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ALEX. W. McCOY 



remainder of the box was filled with water shale. Each formation had the 

 corresponding displacement on either side of the partition. The box was 

 allowed to stand for twenty-four hours. No movement of the oil was notice- 

 able after that time. The celluloid partition was then carefully pulled out 

 so that the beds were undisturbed and the softer beds of the shale immedi- 

 ately closed the small opening left by the removal of the sheet. Within one 

 hour from this time oil began to collect in the porous layer of the sand. This 

 continued for several hours until the porous sand was nearly filled on each 





Fig. 3. — Diagram of apparatus for accumulation experiment after partition was 

 removed, showing oil partially replaced from "'D" and accumulated in "A." 



Fig. 4. — Photograph of apparatus used in Experiment 2, showing the accumula- 

 tion of oil in the sand. 



side of the represented fault (Fig. 3). Capillary water partially had replaced 

 the oil in the original oil-soaked shale and had sealed the remaining oil com- 

 pletely in the center of the shale body. After the oil had come to an equi- 

 librium in the sand, it did not move apparently up the dip but remained in the 

 porous zone surrounded by water. The relative position of oil and water 

 was stationary until the experiment was torn down two weeks later. Note 

 photograph shown in Fig. 4. 



The foregoing evidence shows that Kquid petroleum in shale 

 cannot move into the porous water horizons until the intervening 



