OIL IN THE REELFOOT AREA. 33 



WELLS OF THE EMBAYMENT AREA. 



Because the geology of the Reelfoot district is similiar to 

 that of at least the northern half of the Embayment area, light 

 may be thrown on the possible oil conditions of the former by 

 taking a glance of what is known of the latter. That is what 

 has been attempted in this paper. If the wells of the area were 

 numerous enough, deep enough and well enough distributed, 

 they would disclose the structure, which is the needed informa- 

 tion in locating wells for oil and gas ; but they are not numer- 

 ous, not many are deep and such deep ones as have been put 

 down are near the central line of the area. 



Numerous wells have been sunk at Memphis for a city water 

 supply, but as a rule these have stopped in the Lagrange forma- 

 tion, and are less than 1,000 feet deep, though at least one has 

 gone to the depth of 1,583 feet. If any of them have reported 

 gas or oil, the writer is not aware of it. 



From 1909 to 1911 four wells were put down for oil and gas, 

 on an island that then lay just west of Loosa Hatchie and Wolf 

 rivers at Memphis. The writer is informed that since that 

 time the course of the Mississippi has so changed as practically 

 to remove that part of the island where the wells were sunk. 

 These wells are respectively 1,793 feet, 1,017 feet, 1,250 feet 

 and 2,517 feet deep.* It appears that all of them produced a 

 small amount of gas, and possibly some of them a little oil. 



At this writing, a well is being sunk, with a rotary drill, on 

 the east side of Reelfoot Lake, a mile and a half south of 

 Samburg, under the direction of Mr. J. W. Scott of Pittsburg, 

 Pennsylvania. As yet, no log of this well has been furnished 

 this Survey; but when last visited by the writer, Nov. 11, 1915, 



*For a full description of wells Nos. t, 2 and 3, see Mimn, M. J., Resources 

 of Tennessee, Vol. II, No. 2, pp. 48-68. Well No. 4 was not completed when 

 Mr. Munn's paper was prepared. Concerning well No. 4, Mr. C. H. Trimble, 

 of Memphis, stated in a letter to the present writer that there were "show- 

 ings of what appeared to be gas at many places on the way down, and there 

 was apparently gas at the lowest depths reached. There were also several 

 showings of what the driller pronounced to be oil, but nothing commercial." 

 As to the material passed through, Mr. Trimble says, "I have not the log of 

 this latter well, but It was put down to a depth of 2517 feet, and stopped in 

 clay very much like the Porters Creek clay." The well was sunk with a 

 rotarv drill. 



