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The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grAce A la g*nArosit6 de I'Atablissement priteur sulvant : Bibliothique, CommiMion Gfologique du Canada Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour Atra reproduites en un seul ciich6 sont film^es d partlr de Tangle supArleure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Le diagramme suivant iliustre la m^thode : 1 2 3 5 6 ^v '>\7, MCWH ■■*'^»' -^/^ fM-^c,^^ BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETV OF AMERICA Vol. 4, pp. 226-240; 241-244 ON THE GEOLOGY OF NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OP PETROLEUM IN GASP^, QUEBEC BY H. P. H. BRUMELL y W, t*^^'% ROCHESTER PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY May, 1893 BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA Vol. 4, pp. 225-240 May 20, i893 ON THE GEOLOGY OF NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO nv ir. p. U. DUUMKLL (Read before the Society December 29, 1892) CONTENTS Pnge The Areas under CoMKMeration 220 Gas-producing Ai va 22(5 Oil-l)rodneing A roa 220 Antliurities indicated 22(5 Geologic Section of the Areas : 220 Tlie geologi(! Formations involved 227 Detailed Do'scription essential 227 Tortage 227 Hamilton 227 Corniferous 228 Oriskany 229 Onondaga and Lower Ilelderberg 2150 Guelph 231 Niagara 231 Clinton 232 Medina 232 Hudson River 234 Utica 234 Trenton and Black Kivcr 234 Geologic Horizons in Ontario yielding Gas and Oil 235 Oil Wells in the Corniferous Limestone 235 Age and Depth 235 Annual Output of Oil 235 Chemical Comiiosition of the Oil 236 The Corniferous ]ietroliferous over a wide Area 236 The Medina as an Oil-producer 236 Gas-ljearing Plorizons : Clinton, Medina and Others 236 Ijocalities indicated 236 Depth at which Gas is found 23<» Records of tweuiy-eight Wells 237 Gas-bearing Bed of the Medina ; 237 XXXIV— Bum,. GEor,. Soc. Am., Voi,. 4, 18""t m (loniiforoiiH l(j()_ ;j(K) ( )riHkiiny (V- 25 ' I/jwiT IleldeihcTL' 1 .„^ , „„„ Onondaga / :M)0-],000 Silurian Canibro-Siluriun , nt'ss infect. 100 2;jo 15 050 ( iiiclpli 140- ^'iiiKivni 100- Clinton ,'to- MiMlina ism- 1 IikIhou River 500- IJtica ;!0(u Trt-ntun ) . Black River J lOO j;jo 150 800 1)00 400 (iOO- 750 150 115 90 700 7<)0 350 075 Total. 4,125 'JIIC GKOI/KHC FoUMATI()N8 INVOLVED. Detd'ihd DcHcripthm cuscnl'ml. — To moot the roquiroiiKjnts of this pjipor it is i)orhap.s hotter to descrihe, so far as is known, the various formations in descending order. Porlagc—Thii Portage in Ontario consists of a series of fissile hlaclc l)itu.nunous shales and is developed almost altogether in the county of I^amhton, whore it acquires, according to Dr T. Storry Hunt, a thickness of 213 feet, as shown in a horing made at Corunna.* These shales in a well hored at Sarnia show a thickness of 80 feet, and again, in a well sunk on lot 12, concession 10, Bosan(iuet townshi|), they are soon to hav a total thickness of 95 feet. In hoth of these instances it lies immedi- ately over the upper shale hed of the Hamilton formation, the upjjor limestone hed of which, found at Petrolea and elsewh(-re, is wanting. In the townshii) of Dawn, and again east of Oil Springs, 70 feet of hlack shales are found. In this instance they rest upon the upper limestone of the Hamilton. In a syncline lying between Petrolea and Oil 8i)rings, and separating the two fields, 40 feet of hlack shales are found in a well drilled on Fox creek, the elevation of which is considerably less than that of Oil Springs. Those shales in no instance afford oil, but are prob- ably the source of the considerable quantities of shale gas found in the overlying gravel and sand. Hamilton. — The wells in Petrolea and Oil Springs and the greater num- ber of those drilled in Lambton county show that the black shales of the * Koport of Progress, Geol. Survey of Canada; 180C, p. 217. 