white: relations between coal and petroleum 207 



It is thus seen not only that the oils found in the regions of 

 higher alteration of the carbonaceous deposits are in general 

 higher in rank than are those in regions of lesser alteration, but 

 also that in a single region the rank of the oil increases, -pari 

 passu, in the same direction as does the alteration of the car- 

 bonaceous deposits. This is clear when reference is made to 

 the progressive alteration of the coals in passing eastward through 

 this region, as is indicated on the map. Doubtless some of the 

 local fluctuations are due to local variations in the intensities 

 of the dynamic stresses. Others may be due to unknown cir- 

 cumstances connected with the samphng, to variations due to 

 filtration, or to differences in the composition of the organic 

 debris in the mother rock. 



A further examination of the map for the purpose of com- 

 paring the trend of the eastern border of the productive oil 

 region with the trend of the isovols (isoanthracitic lines) which 

 have already been described, shows a degree of parallelism which 

 is all the more surprising when it is known that the "contouring" 

 of the fixed carbons of the Coals was done long before the 

 inspection of the oil maps suggested a close comparison. It is 

 seen that, in general, the eastern border of the oil field falls near 

 the 60 per cent fixed carbon line, though small pools appear to 

 have been found near the 65 per cent line. Gas pools fringe the 

 oil field in a zone of higher alteration, but no pool of commercial 

 size appears to have been found anywhere in the Appalachian 

 trough so far east as the 70 per cent hne. In fact, it appears 

 probable that a revision of the isovol lines, based on more com- 

 plete data, may show no pools of oil in rocks of higher car- 

 bonization than 65 per cent fixed carbon. It will also be 

 noted that the eastward trend of the isovols in the southern 

 Virginia region, on account of fault compensation of the stresses, 

 finds a response in an eastward oil pool trend, which will prob- 

 ably be more clearly shown when the eastern Kentucky region 

 is more fully explored by the drill. Moreover it appears that 

 not only does the eastern border of the oil field swing eastward 

 in Kentucky, but the oils, even those in pre-Carbonif erous strata, 

 lying in the strike of the high gravity oil pools to the northeast 



