The Lake Fault Oil Gold 



folded into a gentle set of symmetrical anticlines and 

 synclines. After several days' journeying through this 

 fertile region, which appeared to stretch to the horizon 

 in all directions, we noticed some more broken ground 

 forming a low range of hills to the east of the river. 



The broken ground seemed to offer better facilities 

 for the study of the structure of the plain than did the 

 small and scattered sections along the river, so a visit 

 to it was decided upon. 



The same alternations of clays, limestones, and 

 sandstones were encountered but were much better 

 exposed. On entering one of the numerous valleys 

 of this rough part of the territory on a close summer 

 afternoon we noticed a strong odour of petroleum, and 

 upon investigation found that a dark brown sandstone 

 in which the valley was cut contained a considerable 

 amount of tarry matter, from which the odour arose. 



In many parts of the world oil occurs in rocks of 

 this age, and in nearly all cases the wells are situated 

 on or near the axes of the anticlinal folds, in the rocks 

 of which the petroleum seems to collect. 



The brown sandstone would appear to have been 

 an oil-bearing bed from which the cover of overlying 

 rocks had been denuded, and from which the oil had 

 in consequence escaped. Should we be able to tap 

 the same or similar rocks beneath a clay or shale cover 

 in one of the neighbouring anticlines, there would be a 

 considerable probability of our finding a supply of oil 

 or of natural gas. 



We had not, of course, the boring apparatus necessary 

 for actually testing the capabilities of this field, and we 

 could not, therefore, do more than locate the various 



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