228 II. I.. II. IIUUMKLL— GAS AND I'KTUOLEUM IN ONTAIUO. PortHKo Kn.u,, inn.io.liutdy ov.nliu :i liuR..st<,no bod which conHtitutcs the U|.|.or stmtuiu of tho Ila.nilton f,.nnati<.n. Thi. s.rioH ..frocks vomhUi of altonmt.njr l.cMlnof li,„,..st.,no u.id gray shulos (known locullv as "soap- stone ) and has a thic-kncss. aa.nI,ton county, of ;!!)(! foct. Dr Hunt* speaks of this well as honiK important in showinj,^ the thi.-kness in Ontario of the n.i.hlle and upper Devonian, which, if we ad,l to the ;W(J feet found here the 2i;^ toet of roeks heloUKinfr to the Porta-c found at Corunna, is (50!) feet Ihc record of the well at Kingstone's mills is as follows: ^\-:-\ Hfcet. i^'f"''t- ■■;■.• 50 i;.ct, Portage. Shales «<.lt, a.ul Innestono ;.,„( j-,,^ „^^ Liniostone, hard , , .. ,. ... ^4 loot, Loriuloroiis. At Pctrolea the Ilainilton is only 290 feet thick, as follows: Limestone ('-upper linio") 40 f t Shale (" uj.por hoapstono ") ] oq T " • Llincstone (" niiddlo liiiio "J ]V « Shale (''lower Hoapstone") ' \ -!j „ Limestone ("lower lime") C8 " At Oil Sprinf,^s, 8 miles southward, the formation shows evidence of having thmned out the thickness there heing only 240 feet according t,> the foUowmg record of many wells drilled on the eastern side of the field : Limestone (" upper lime ").... ^r f ^ Shale (" upper soapstone " ) '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'..'. joi i? Limestone (" middle lime ") 27 " Shale (" lower soapstone ") ,- „ Limestone ("i6wer lime") ^ ■■.;;:;;. ;;;:;;::::;about eo « Com/f.ro«s.-Underlying the so-called lower lime of the Hamilton is a series of bituimnous limestones constituting the Corniferous formation- he source of the oil of Lambton county. lk>garding the distribution of this formation in Ontario, the following description is given: f fi Jand'yir occupied l,y this fornuition in western Canada is probablv l>etween (000 and 7,000 square nules. A jjreut part of thi.s, however, is dec'ply cohered lilh drift, so tluit the exposures are comparatively few. TA the e-istwnvl fllr Uon is hounded by the outcrops already as^i^ned t^*.;!;;:!;^;^^"^^:;: lun ts of which in niany part« have as yet been but imperfectly tmcLl T Ic Who ^ ofthe^a^vw^t^ J^. Corniferous fori ' ♦Hoportof ProKi-oss, Gool. Survey of Canad.i, 1866^ p. 251. " fGeologyof Canada, 1803, p. aG2. • .f • DKVONIAN KOUMATIONH OT ONTARIO. 220 tioii, with Wh' i^xcoption of a l)clt of liinlicr l>cvoniiin rocks wliii-li croHHCH llio couiitry from liukc Huron to F,akf Krii' iiml dividfn tin- rt^K'"" '"*'• 'wo arciiH. Tlie80 iifwer Htnitu occupy si SiiiklK'-sliiiin'il dcjircHHioii in the >{rctit Cinciiuiiiti iinti- cllnal, wliicii nnjH nearly wiHt ami west tlironyh tlio pouinHula, wliiit* tlie courso of tliiH (h'prcHHion or Hynclinal is nearly north ami sontli from IMympton, on Laku Huron, to Orford, on T/ikc l'irit\ Tlic hcit of hinlicr rocks has a breadth of only ahout twenty-live miles on the anticlinal h«'tweeii the Thames and Sydenham rivers, lint on either side it spreads to the northeast and to the southwest alon<{ the shores of the two lakes." Ill two vv(!lls, thoHo of Loiidtm uiid tho " Tost well," at I'otrolea, tlie CoriiiferouH iswhown to liiivo an a[)|»r()xiiiiato tliiiknuss ol' alxiut '200 foot, con.si.stinf? througliout of hard f^ray liiiicstono. In all woIIh whoro this formation han hocn struck the rocks appear to have heen of uniform character and to consist of white or grayish limestones holding nodules and layers of chert. Orii^kany. — The Oriskany formation is hut slightly develoj)ed in Ontario, being entirely wanting in most of the wells .sunk to or beneath its horizon ; again, owing to the carelessness of drillers, its i)resence may not have been noted. In the townships of Oneida and north Cayuga, in llaldi- mand county, it is exposed and forms beds of sandstone aggregating at the most twenty-five feet in thickness. In many of the records obtained