﻿G. 
  H. 
  Stone 
  — 
  Asphaltum 
  of 
  Utah 
  and 
  Colorado. 
  153 
  

  

  My 
  partial 
  exploration 
  does 
  not 
  yet 
  warrant 
  discussion 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  questions 
  at 
  issue 
  but 
  certain 
  points 
  may 
  here 
  be 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  From 
  Professor 
  Orton's 
  report 
  above 
  cited 
  I 
  extract 
  a 
  few 
  

   statements 
  of 
  theories. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  T. 
  Sterry 
  Hunt 
  counts 
  limestones 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  

   of 
  petroleum 
  and 
  denies 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  produced 
  by 
  distilla- 
  

   tion 
  from 
  bituminous 
  shales, 
  while 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  S. 
  Xewberry 
  finds 
  

   in 
  the 
  shales 
  the 
  main 
  source 
  of 
  oil 
  and 
  gas, 
  and 
  vigorously 
  

   opposes 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  limestones 
  are 
  ever 
  an 
  important 
  source 
  

   of 
  either. 
  Professors 
  J. 
  P. 
  Lesley, 
  I. 
  C. 
  White 
  and 
  J. 
  D. 
  

   Whitney 
  favor 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  petroleum 
  by 
  the 
  

   primary 
  decomposition 
  of 
  organic 
  matter, 
  while 
  Dr. 
  Xewberry 
  

   and 
  Professor 
  S. 
  F. 
  Peckham 
  favor 
  theories 
  of 
  secondary 
  distil- 
  

   lation. 
  Hunt 
  regards 
  petroleum 
  as 
  indigenous 
  when 
  in 
  lime- 
  

   stones, 
  and 
  adventitious 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  rocks, 
  as 
  sandstones 
  and 
  

   conglomerates. 
  

  

  Since 
  petroleum 
  and 
  asphaltum 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  so 
  nearly 
  the 
  

   same 
  origin, 
  it 
  is 
  permissible 
  to 
  discuss 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  con- 
  

   nection, 
  especially 
  as 
  Dr. 
  Xewberry 
  has 
  referred 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  

   the 
  Utah 
  asphalt 
  to 
  the 
  marine 
  Cretaceous 
  black 
  shales 
  (Fox 
  

   Hills 
  and 
  Colorado 
  groups).* 
  

  

  Regarding 
  the 
  above 
  stated 
  theories 
  we 
  remark 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  Certain 
  Tertiary 
  limestones 
  of 
  Colorado 
  and 
  Utah 
  now 
  

   contain 
  considerable 
  solid 
  bituminous 
  matter 
  and 
  once 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  a 
  liquid 
  substance 
  which 
  has 
  oozed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  into 
  

   cavities 
  where 
  it 
  became 
  changed 
  to 
  hard 
  asphalt. 
  The 
  asphalt 
  

   occurs 
  as 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  rather 
  small 
  masses 
  and 
  its 
  aggre- 
  

   gate 
  quantity 
  is 
  great. 
  This 
  sort 
  of 
  rock 
  is 
  well 
  exposed 
  in 
  the 
  

   remarkable 
  canons 
  of 
  Parachute 
  Creek, 
  Col. 
  

  

  2. 
  Professor 
  Whitney 
  refers 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  bituminous 
  minerals 
  

   of 
  California 
  to 
  organic 
  matter 
  derived 
  from 
  marine 
  infusorians 
  

   (quoted 
  from 
  Orton). 
  In 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  under 
  

   description 
  we 
  might 
  expect 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  drift-wood, 
  many 
  

   diatoms 
  and 
  fresh-water 
  algse 
  and 
  possibly 
  infusorians 
  enough 
  

   to 
  contribute 
  considerable 
  organic 
  matter 
  to 
  the 
  limestones. 
  

   Irrespective 
  of 
  this 
  source 
  of 
  organic 
  matter, 
  there 
  are 
  

  

  freat 
  numbers 
  of 
  fossil 
  molluscan 
  shells 
  in 
  the 
  limestones. 
  

   Lence 
  although 
  the 
  lime 
  rocks 
  are 
  in 
  part 
  non-fossiliferous 
  

   and 
  in 
  part 
  may 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  lime 
  precipitated 
  from 
  solu- 
  

   tion, 
  yet 
  we 
  seem 
  here 
  to 
  find 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   organic 
  matter 
  within 
  them 
  sufficient 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  in- 
  

   digenous 
  origin 
  of 
  petroloidal 
  bitumens 
  according 
  to 
  Hunt's 
  

   theory. 
  + 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  black 
  bituminous 
  shales 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  

   this 
  connection. 
  Certain 
  layers 
  are 
  quite 
  rich 
  in 
  bitumens. 
  

  

  * 
  Dr. 
  Xewberry 
  as 
  quoted 
  by 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  Journal 
  of 
  Commerce. 
  

   f 
  This 
  hypothesis 
  is 
  strengthened 
  by 
  the 
  highly 
  probable 
  indigenous 
  origin 
  of 
  

   the 
  petroleum 
  of 
  the 
  Trenton 
  limestone 
  in 
  Ohio 
  and 
  Indiana, 
  Orton, 
  op. 
  cit. 
  

  

  