of the T ran svaal. A further detailed account of the Antrim-EUsworth-Coldwater shale form ation b y E leanor Tarbell is discussed on
pages 724-733. R . J . W.
A B S T R A C T S . 287 a second, for perforating casin g opposite recently drilled producing form ations to produce m ore efficiently oil or gas from the form ations, or to elim inate mechanical accumulation of unc-ontaminated rock sam ples in th e shells :
(1) On penetrating the form ation, the bullet displaces b y com pression, co n practically all the producing horizons of the Cretaceous, Ju ra ssic , Pennsylvanian, and older beds, w hich m ight b e expected in th is area, w edge out on the flanks of the graphieal tests an d detailed subsurface geology are of the m ain im portance. A ccurate correlation is essential.
In N ebraska unconform ities occur at th e b gse o f the T ertiary and the b ase of the Ju rassic, with the T riassic, Ju ra ssic , an d Tertian,- pinching out irregularly. The Quaternary consists of san d s an d clay s, w hilst th e upperm ost T ertiary is m ainly composed of san d s. In p arts th e N iobrara, Carlile, Greenhorn, an d m uch of the
2 8 8 a A B S T R A C T S . granite. The possibilities of Pennsylvanian production seem good in the south-west part of the arch near the K a n sa s S tate line, but on the east flank it m ay be necessary
duced in the B aku, Grozny, Maikop, Ishim bai, and B uguru slan areas, an d the recovery of gasoline from natural gasoline is planned.
ing in a long-delayed pay-out of wells ; (3) an unnecessary an d undesirable postpone
ment of full developm ent of pools, resulting in congested drilling in som e parts of a m axim um ultim ate recovery assured to operators an d royalty owners alike. (2) That all oil reservoirs be developed with the few est possible wells, in order th a t the largest
A B S T R A C T S . 2 8 9 a imparted to the circulating boiler feed-w ater. The h eat exchanger is described.
E xh au st steam from the tw o feed-w ater pum ps is also utilized b y allow ing it to chief advantages of th e rig are the brief tim e required for rigging up and tearing down, and elimination of expen se for derrick erection. The rig can be m oved from one
290 a A B S T R A C T S .
the face of the shales and forms a crust which aid s in preventing caves. The cost of such spraying is much less than that of a full-hole cem enting job and drilling through.
The shales can be sprayed much faster than the tim e required for a full-hole job.
Use of the device thus reduces drilling tim e lost in cem enting in, and also provides a better hole, often obviating costly fishing jobs.
There are several types of bailers on the m arket. One consists of two attachm ents
The principal reason for the increasing use of directional drilling in hard-rock areas is the improved technique, which has reduced the cost an d tim e required to complete
Certain details of the mechanics and operations of directional drilling are discussed.
Side-tracking, straightening, and controlled directional drilling are discussed under threo separate sections, giving the usual procedures followed. A . H . N.
715.* Effect of Crooked Wells on Exploitation. H . C. H . Th om as. J . In st. Petrol., May 1941, 27 (211), 157-164.— A ttention is directed to the adverse effects of unin
tentionally deviated wells on the orderly exploitation of an oil-field. These effects comprise : incorrect spacing at the production level, resulting in inefficient drainage;
incorrect interpretation of stru ctu re ; errors in fo re castin g ; failure to complete the w ell; failure to produce the com pleted well to exh austion. I t is shown that a directional survey of every well drilled is not only of considerable value to the exploita- tion geologist, but is the only way in which progress tow ards the drilling of straighter
A B S T R A C T S . 291 A to the use of slim -holes for drilling to 7000-9000 ft. P o in ts in favour of their adoption were as follows : On th e Gulf C oast new discoveries represent odds of about 7 to 1 completion program m es an d reduced rig tim es an d overall cost. Im proved cem enting technique h as reduc-ed gas an d w ater encroachm ent h azards. A 136-ft. derrick w ith stress of the sludge. The value of these con stan ts m ay be determ ined experim entally in a modified Storm er viscom eter. D etails of experim ents on the flow of sludges of different typ es in pipes of various diam eters a t several rates of flow are given, and these data are shown to be in excellent agreem ent w ith th e theoretical an alysis of plastic flow. T heoretical equation s supported b y experim ental evidence are given for the determ ination of th e critical velocity. U nder turbulent flow conditions the viscosity of th e sludge dispersal m edium governs the flow, an d th e ordinary R eynolds Num ber-Fanning friction faction relationship m ay be used. E xperim en tal evidence
in support of thi3 is also given. J . W . H .