from drillers mentioii is made of a sandstone at about the summit of the Onondaga, but in most cases close imiuiry has proven these statements to be fallible, the so-called sandstone being generally a granular dolomite. However, iii two wells at least there is strong evidence of a sandstone occurring at a point near the position (occupied by the Oriskany. One of these was a well drilled at Dresden, Camden township, Kent county, wherein the following record was met with, according to the driller: Surface deposits 43 feet. Shale, black 180 " Limestone 12 " Shale ("soapstonc") 172 " Limestone 7") " Sandstone 44 " Again, in a well suidc near Dresden, on lot 3, (concession 2, Camden township, the foUowing section was, according to the driller, obtained : Surface deposits CO feet. Shale, black 20 " Limestone 30 " Shale (" soapstone ") 204 " Limestone 117 " Sandstone .... 4G " 230 II. 1". II. ItlUrMKI.I, — (iAH AND I'KTIMM.IOI'M IN ONTAUIO. Oiwitdaijiiand hnirr irrlifrrhrri/.— WrWi'iah tlu' Oriskiiiiy, wlii-n prosciit, and usuiilly dirocrtly iiDdcnu'iilli lliis ('itniilisrons I' .icstuiic, is a long HcrieH of linicHtoncH, doloniik'H, marls, sliivlos, <;y|»suin, and salt (;onstitut- in« the ()nondaj,'a, which for convt^nicMcc can he made to inchido the Lower lleldcrherg. Tiiis formation ac(|uin;s a thickn(!ss, in the salt region of Huron county, of at least 1,")(H) feet, according to the following very accurate record made hy l)r T. rt(^rry Hunt* of a wcsll sunk at (juderieh hy Mr Henry Attrill, of that place: Frxt. Inflict. SiirfiU'o ilcpoHits 7,S j) Dolomite, witli lliin liiiicstunc layers 27,S .'! liiiiiestoiie, witli corals, clierl and lieds ofdt.loiiiite 27() Dol iiiiile, witii seaiiiH o('gv|i,siiiii 24.'! Variej,'aled marls, with beds of dolomite |2I liock-salt, lii-st bed ;•() ] | Doloinite, witii marls toward the oase ;;2 1 Rock-Hult, second bed 2^^ 4 Dolomite (i jo liock-salt, third bed ;{4 jq •ISIarls, witii dolomite and anhydrite ,s() 7 Jiock-salt, fonrtli bed ^5 5 Dolonnte and anhydrite 7 o Uock-salt, fifth bed ];{ (j Marls, soft, with anliydrite i;[.j (j Koek-salt, sixth bed (j o INhirls, soft, with dolomite and anhydrite l,'J2 () Total depth 1^517 q As to what is the greatest actual thickness of the formation it is im- possihle to say, as data regarding its lower measures are wanting. In none of the records ohtained has there heen definitely noted the red and greenish shales indicative of the hase of the formation in New Yo.k state. According to the records of wells sunk for gas in Hertie township, Wel- land county, it has there a total thickness of 3U0 feet, consisting of gray and drah dolomites, hlack shale and gypsum, and in a well at Petr,)lea it was found to he U05 or more feet thick, as follows: Limestone, hard, white 500 feet. Gyi)8um ,S0 " Salt and sliale 105 " Gypsum gO " Salt and shal 140 " The formation may he thicker, as drilling ceased in the salt and shale. ♦ Report of ProKresH, Gool. Survey of Cauadtt, 1870- 77, SlI.niltAN I'OUMATIONS (»K ONTAUfO. 231 Gtieiph. — Un(l(!riunitli the Onoiidiij^a Ih mot witli, ovor a coiiHidcraMo portion of tlio proviiu't!, a scrUis (d" yellowisli to brown and in placos bituminous (lolomitos, bavinu a probablo tbickuoHH of not moro tlian KiO feet and known as tho (iu(!l[)b formation. Tboso l)odH bavo been pierced in many wells in Ontario, but efforts to o])tain from drillers definite in- formation as to tlu'ir tbiekness and ebarac^ti^r bavo been useless, nor lias it been found possible to draw any distin(;tion, in records of wells so far obtained, between tbe dolomites of tbis formation and tbe gray dobmiito of tbe Niajtara, wbieb innnediately underlies it. In tlu; W(^lls of tbe Bertie townsbip, Welland county, fjas field are found about 240 feet of dolomitc^s of (iuelpb and Niaj^ara ajje, and in number 1 well sunk by tbe I'ort C/'olborno Natural (ias Tiif^bt un, it would bave a tbiekness