﻿162 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  Petroleum 
  geology 
  is, 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  age, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  divisions 
  

   of 
  geologic 
  science. 
  It 
  has 
  not 
  attained 
  the 
  senatorial 
  dignity 
  of 
  

   paleontology 
  nor 
  even 
  the 
  maturity 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  ore 
  deposits. 
  

   It 
  spans 
  but 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  half 
  century 
  of 
  American 
  geology 
  

   that 
  this 
  symposium 
  commemorates. 
  Some 
  eminent 
  living 
  petroleum 
  

   geologists 
  were 
  born 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  oil 
  well 
  was 
  drilled 
  in 
  Pennsyl- 
  

   vania 
  in 
  1859. 
  Petroleum 
  geology 
  is 
  still 
  making 
  the 
  rapid 
  strides 
  

   of 
  youth. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  is 
  faced 
  with 
  difficulties 
  in 
  making 
  proper 
  acknowledg- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  his 
  deep 
  indebtedness 
  to 
  his 
  professional 
  fellows. 
  The 
  ideas 
  

   of 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  incorporated 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  without 
  hesitation 
  in 
  

   an 
  endeavor 
  to 
  present 
  as 
  completely 
  as 
  space 
  permits 
  the 
  progress 
  

   and 
  status 
  of 
  petroleum 
  geology. 
  Where 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  conscious 
  of 
  

   having 
  drawn 
  on 
  specific 
  sources 
  he 
  has 
  endeavored, 
  through 
  appro- 
  

   priate 
  reference, 
  to 
  give 
  due 
  credit. 
  If, 
  unconsciously, 
  he 
  has 
  failed 
  

   to 
  do 
  so, 
  indulgence 
  is 
  asked. 
  Grateful 
  acknowledgment 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  

   Dr. 
  L. 
  C. 
  Snider 
  for 
  constructive 
  criticism. 
  

  

  PETROLEUM 
  GEOLOGY 
  IN 
  1890 
  

   GENERAL 
  CONSIDERATIONS 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  geologic 
  world 
  of 
  50 
  years 
  ago 
  two 
  men, 
  Edward 
  Orton 
  and 
  

   Israel 
  C. 
  White, 
  were 
  the 
  foremost 
  authorities 
  on 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  

   petroleum. 
  Both 
  were 
  original 
  Fellows 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society 
  

   of 
  America, 
  Orton 
  having 
  served 
  on 
  the 
  committee 
  which 
  drafted 
  the 
  

   constitution 
  and 
  White 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  committee 
  on 
  publications. 
  The 
  

   first 
  paper 
  on 
  petroleum 
  geology 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  society 
  was 
  by 
  

   Orton 
  (1890), 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  that 
  paper, 
  Dr. 
  W 
  J 
  McGee 
  

   (1890), 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  paid 
  the 
  following 
  

   tribute 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  men 
  : 
  

  

  But 
  within 
  the 
  past 
  3 
  years 
  the 
  laws 
  governing 
  the 
  origin, 
  distribution, 
  and 
  

   pressure 
  of 
  rock 
  gas 
  have 
  become 
  as 
  well 
  known 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  laws 
  governing 
  

   artesian 
  water 
  supply 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  today 
  the 
  geologist 
  prognosticates 
  rock 
  gas 
  nearly 
  

   if 
  not 
  quite 
  as 
  definitely 
  and 
  certainly 
  as 
  he 
  prognosticates 
  artesian 
  water 
  ; 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  just 
  to 
  our 
  associates 
  and 
  to 
  American 
  science 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  this 
  

   great 
  advance 
  in 
  geologic 
  science 
  was 
  due 
  almost 
  wholly 
  to 
  two 
  of 
  our 
  fellows 
  — 
  

   to 
  Professor 
  Orton, 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  the 
  communication 
  before 
  us, 
  and 
  to 
  Professor 
  

   White, 
  who 
  has 
  already 
  spoken 
  upon 
  it. 
  To 
  these 
  men 
  we 
  are 
  indebted 
  for 
  this 
  

   unparalleled 
  stride 
  in 
  American 
  geology. 
  Others, 
  indeed, 
  contributed 
  facts, 
  but 
  

   they 
  philosophy 
  ; 
  and 
  science 
  was 
  immeasurably 
  enriched 
  by 
  their 
  contribution. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  papers 
  of 
  White 
  and 
  Orton 
  one 
  must 
  therefore 
  turn 
  for 
  the 
  

   ablest 
  presentation 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  petroleum 
  and 
  natural 
  gas 
  of 
  

   that 
  day. 
  

  

  Peckham 
  (1884) 
  had 
  compiled 
  for 
  the 
  Tenth 
  Census 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  

   the 
  previous 
  literature 
  on 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  accumulation 
  of 
  petroleum, 
  

  

  