[Printed circa 1936]
GEOLOGY OF BOONE COUNTY, KENTUCKY
Geological Boone County is 'an extremely interesting region. In its general psysiographic and geologic relations the county lies in the grand natural division known as the Appalachian Province, all parts of which have had a common history which is recorded in the rocks and surface features.
Big Bone Lick, in the south central portion of the county, was discovered in 1729 by Captain Charles Lemoin de Longeuil. [date incorrect] This is one of the most noted regions in the world for fossil corals. In number of species and specimens this great burial grounds of the inhabitants of the district in a far distant age is perhaps unrivalled throughout the world. Some of the limestone beds are actually old coral reefs, crowded with coral remains.
Other parts of the county, and other stratas are equally rich in the fossils that record the ancient life of the seas which covered the region possibly twenty million years ago.
It will be the purpose of this paper to take advantage of these and other geological conditions such as the great Cincinnati Arch, the west branch of which passed entirely through the county in an approximate north-west south-east direction, in an effort to determine the possibilities of the region for oil and gas. Major geological features, —uplifts, folds, faults, anticlines, and synclines,—are easily traced throughout the county in the creek beds, road cuts, and outcrops.
Big Bone Lick itself is in a syncline. This can be proved by a correlation of wells drilled there to a depth of several hundred feet. In addition these wells have been producing salt water for years, which is in itself an indication of a syncline.
OIL AND GAS POSSIBILITIES IN BOONE COUNTY, KENTUCKY
On the authority of leading petroleum engineers and geologists by far the greater percentage of all known oil and gas fields were discovered through oil and gas seepages of crude oil that will compare favorably with those over existing oil fields throughout the world. Oil seepages are also found in appreciable quantities in water wells throughout the county.
Every known indication in advance of the actual drilling of a test well are present in this county. The following facts will show from a geological standpoint the possibility of the presence of one or more of the largest oil and gas fields in the state.
The salt wells at Big Bone Lick have been mentioned previously. These wells show that there is here one of the largest deposits of salt water in the State of Kentucky. The presence of this water indicates that adjoining it somewhere there is a possibility of a deposit of oil and a great pressure of natural gas. In this connection it is interesting to note that in Isabella, Midland, and Saginaw Counties in Michigan, as well as in various counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Texas, wells were drilled for salt water, and salt water was produced in the synclines for years before anyone thought to drill for oil and gas on the adjacent anticlines. The presence of salt water is an indication of a syncline, and there is always an excellent chance for oil and gas on an anticline laying next to it. In other words, in practically all known oil and gas fields there is either an adjoining syncline producing salt water, or a salt dome.
The west branch of the Cincinnati Arch, the key structure to all geology passes (as has been mentioned before) through this territory in an approximate north-west south-east direction. This structure has oil and gas field on its flanks throughout fully one-third of its length everywhere else.
From time to time various devices have been brought forth by hopeful inventors, who claim that they will positively locate oil and gas. To date these devices have, without exception, proved to be of no practical value. It is true, there are geophysical methods of prospecting for oil and gas. These methods have been classified as magnetic, gravitation, seismic, and electrical. The proper use of one or more of these methods will locate the position of salt domes or structures, from which findings the geologist can quite definitely locate the position of possible oil and gas bearing structures. It remains for the bit, however, to disclose its actual presence. The necessity of the use of these expensive methods in this district has been eliminated by the very nature of the territory. The presence of the brine wells already drilled, as well as the rock exposures in the creek beds and road cuts, quite definitely locate the structures.
A report of a survey supervised by the Bureau of Mines, Geological Department, Washington, D. C., says of Kentucky that of the total of 25,982,720 acres in the state, 24,648,064 acres are areas favorable for the production of oil and gas. To date the actual producing areas may be estimated at less than 60,000 acres, and you might add that many acres prospected for oil and gas.
It is a definite fact, however, that there is no instrument, and no geologist, that can tell positively the location of oil and gas. The geologist can locate the favorable structure, but the only positive method of determining the presence or absence of oil and gas is a drilled well, with the water properly cased off, drilled to the depth of the probable oil and gas bearing stratas.
Any production of oil in this territory will be found in the "Trenton limestone." "The Trenton limestone" is a driller's term for a formation found in the middle Ordovician system. It has proved itself one of the most prolific sources of oil and gas in the United States. It is probably safe to say that it has as many, if not more wells than any other single formation. It has not thousands, but tens of thousands of wells throughout Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Any attempt to find production below the Trenton would, in all probability, be useless. Below the Trenton lies the St. Peter sandstone, which is also Ordovician. The St. Peter is usually a white sandstone, although at times it may contain more or less limestone. There are geologists who claim that production may be found in the St. Peter. [—3—] Suffice it to say that of the thousand of wells drilled into the St. Peter, little or no production has been found.
At this point it may be of interest to give a brief outline of the formations to be encountered in drilling a well in this territory. Below the soil and surface drift the first rock is of the upper Ordovician system. The first formation encountered in the hills of the county will be the upper part of the Maysville group, the lower part of which will be found on the slopes of the hills, and in the lowlands. The Maysville Group consists for the most part of blue, coarse, calcareous shales, with many rough, thin, limestone layers. The Eden Group consists of bluish gray to black, predominantly soft, fairly fissile, aluminous and calcareous shales, with numerous thin, even limestone layers. The Cynthiana Group lies below the Eden Group. The Cynthiana consists of a heavy, more or less irregular limestone, with occasional thin shale layers. It will probably be from thirty to fifty feet thick in this territory. It should be noted that inexperienced drillers frequently mistake the Cynthiana for the Trenton. Care should be taken to avoid this error. Below the Cynthiana lies the Trenton limestone of the middle Ordovician. The Trenton is a brown limestone, shade characteristic and easily distinguished, varying from brown to buff, with occasional grays.