of about 450 f(;et, and is com- I)osed of a wbitisb subcrystallinc limestone. On tbe Welland canal, near Tborold, is seen tbe following section in ascending order :-'- Blnish-bhuk bituiniiiouH whale 55 feet. Hlnisli-gniy arj^illaoeoiis liniostoiio 8 " Dark bluish hituiiunouH liinoHtone 8 " Liglit and (hirk-gmy iiiaf^iiosiaii liiiiostono 20 " Eluish bituiuinouH HnioHtoiio 7 " Total 104 " This section does not include twi ' ' t beds of Iduisb-gray magne- sian limestone wbicb maybe of Clinti/u age, tbougb toward their summit holding two spc ' s of fossils characteristic of the Niagara series in New York, nor does it reach the summit of the formation. In Illsscx county the beds met with in the various wells sunk near Kingsville and Ruth- ven at a depth of from 1 ,000 to 1,100 feet consist of a light yellowish-gray yesicular dolomite which is probably of Niagara age. It is from this dolomite that the large flows of gas have been obtained. ♦Oeology of Catiadii, 1HG;t, p. 322. i mm 2;]2 II. p. II. BRUMKLL — OaS AND PlCTROLKl'M IN ONTARIO. Clinton. — The Clinton, on entering Canada throujfli the Niagara penin- sula, consists of a hand of green shale 24 feet thick underlying 18 feet of limestone, though in tlic wells of the L'rovincial Natural Gas and Fuel company in Bertie township the shales are apparently entirely wanting, the formation consisting, it is said, of 30 feet of white crystalline dolomite, which is grayish toward the hase. In numher 1 well of the Port C'ol- horne com[)any there were found heneath the dark shales, indicative of the hase of the Niagara, 72 feet of marls and dolomites, which are in all prohahility attril)utal)le to the Clinton. The formation appears to thicken toward the northwest, gradually diminishing again, as proved hy the ex- posure which trends to the north from Hamilton toward Collingwood, a little south of which it takes a sweep to the westward. In Wentworth county, in the township of Flamborough West, the Clinton is seen to rest upon about 8 feet of whitish sandstone, constitutiiig the "gray band," Avhich is apparentlj'^ missing in Welland county, but on the northern extension of the formation proves a very conspicuous feature, forming a terrace upon which the shale and limestone of the upper part of the Clinttm occur. In the many records of wells drilled in the interior of the ])rovince evidence is wanting to estimate the thickness or character of the (Clinton, though in one, that of a boring at Waterloo, there were said to have been found 1 14 feet of blue shale lying immediately above red shale undoubtedly of Medina age. In all prol)ability there have been included in this 114 feet the dark shales of the Niagara. Medina. — Following immediately upon tlie Clinton and, where present, the sandstone of the gray band is a great thickness of red and white sandstones and red and green shales which constitute the Medina. This formation has its greatest thickness in the Niagara peninsula, gradually diminishing toward the north, where, at Cape Commodore, in Grey county, there are seen beneath the Clinton limestone 109 feet of red and green shales resting upon strata of the Hudson River formation. In number 1 well, drilled in Port Coll)ornc by the Port Colborne company, the measures penetrated for a distance of 770 feet were — Rod Rhalo, with thin bands of white .sandstone 50 feet. Red and white sandstone 53 " Soft red shale, with bands of gray and green G07 " Total 770 " Drilling ceased at this point at a distance of at least 200 feet above the base of the formation, as in a well on lot G, concession lo of liertio town- ship, there were found 1,0(>0 feet of strata attril)utal»le to the Medina. The best record of the upper beds of the formation is that of the bottom SILURIAN PomrATIONS OF OKTARIO. 233 of number 1 well, drilled hy the Provincial company, on lot 3"), conces- aion 3, Bertie township, and which is as follows : Red .sandHtone 55 f^^i Rod shale _ _ ^q << IJlue shale 5 c,soft 40 > \ Limestone, j;my, oil rock 25 Depth. 