259] F. Reeves 61 



Consolidation of sediments though effective in lowering 

 the amount of pore space does not remove the water from the 

 porous area that remains after consolidation, so such an 

 action tends to increase rather than decrease the per cent, of 

 saturation of the total porosity of the rocks. 



The influence of heat resulting from the expansion and 

 contraction following periods of burial and exposure due to 

 erosion can be no effective agent in removing the water since 

 water increases only 4 per cent in volume when it is raised 

 from a temperature of 4 degrees Centigrade to 100 degrees 

 Centigrade and this represents a much greater change in 

 temperature of rock strata than ever occurs in a geologic 

 cycle. 



Drainage in an area of the nature of the Alleghany coal 

 basin is not possible since the basin is~ so shaped that the 

 water cannot drain out of it. Moreover,, these sands are 

 below sea level and hence not subject to drainage. 



Thus with no adequate explanation of how sea water has 

 been removed from rock strata it is more logical to consider 

 the water present to be of connate rather than of meteoric 

 origin. 



THE ASSOCIATION OF THE DRY SANDS AND " EED BEDS " 



A study of the non-water-bearing strata of the Appalachian 

 oil fields has furnished data which is to be interpreted as 

 furnishing positive evidence that the waters present in these 

 sands are connate in origin. As mentioned above the Cats- 

 kill and certain areas of the Mississippian sands contain no 

 water. This absence of water is not due to structural or 

 porosity conditions but it is characteristic of sands which are 

 associated with red shales. Several lines of evidence indicate 

 that these dry areas and the " red beds " were developed when 

 the sediments were exposed as flood-plain deposits to the ac- 

 tion of air which oxidized the ferrous minerals present and 

 at the same time dried out the sediments, in which condition 

 they have remained to the present time. The acceptance of 

 this conclusion, the arguments in support of which are given 



