Oil Fields on Noble Anticline, Jasper, Richland, Clay, Wayne Counties, Illinois: ABSTRACT

Abstract

This discussion pertains to the oil fields on a major anticline, the axis of which extends northeast and southwest through parts of four counties in the Illinois basin. The direction of this axial trend in Richland and Clay counties varies 45° from the axial trend of the LaSalle anticline in Lawrence County. This anticline disappears into the normal dip on the flank of the LaSalle anticline in northeastern Jasper County and can not be interpreted as a branch of the larger structure. Published papers by Theron Wasson and by Lynn K. Lee have related the history of the discovery of the structure by the reflection seismograph; the early drilling explorations; the early field developments; and have given the detailed descriptions of the producing formations. Nearly 9 years have elapsed since the latter of those papers were presented to the Association at the Oklahoma City convention in March, 1939. During these years continuous drilling operations have added enough new information to justify this supplement to the previous papers. For lack of a better term, Lynn K. Lee referred to this anticline as the Basin anticline. Now that numerous productive anticlines have been developed in a wide area in the Illinois basin, it seems appropriate to give this structure a more localized geographic name. The term is here suggested for that name, Noble being a well known town on the axis of the anticline in western Richland County. The first slide shows the Noble anticline with 100-foot contours and shows its structural and geographic relations to folds on the LaSalle anticline on the east and the Louden and Salem anticlines on the west. The second slide shows the Noble anticline with 50-foot contours and the areal extent of the several oil fields on the anticline. Other slides and the discussion pertain to the irregular occurrence of some of the Chester sand pools in the various fields, and the erratic occurrence of some of the Ste. Genevieve limestone oil reservoirs. End_of_Article - Last_Page 301------------