4(>5 Annual Oiilind of Oil. — Some 3,000 wells are now producing and afl'ord about 8(K),0()0 barrels per annum, making the average daily production about two-thirds of a barrel per well. The oil is dark-colored and of from 31° to 35° Baume in gravity ; nor is it an oil that can be easily refined, on account of the considerable proportion of sulphur it contains in a form as yet undeterniined. 236 II. 1'. H. r,RUMKi,r, — gas and pktkoi.kum in ontauu). Chemiad Coiiiptmilion oj Ihc Oil. — Acconliiif^ to roturus reooivcd fi't»in tho rctiuories for the year 1889 it lias a commercial content of — IJenzino and niii)htlia 1.0 per rent. llluniiimtiiij? oil 38.7 " I'liratHin', fr.vH ami otlior oils and wax 25.3 '• Waste (coke, tar and heavy residunni) 34.4 " 100.0 " The Cornifcrous pcLroliferoHii over a wide Area. — While the Corniferous af- fords commercial quantities of oil only in Lamhton county, explorations have proved it to be jtetroliferous over a wide extent of country, including the northern part of Kent, the eastern part of ^^iddle8ex, and southern part of Oxford. In the county of Essex oil has l)een found at two points, presumably in the Niajfara or upper strata of the C!linton. At Ct)mbcr, in this county, small (pumtities of heavy black oil were found in a hard limestone at 1,270 feet, and ajjain at Walker's well number 2, on lot 8, concession (5, Colchester township, oil similar in api»earance and gravity was found at 1,();)0 feet in a brownish limestone. This well is said to have pumped five barrels per day. THE MEDINA AS Ay OIL-PRODUCER. The only other formation Avherein oil lias been struck is the Medina, in which, in Humberstone township, Welland county, it has been noted in two wells. These are on lots 11 and 12, concessit)!! 8, and are said to have llowed four and two barrels each per day respectively. The oil occurs in the second white sandstone lied, about 100 feet beneath the summit of the formation. The oil is of light claret color, of about 45'^ Baume gravity, and is aiiparently free from sulphur. Further work in search of this oil has not yet been undertaken. OAS-BEARIXO HORIZONS: CLINTON, MEDINA AND OTHERS. Locfdities indicated. — (Jas is found in large quantities at two horizons only, viz, one, which is still doubtful though in the neighborhood of the Clinton, in Essex county; and in the Medina, in Welland. In the foriiier county, in the vicinit}' of Iluthven, (iosfu'ld township, there have been sunk several wells, in three of wliicii were found large quantities of gas, in each case emanating from a gray vesicular dolomite at a depth of about 1,000 feet. Dejdh at which Gds isfoiuid. — In Welland county, wherein the gas field covers a much greater area than that of Essex, the gas is found almost entirely in the Medina sandstone, about 100 feet below the summit of the formation and at a dejith of about 830 feet. The record of number 1 DEPTH AND CAPACITY OK WKM.S. 237 TliirkncM in fact. <> well, drilled on lot JJo, concession .'5, IJertie ttjwiiship, by the I'rovincial Naturtil Gas and F'ucl (!oini)any, is a follows : Formation. Strata. Surface ileposits Coriiiferous l)iirk-};niy liniestoiu? Oiiondaga (jirayaiiil(lral)(l(tli)iiiitoH,l>lacksliale8anili;j'isiiii(. . GiU!l|)h and Niagara. . . (iray dolomite Niagara Rlaeiv sliale Clinton . White cry.'^tallinc dolomite, gray toward bottom. . . Red sandstone Ued shale nine shale White sandstone Hlne shale L White sandstone (" gas-rock ") Medina. Total. 300 240 r)0 30 55 10 5 5 20 U) 840 oil the 45'^ in Records of twciity-dght Welti. — In the above well 2,()00,()0() cubic feet of gas per day were struck at a depth of 830 feet, (n* six feet in the sect)nd white sandstone l)ed. This company have drilled some thirty wells, the records of which do not differ materially from that given jibove, though capacity varies greatly, as may be seen from the following table : Nitmher of the well. 1. ;{. 