Production in existing Trenton fields is usually found within the upper fifty feet, although there are occasions of production at several hundred feet in the Trenton. For this reason any test well should be drilled at least several hundred feet in the Trenton. The top of the Trenton should be reached at an average depth of about five hundred feet. It will be considerably deeper in the higher elevations, and somewhat shallower in the lowlands, all depending on the structure and surface elevation.
In prospecting for oil and gas in a news territory the usual quota of skeptics and doubters are found. The people with the least theoretical and practical knowledge are the first to condemn a territory. It is well to remember when prospecting for oil and gas that all future fields will be found according to the same theories, and in territory as likely looking as in existing fields. Practically all existing fields are condemned as worthless until the oil and gas were found.
The automobile, with its consequent great demand for oil and gasoline, has been developed within the past thirty years. With the growth of the automobile industry, the oil industry has had a parallel growth. It is only within the past thirty years that the oil and gas yield of any consequence were discovered.
Contrary to popular opinion the first oil well in the country was not the Drake well at Titusville, Pennsylvania. The first oil well was drilled in 1826 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. The driller was looking for salt water, and the discovery of oil was entirely accidental. There was no market for the oil at that time, and it was allowed to flow into the river.
It remained for the railroad conductor, Colonel Drake, to drill the first commercial well at Titusville in 1859. The custom of knocking started early. The well was known as "Drake's folly."
In every state and county where oil has been discovered, however, there were men who had the courage, confidence, and vision, to do the pioneer development. The major oil companies rarely, if ever, do this work. It is only after it has been done that they come in with their hundreds of drilling outfits and their pipe lines and fully develop the territory, with mutual benefit to themselves, and every inhabitant of the district.
There are forty-one counties producing oil and gas in the State of Kentucky. There is every possibility that Boone County can be the next on that list. This will happen, however, when the citizens of the county get behind development and lease their land to the man who has done all the pioneer work.
Almost three quarters of the county has as its northern and western boundary the Ohio River, one of the finest navigable streams in the country. Along its banks could be constructed safe landings and towns to care for the commerce and business of the county. Such enterprises would come with the discovery of oil and gas.
There is enough natural gas in the ground in Boone County to supply cheap fuel to glass factories and steel plants that always follow cheap fuel and transportation, as well as all the cities of northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio.
Any such resources will not be developed by the people of other districts. They are too busy minding their own business. It will remain for the business and professional men of Boone County to support such development with their encouragement and moral support.
The wealth brought into a district by the discovery of oil and gas is almost unbelievable. In Lee County, Kentucky in 1918, there was one hundred and twenty-five million dollars in oil produced and sold through the pipe lines, and in 1919 ninety million dollars worth. These wells are still producing. Farmers and landowners with even small farms were paid as high as two and three thousand dollars a day by the pipeline companies. These figures can be verified. They are a matter of state record and report, and may be found in any public library in the State of Kentucky.
It should be noted that there had never been a well drilled on any of the favorable structures in Boone County until the writer drilled his Number One well on the Dr. F. D. Crigler farm.
Since the writing of the above article the writer made a complete geological survey; moved in equipment and brought in six large gas wells. The first well was drilled in December 24, 1935 on the Dr. F. D. Crigler farm, two miles southeast of Hebron. This well, was, according to gas engineers the largest gas well ever brought in east of Texas. There has been five large gas wells brought in by the same parties since then. One on the Hafer Heirs farm just east of Hebron; one on the B. H. Tanner farm three miles southeast of Hebron; one on the Chester Tanner farm just east of Limaburg, a gas well has been brought in which took four days to get under control. This was only accomplished then, by sending to Butler, Pa., for equipment as all equipment the operators were able to acquire in this territory had been used and failed to control the enormous flow of gas. A large well has also been found on the Ogden farm one half mile north of Limaburg. A well drilling on the H. L. McGlasson farm two miles north of Hebron struck a good gas sand and flow of gas Saturday, July 11, 1936.
There are now three wells drilling and one large 27-Star Machine being moved on location. The wells so far completed are all large natural gas wells, each estimated to produce, when connected to the pipe lines over two million cubic feet of gas per day.
The Columbia Gas & Electric Company will take all the gas produced as soon as pipe line connections can be made.
The drilling operations are carried on night and day, therefore, quite a number of men are employed in the various operations around the leases and drilling equipment, such as hauling coal, water, laying pipe lines and other work. It is by far the largest industry in Boone County outside of farming. Visitors are invited at all times to see the drilling wells while in operation.
Wells are now drilling one on the Griffith farm just east of Limaburg, one on the J. P. Tanner farm at Florence, one on the H. L. McGlasson farm 2 miles north of Hebron, Ky. Equipment is being moved onto the J. D. Cloud farm two miles east of Hebron. This is a very deep well outfit shipped here from Oklahoma at great expense. This well will be drilled deeper than any well ever drilled in Northern Kentucky or Southern Ohio.
The above wells were all located and drilled by the writer of the above article, since Sept. 15, 1935. We do not want your money, but we do want your good will and cooperation. We have nothing to sell but the gas and oil that will come out of the earth in Boone County, Kentucky.
Printed by BOONE COUNTY RECORDER
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