Oil and Gas Conditions in the Central Basin 

 of Tennessee* 



BY A. H. PURDUE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The public generally is interested in oil and gas, and almost 

 every landowner quietly fosters the hope that one or both of 

 these products may some time be found in the rocks covered by 

 his holdings. Either, found in abundance, is a source of quick 

 wealth, especially if it occurs within easy reach of the market. 

 For this reason, anything that suggests oil or gas is likely to 

 arouse more or less interest in the locality where it occurs, and 

 may lead to unwise and expensive drilling.f Nor is it always 

 necessary to have the "indications", as a reason for the foolish 

 expenditure of large sums, for often wells are put down many 

 hundred feet deep without any good reason for expecting that 

 they will be anything more than dry holes. 



To the last statement, many well drillers will reply that some 

 of the richest oil and gas fields of the country have been dis- 

 covered by men of their vocation, without the aid or advice of a 

 geologist. This claim will be conceded by all who know any- 

 thing of the history of oil and gas development. It will also be 

 conceded that there are fields, some of them developed and some 

 undeveloped, where the geologist could have been or can be of 

 little or no assistance, especially in the early developments 

 therein. The conditions are of such nature that the geologist 

 is not able to form a reliable opinion as to whether the products 

 occur within the area or not; or if he thinks they do occur 

 within the area, he may not be able to point out the localities 



*To make this article as trustworthy as possible, the author submitted the 

 manuscript to Dr. L. C. Glenn, Professor of Geology, in Vanderbilt University, 

 who made valuable suggestions that were embodied in the paper. 



fin wet places where the soil or rock contains a good deal of iron, a film of 

 iron hydroxide is likely to form on the surface of small pools, and is often 

 mistaken for oil. If such a film be pricked with a knife blade, it will break 

 apart. A film of oil will not do this. 