4. Cubic feet per dai/, . 2,050,000 375,tXK) (iOO.OOO . 2,200,000 5 8,500,000 70,000 7 3,000,000 8 47,000 ic foot ]t(!r day was found. Anothor was drilled by tho t'itizons' (ias, Oil and IMpinji; com- pany of Kiiif^svillo on the road allowanco aljout "k) yards wost of tlie al)ov('-niontioned well, and atlordod 7,()(M),(HX) foot ]ter day, from a rock similar in charaotor and depth to that in (k)sto num't)er 1. On lot 7, concession 1, of CJosfiold, the Citizens' (3omi)any aj^ain drilled and found gas to tho extent of 2,5()(),(KM) cubic feet per day, and I understand that the Ontario company have been (juite successful in a boring made southeast of their Coste number 1, having ol)tained there a heavy (low, estimated at 7,<)0(),()tK) feet per day. All oH'orts to Hnd gas north and northwest of this group of wells have boon futile, tho beds being found to be flooded with salt water. Other LdCdllties. — Among other lesser producers may be mentioned Carrolls, in liumberstone township, which afforded 1,0()0,()()0 cubic foot per day. At Cayuga, in Haldiniand county, west of Wolland, a consid- erable flow was found in the Medina as well as at Dunnville, about mid- way between Port Colborne and Cayuga. In wells bored to or through the Medina north and northwest of Welland, and tho wells mentioned above, tho formation has been found to be ])ractically barren of gas, the only boring wherein it was noted being at Beeton, where in a soft sand- stone just beneath the surface deposits a small quantity occurred. The Clinton as a Gas-jtroducer. — Tho Clinton in a small number of wells has afibrdod large quantities of gas, the most marked instances being those in Welland county, known as Near's, Reebe's and Hopkins' num- ber 2, each of which i)roduced 400,000 cubic feet per da}', and tho Mu- tual company's well, which produced 1,500,000 cubic feet. These wells are all in that district wherein the Medina is so pi'oductive, a fact that rather tends to suggest that the gas is adventitious. Outside of this county the Clinton has not as yet produced a single cul)ic foot of gas. Jlxception must, of course, l)e taken to this statement if it be proved that the pi'oductive horizon in Essex county is in that formation. 77(C Niagara as a Gas-producer.— In Welland county the Niagara also is a large producer of gas. well number 22 of the Provincial company affording 1,850,000 cubic foot per day from tho limestones of the upi)er part of the formation, while in a well sunk a few miles north of this, at Niagara Falls South, a flow of 50,(K)() cubic feet was obtained in the shales beneath the limestone. OTHER OA.S-BEARIXG FOR.MATIOXS. There now remain to be spoken of onl}' three formations whicU have aftbrded gas, though only as yet in small quantities. They are tho Onondaga, the Trenton, and a sandstone of age anterior to the latter. GAS PnoNf TIIK TltKNTON AND t^NONDAOA. 230 The Onomhif/d (i>t a Gnu-produan: — The ocoiirronco of f^us in tlio Oiioiv (liif^ii, oven in tlio .sniall <|Miintiti().s notod, is uniciuo. At Blyth, Huron county, and in tiio midst of a eonsidorahlc lunnhcr of wt'ls l»orod in the salt rojfion, a well was (h'illed wliicli ailorded, according to the driller, the following record; Surface deposits 104 ffct . Limestone ;',()0 " (?) :i4(; " " IMiick shiile " lot) " "Hani rock" '. 170 " Shale lOi) " Rock-Halt 00 " Total 1,215 " In the Idaok shales considerahlo (juantitics of gas were ol)tained, not, however, suflicient to he of coniinercial value. The Trenton an n Gns-prodncer. — The Trenton formation has not as yet aflbrded any considerahle (luantities of gas, though pierced at many points, the most westerly heing Stratford, where it was found at 2,3(!i) feet and penetrated for 2-1 feet, where a heavy How of salt water caused the ahandon- mcnt of the work. Coming eastward, the ])oint where it was next struck was on lot 10, con(!ession 15, Hrantford township, lirant county, where it was reached at a depth of 1,950 feet and a small (piantity only of gas oljtained at its summit. At Dundas, near Hamilton, in Wentworth county, it was struck at 1,4.'