130 NOETLING: PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



oozing out by previous visitors. It is from this bed that the pit wells 

 chiefly draw their oil. In well No. 3 this bed was found to have been 

 70 feet in thickness, in well No. 1, 45 feet ; while its thickness is re- 

 duced to 18 feet in No. 2, 15 feet in No. 5, and it most probably does 

 not contain any oil in No. 6. The sand was throughout of poor 

 quality. 



2nd oil sand.-— A layer of sand containing oil, varying from 5 feet 

 in thickness in No. 1, to 20 feet in No. 5 ; the intermediate strata 

 between the 1st and 2nd oil sand have an average thickness of 160 

 feet. It must be mentioned that the oil contained in this sand was 

 under such a pressure that it freely flowed to the surface although in 

 small quantities only. 



3rd oil sand* — This petroliferous sand exhibits some peculiar- 

 ities with regard to its thickness, it seems that at well No. 6 this 

 sand attained a thickness of 88 feet containing, however, only gas ; 

 to the east, it split up into three different layers, separated by clay 

 partings ; the upper one containing water, the middle one gas, and 

 the lower one was apparently dry ; in No. 3 it represented a bed of 

 only 5 feet in thickness, separated by a thin argillaceous bed from a 

 dry layer of dark sand of 23 feet in thickness, while at No. 2 the 

 separating layer has disappeared and about 30 feet of dark sand 

 containing a little gas and oil have been observed. It must remain 

 doubtful whether the thin layer of grey sand found in No. 1, above the 

 3rd oil sand should be considered as a part of it or an independent 

 layer. 



It is thus seen that the thickness of these separating clay beds 

 between the 2nd and 3rd oil sand varies, but it may be observed that the 

 3rd oil sand is found between 50 and 60 feet below the 2nd oil sand. 



4th oil sand. — Like the former this bed seems to be very 

 inconstant with regard to its thickness and its petroliferous qualities. 

 In No. 3, where it has a thickness of 25 feet, it has yielded a small 

 quantity of oil, but in the neighbouring well No. 4, where it is divided 

 by an argillaceous bed, it contained no oil ; in No. 2 it swells out to 62 

 feet,consisting of several well-defined beds containing oil at the top and 



( «76 ) 