718. Measuring Particle-Size Distribution and Colloid Content of Oil-Well Drilling Fluids. G. L . G ates. U .S . B u reau of M ines, Beport of Investigations, N o. 3549, measuring particle-size d istrib ution an d determ ining colloid content. Studies were accordingly m ade of published m eth ods, an d a stan d ard procedure b ased on the closely with those obtained b y the pipette m ethod, which is a direct m ethod of particle- size analysis. Moreover, size-distribution curves plotted from results of nearly all the sam ples tested b y the B u reau indicate th at the cum ulative w eight percentages determined b y the hydrom eter m ethod of an aly sis form a continuous relationship with the cum ulative w eight percentage determ ined by sieve analysis.
292 a a b s t r a c t s.
Advantages of the hydrometer m ethod equally include sim plicity of equipment and test procedure; easy and quick calculation of results of an alysis by m eans of a slide rule and tables ; and provision of a m eans of prediction of possible behaviour of the fluids after accumulation of sufficient d ata. H . B . M.
719 Patents on Drilling. R- Neuhaus. U .S .P . 2,239,826, 29.4.41. Appl. 15.7.40.
Tool-joint with a coupling member with larger diam eter th an pin mem bers adapted to receive wear incident to operation.
F . Stone and A. L . Stone. U .S.P . 2,239,942, 29.4.41. A ppl. 17.5.39. Well pipe- joint.
J . F. Chappell. U .S.P. 2,239,996, 29.4.41. A ppl. 25.5.36. D rilling apparatus comprising a bit on a drill-pipe with another pilot bit being located on another pipe which is inserted inside the first pipe.
L .H . Giles. U .S.P . 2,240,095, 29.4.41. A ppl. 25.8.38. R o ck drill-bitcone-catcher which is to be used as a fishing-tool.
R . R ing. U .S.P . 2,240,417, 29.4.41. Appl. 7.10.38. A p p aratu s for surveying wells by m eans of a pendulum having a point contact w ith a record an d a low voltage current inducing electrolytic changes on the record chart, th u s m arking it,
A. R . Reed. U .S.P . 2,240, 519, 6.5.41. A ppl. 31.8.38. D rill string-shock absorber adapted for flow of slushing fluid through it.
F . J . Young. U .S.P . 2,240,737, 6.5.41. A ppl. 14.4.37, D raw -w orks having an enclosure surrounding the transm ission element.
J . A. Dunn. U .S.P . 2,240,738, 6.5.41. A ppl. 14.7.37. R o tary drilling rig with the drill-string extending into the kelly, which is aligned b y a tap er w ith the swivel.
J . D. Spalding. U .S.P . 2,240,741, 6.5.41. A ppl. 5.2.40. Draw -w orks with two shafts, one of which is adapted to convey a fluid.
J . C. Mason. U .S.P . 2,240,794, 6.5.41. A ppl. 11.3.40. D rilling lift consisting of a pair of hydraulic cylinders attached to the derrick legs an d containing pistons connected to lift-cables.
C. J . Moon. U .S.P . 2,240,852, 6.5.41. A ppl. 20.1.40. D errick structure which is capable of being raised from horizontal to vertical position.
J . Neufeld. U .S.P . 2,241,154, 6.5.41. A ppl. 1.10.38. W ell-surveying method and apparatus to determine the nature of form ations pen etrated b y the drill-hole by measuring the fluorescence of substances present in the form ation an d the depth simultaneously.
A. D. Garrison. U .S.P . 2,241,255, 6.5.41. A ppl. 17.8.39. Oil-base drilling fluid.
W. W. Robinson and R . R . Crippen. U .S.P . 2,241,273, 6.5.41. A ppl. 1.7.39.
Method and ap paratus for treatm ent of drilling m ud.
G. A. Severson. U .S.P . 2,241,274, 6.5.41. A ppl. 27.9.38. S a fe ty device adapted to disconnect the engine from the draw-work an d to ap ply the b rakes in cases of emergency.
E . Shinn and E . Shinn, J r . U .S.P . 2,241,275, 6.5.41. P o rtab le hoisting apparatus.
A . H . N.