^0 feet and found to he harren. Again, at Thorold, Welland county, ahout 40 miles east of Hamilton, the Trenton was struck at 1,905 feet and penetrated for 525 feet, where a very small flow of gas was noted. Ahout 8 miles north of this, at Saint Catharines, it was again reached, heing struck at 1,506 feet and found to he harren, although the entire formation was traversed. Again east of Thorold and on lot 0, concession 15, of Bertie township, it was struck at 2,525 feet in well numher 14 of the Provincial company, wherein it was traversed for 195 feet without affording gas. The foregoing three wells are the only ones in which the Trenton was reached south of Lake Ontario. On the northern side, however, it has heen met with in all wells drilled close to the lake shore. In Toronto several wells were sunk, operations com- mencing upon the Hudson River formation and the drilling continued deep into or through the Trenton without finding gas; hut at Mimico, ahout 8 miles west, three wells have afforded small quantities, the great- est How heing ahout 50,000 cuhic feet pcf day. In and around CoUing- wood several wells, heginning in the upper heds of the formation and continued to its hase, afforded small Hows, the greatest being about 0,000 cubic feet per day. 240 If. p. ir. lUniMKLL— OAS AND PKTKOr.Kr'Xf IN ONTAKIO, It w,Il thus 1,0 soon that in Ontario the Trenton a, a lar^c producer l'.i.s proved HO (ar anythiu- hut succe.SHlul. E, ,..1 at Dundas on the crown of the Dunda. antieiinal, no ,a.s ...s found. There, ho";;" ro- ".ni.,H m the western ..nd southweHtcrn portion of the province a larKO area as yet untouche.l wherein it n.ay afford hirge .piantitieH and prove ot a rreat vrdue as it lias further southward, in Ohio Tl following? table exhibits tlie position of the Trenton in southwe.st- ern Ontario in regard to tide level. Locality of well. Toronto, Rwanson . . Miinii'o Collingwood, City. .. Defpiii DmidaH Saint CatlmrincH...! Thorold Provincial coiiipany, nnnilici 14 Braiitford Stratford Eloyntion of well aliove tide. J'Wi. ;!47 2S0 502 00() About .'iOU 297 0I7 •Abont (!20 (172 1.18.5 Elevntifm ' of Huniniitofl Trenton. | Tbicknc.ss of Trenton. Klevntion of buHO of Trenton. Feet. j Feel. ~ -'!»(? I 602 — 44:5 ; HcKun on i Trenton. . + -').-)2 !... — l.KiO '.... ~\,m): 007 ■ -- i,:iH.s .... — 1, !)().■) — 1,27K — 1,170 Fed. — S<)S Not readied. + :{!) Not readied. ....do — l,87(i Not readied Oas in Tren- ton— cubic feet |)er day. ..do ..do .do None. About 5,000 " 5,000 " (i,(K)0 None. None. Very small. None. N'ery Hinall. None. Unfortunately no analysc-s or elose e-xaminations have as yet been made of the Irenton limestone in that part of the province under eon- sideratHin, the only analyses available beinj, tho.se of specimens from erating on the southwest side of Caspe bay, in the neighborhood of and to the south of (iaspe l)asin. The Oil-bearing Formation described. — In the eastern part of the Gasp6 l»eninsula there is a great thickness of sandstones resting conformably ui)on almost as great a thickness of limestones, the whole being of lower Devonian and possibly partly Upper Silurian age. According to Dr R. W. Ells,* these sandstones have a thickness of about 3,000 feet, while the ♦ Koport of Progress, Geol. Survey of Cimadii, 1880-82, p. 5 D D. XXXVI— Bull. Gkol. Soc. Am., Vol. 4, 18U'.4. (241) 242 II. r. II. IJHUMKM- — I'KTUnLKI'M IN (JI'KIMCC. undcrlyiuf^ linioHtonc in ('stiiniited at iiliout 2,(KH) feet. Tlicsc nuks arc * lurf^fly (Icvelopod in tlio vicinity id' (iaH|)i! bay, wlicrc tliey tonn a .scries of almost i>arallcl antiulinal.