2i8 The American Geologist. ^p"^- ■^'■^°^- 
THE CENTRAL OHIO NATURAL GAS FIELDS.* 
By J. A. BowNocKEK, Colnnibus, (). 
PLATE XIV. 
Introduction. 
Four fairly distinct reservoirs of gas have been discovered 
in central Ohio. Geographically, however, they are closely re- 
lated, and the same is true geologically, and for these reasons 
all will be considered together. In other words the several 
reservoirs will be regarded merely as parts of one large field. 
Locations and Areas. 
At the present time the gas fields consist of two parts, one 
known as Sugar Grove, and the other as Homer. Between 
. these, two additional reservoirs have been discovered, but both 
have long been exhausted ; one lay at Thurston, Fairfield 
county, and the other around Newark, Licking county. 
By far the most important reservoir is in Fairfield ind 
Hocking counties and is known as the Sugar Grove. It in- 
cludes parts of the following townships in Fairfield, — Berne, 
Pleasant, Rush Creek and Madison, but in the last two, how- 
ever, very few wells are found. In Hocking county lying 
south of Fairfield, the producing territory includes parts of 
Good Hope, Laurel, and Marion townships. The length of 
this field as developed in 1902 was sixteen miles, and the max- 
imum width eleven miles. The longer axis extends north and 
south. 
The Homer field, as developed in 1902, included parts of 
Burlington, Bennington, Washington and McKean townsb'ps, 
Licking county ; and Milford, Miller and Morgan townsb'ps, 
Knox county. 
Lying between these two reservoirs were those at Thur?ton 
and Newark, but as already stated both have been •abandoned. 
By reference to the map accompanying this article it will be 
seen that the several tracts named form parts of a belt extend- 
ing north and south. The length of this is about sixty miles. 
History and Development. 
No other event 'in the history of Ohio has so stimulated the 
search for underground wealth as did the discovery of natural 
* Published by permission of Edward Orton, Jr.. State Geologist. 
