Transactions (1871) (14740410046)
Summary
Identifier: transmining14amer (find matches)
Title: Transactions
Year: 1871 (1870s)
Authors: American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers
Subjects: Mineral industries
Publisher: New York (etc.)
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto
Text Appearing Before Image:
rren County, and the Franklin pool in western Venango County.The oil of this district is obtained from three principal sand-beds,known respectively as the first, second, and third oil-sands, con-tained within an interval of 350 feet. The first sand, which is theuppermost one of the three, lies about 450 feet below the base of theOlean conglomerate. The Venango sands I believe to belong tothe Catskill (Devonian) formation Xo. IX. These oil-sands werethe first discovered in Pennsylvania; and drillers from this field, op-erating in other districts, have designated the sands which were foundin the new districts as the first, second, and third sands, irrespectiveof their relative geological position. The Venango sands generallyconsist of a white, gray or yellow pebble-rock. The pebbles arewater-worn, are sometimes as large as hazelnuts, and are looselycemented together, and generallv bedded in fine sand. The sand in THE OIL-REGIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW YORK. 423 Q ^ * •^3 Q s 2 R! ! I
Text Appearing After Image:
424 THE OIL-REGIOXS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW YORK. this district has not as regular or as homogeneous a character, overextended areas, as in the Bradford and Allegany fields, where thesands are phenomenal in this respect; consequently, the risk ofobtaining dry holes and wells of variable production in the Venangodistrict has always been greater than in the Bradford and Allegany.The oils are generally green, frequently black, and in some instancesamber. The gravity varies from 30 to 51 degrees, 48 degrees beingabout the average gravity of the oil obtained from the third sand,which is the greatest producer. The Venango district up to Janu-ary, 1885, has produced about 55,000,000* barrels, an average ofabout 846,000 barrels per square mile. 5. The Butler district has been made to include the oil-pools inButler and Clarion Counties and southeastern Venango County.The total area of the oil-pools is 84 square miles, of which at least76 square miles are embraced in the Clarion, Butler and Arm