94 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



The Northern Gas Fields. ^ 



Wells in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have demonstrated the 

 presence of shales from which gas and probably oil could have been 

 accumulated, but so far have shown the absence of sands in the near 

 proximity to these shales; hence probably the impossibility of there 

 being any large gas or oil field. The western and northern portion 

 may have possibilities. The development or search should wait 

 until the better possibilities of the western part have been fully tested. 

 In the study of the structure a terrace has been found along the north- 

 eastern edge of that part of the basin approaching sea-level. At 

 Peace river it is above sea-level for the lower sands and at Battle 

 river somewhat below. The slope along the length of the terrace may 

 not be uniform, and irregularities may provide localities of greater 

 value as containers. The same irregular form may be repeated in 

 the higher slopes toward the outcrop of the Athabaska, so that the 

 McMurray sands which contain heavy oil at McMurray, known 

 generally as the Tar Sands, may provide oil, as seems proved at 

 Peace river. At this latter place the upward escape of the oil along 

 the beds is prevented by the replacement of the sands in that direction 

 by shales. Good flows of gas seem possible over a very wide area, 

 but the search for oil is of the first importance to the parties interested, 

 and as far as known the oil so far obtained is very thick and heavy. 

 The utilization of the gas, as before mentioned, will, no doubt, receive 

 early attention, as this seems to indicate the greatest value that the 

 gas fields will be to the people of the provinces. 