>i, on or luar tlu; axes of wliicth the j^roatcr ])art of tlie exploratory work has ))een done. Dr K. W. EIIh, in the report cited above, speaks of these antiolinals as follows : "The rocks of the HcricH have a con.sidorahlu devclopiiu'iit on tlie Hcvcml rivers that flow into (iaHix' hay, wliere tliey he in sliallow l)iiHinM, hounded hy tlie anti- eUiials, wlilch l)rln)i into view tiie strata of the lower or < iaspe linieHtone series. These hawins arc at Idast four in nuniher, the dividinji anticlinais heinjj known as the Haldiniand, the Tar I'oint, tiie Point Suint i'eter, iind the I'erce, the most southerly yet reeo^jni/ed. On the south side they rest upon rocks of the Silurian system. The whole formation may therelon> he s'lid t'ioccni)y aKeosyneiinal hasin, the western linut of which 1ms not yet heen traceil, hut which will prohuhly he found to )m) continuous with the hasin recoj^nized on the Cascapedia river, and thence extending to the IMctapedia." Foiiner Knnidedric concerning the Locality. — In the " (Jeology of Canada," 1863, page 789, the followinji mention is made of the various natural oil springs of the district. This includes i)robably all that was known of the occurrence of oil in CJaspe up to that date : "At the oil sprin-, at Silver brook, a tributary of the York river, the petroleum oozes from a mass of sandstone and arenaceous shale, which dips southcastwardly at an angle of 1.3° and is nearly a mile to the south of the crown of the anticlinal. The oil, which here collects in j)ools along the brook, has a greenish color and an aromatic odor, which is less disagreeable than that of the petroleum of western Canada. From a boring which has been sunk in the sandstone to a depth of about 200 feet there is an abundant flow of water, accompanied with a little gas and very small quantities of oil. Farther westward, at about twelve miles from the mouth of the river, oil was observed on the surface of the water at the outcroj) of the lime- stone. Petroleum is met with at Adams' oil spring, in the rear of lot B of York, nearly two miles east of south from the entrance of (iaspe basin. It is here found in small quantities floating upon the surface of the water, and near by is !' layer of thickened petroleum, mixed with mold, at a dei)th of a foot beneath the surface of the soil. A mile to the eastward, at Handy beacii, oil is said to occur, and, again, at Haldimandtown, where it rises through the nmd on the shore. These three ocalities arc upon the sandstone and on the line of the northern auMclinal which passes a little to the north of the Silver Ihook o\\ spring. Farther to tiie southeast, on the line of the southern anticlinal and about two miles west of Tar Toint, which takes its name from the i>etroleum found there, uiiotlier oil spring is said to be fouinl, three-(iuarters of a mile south of Seal cove. On the south side of the Doug- lastown lagoon, and about a mile west of the village, oil rises in small (luantities from the mud on the beach. .\ well has here been bored to a depth of 125 feet in the sandstone, which dips Ui the southwest at an angle of 10°, but tratres only of oil have been obtained. Farther to the westward oil is said to occur on the second fork of the Douglastowu river. Traces of it have also been observed in a brook UKCKNT OITCRATIONS IN (iASI'K. 213 near Siiint (icoigi-'H cove, on tlu> iiDitlu'iiHl nidc f>f (luHpt'' Imy. In iiimc of JIh-hh li»calili*'H(l() the HpriiiKH yield any lai>,'t' (|iiantitifH(»f oil, imr liavctiio Itoiinf^H, which have hcon niaiU' in two placoH, hccii an yi'l Knccccsful. The above indifalionn are, however, interestinn, inasniueh as they hIiow the oxintenee of potrolenni over a eoMsiderahle area in this region, some part of wiiieh may i»erhaps furnish availa- ble (luantities of tliis material." Recknt Ex ploitation. Hlxlnri/ nJhiUr Opcrdlioun vol fullif kiioiryi. — Roj?iir