Geologic structure and occurrence of gas in part of southwestern New York. Part 2. Subsurface structure in part of southwestern New York and mode of occurrence of gas in the Medina group

Abstract

Abstract: Based on the records of several hundred deep wells, contour maps have been prepared showing the monoclinal structure of part of western New York, and isopach lines have been drawn showing the westward convergence of the rocks. The mode of occurrence of natural gas in the Medina group is briefly discussed. The location of the gas fields has not been determined by structural traps, but rather stratigraphy and lithology are the controlling factors in trapping the gas, which occurs in porous lenses and streaks of sandstone sealed within impermeable beds. This mode of occurrences of the Medina gas makes the search for new fields in western New York more hazardous than in most natural gas regions. As structure has not formed traps for the gas there is no surface guide to favorable sites for testing, and new fields are found by haphazard drilling. It would be helpful, however, when wells are sunk, to study the lithology of the gas-bearing zone by an examination of the drill cuttings and core samples of the sand and to have electrical logs made of the wells to obtain measurements of permeability and porosity. Such tests may indicate the direction of greatest porosity in which the sand is more likely to contain gas.