170 



proceedings: geological society 



Review of papers by L. Keith Ward (a) The relationship between the 

 ore bodies and the igneous rocks of the Heemskirk-Comstock-Zeehan region, 

 Tasmania. (6) The origin of certain contact rocks high in lime and mag- 

 nesia. A. C. Spencer. No abstract. 



The 278th meeting was held at the Cosmos Club, January 28, 1914. 

 Under the head of "Informal Communications," J. M. Hill, described 

 a copper deposit in an apparent sink hole in northeastern Arizona. 



Regular Program 



Bituminous shale in northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah: E. 

 G. Woodruff and D. T. Day. In general this region is a moderately 

 dissected plateau containing many small badland areas. Both Creta- 

 ceous and Tertiary rocks outcrop, but the bituminous shale was found 

 only in the middle member of the Green River (Eocene) formation. 

 The formation as a whole is a little more than 2,000 feet thick in the 

 eastern part of the area but considerably less in the western part. 

 Bituminous shale was found in long lenticular beds ranging from a 

 fraction of an inch up to 80 feet in thickness. An exposure half a mile 

 long shows only a moderate variation in thickness but a study of a 

 township reveals great differences in thickness and continuity. 



The shale is a brown tough rock with a light brown, waxy streak. 

 The amount of carbonaceous material present varies considerably. 

 The major bedding and a large part of the minor bedding is regular, 

 but in most of the rich shale there is an irregularity of lamination which 

 gives to it a peculiar curly structure. 



Both field evidence and microscopic studies show that the movement 

 of oil in the shale has not been extensive nor even locally intensive. 

 Microscopic studies show also that the shale contains a considerable 

 amount of oil which can be liberated by leaching. Greater quantities 

 of oil, however, are obtained by ordinary distillation processes. The 

 results of distillation tests are shown by the following table : 



NUMBER OP TEST 



Conn Creek 



Kimball Creek 



Kimball Creek (second test) 



Parachute Creek 



4A Ranch 



Temple Station 



Ute Station 



White River. Subsurface sample 



White River. Near surface 



Nine Mile Creek 



Hill Creek.... 



PART OF SEC- 

 TION SAMPLED 



Uft. 



6 ft. 



6 ft. 

 ft. 10 in. 

 ft. 10 in. 



4 

 2 



3 ft. 



3 ft. 



ft. 

 ft. 

 6 in. 

 6 in. 



6 in. 

 9 in. 



GALLONS 

 OP OIL PER 

 SHORT TON 



OF SHALE 



61.2 

 31.6 

 26.2 

 20.0 

 10.4 

 45.2 

 16.0 

 33.3 

 35.5 

 39.0 

 16.0 



