Petroleum and natural gas possibilities in Georgia

rtnnot.m: f' OSSl/IlU 'l'I J:S OF U f.;()RO/.l

f 'fd 'f f'; f -fo'r rw li" p ;ccc.

PROSPECT OIL WELL, D IXIE OIL (; O ~ I I' A N Y, NEAR ~I I'RAE, WH EEL ER COUNT Y.- F E B1WARY, I!J2:1.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA
S. W. McC A LLI E., State Geologist
BULLETIN No. 40
PETROLEUM
AND
NATURAL GAS POSSIBILITIES
IN
GEORGIA
BY
T. M. PRE.TTYMAN and H. S. CAVE
Assistant State Geologists
1923 B Y RD P RINTING C OMPANY
A T L ANT A, G A.

THE ADVISORY BOARD
OF THE
Geological Survey of Georgia
IN THE YEAR 1923

(Ex-Officio) HIS EXCELLENCY, T H OM AS \V. H ARD WIC K

Governor of Georgia
P RE SIDE N T OF THE B OARD

H ON . S. G. :McLENDON

Secretary of State

H ON . vV. J. SPEER

State Treasurer

H ON. \V. A. WRIGHT

Comptr oller-Gener al

H ON . GEORGE M. NAPIER

Attorney-General

HON. J . J . BROWN

Commissioner of Agriculture

H ON . M. M. PARKS

Commissioner of Public Schools

III

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

GEOLOGICAL S URVEY OF GEORGIA j

ATLAN TA, June 1, 1923.

T o H is E x cell en cy, 'I'n os. \ V. I-L\.RDWICK, Gov ern or, asul P r e:,'t-

dent of the Advisory B oar d of th e Geological Surv ey

of Georgia.

.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the r epor t on the Poss ibilities of P etroleum and Natural Gas Production in Georgia, to be pub lished as Bulletin No. 40 of th is survey.

Very r espectfull y,

S. \ V. M CC AL LIE, State Geologist. .

IV

CONrr E N TS

Introduction General geo logic pr in cipl cs
Erosion and depo sition Earth mov ements Alteration of ro cks Classification of ro ck s
T y p es Mineral contents Texture

.

.

.

.

.

:

.

".

.

.

Life on the ea r t h and th e geolog ic tim e table Summary of geol ogic hi story

'" . .

General cons ider at ions r ela t ive t o petroleum and na tural ga s

.

Defin itions of terms

'.

Uses of petroleum

.

Hi storica l not es

.

Geologi c di stribution

.

Geographic di stribution

.

Future su pply

.'

.

Physical p roper ties

.

Chemi cal compos ition

.

D istillation fra ctions

.

Classifica t ion of oil s

.

Relation s between petroleum, coa l, and na tura l gas

.

Conditions essent ia l to the formati on of petroleum i n commerc ia l

quantiti os

.

Source Inorgani c theory Organic t heor y

.

.

"

.

Conver sion Accumulation

:

.

.

General principles

.

Por osity of ro cks

.

Impervi ou s ca pp ing

.

Forces causing movement of oil.

.

Eavorable st r uc t u r es

.

Folded st r a t a

.

Closed mo noclinal strata

.

Lenti cular p orous beds

.

Other st r uc t ur es

.

Summary of str u ct ures

.

Retention

.

Location of oil and gas t est wells

.

No n-str uetnral fa ctors

.

Structural indications

.

Po pu lar fa llacies re lative to petroleu m and natural gas

.

Divining rods, et c. .

.

Genera l su rface appearance

.

Page
12 217
23 3 -4 4-5 5 10 56 6 -8 810 10 -13 1317
Ji33 17 18
18
i s -in
1!l-20 20
20 21 2124
24 24 24-26 26 -33
334!l 33 36 :13 34 34 36 36 38 38 -45
38 38 3fJ
3fJ 39 40 4045 40-41 41 43 43 44
44 45 4549 4953 495 1 51-53 5356 53 53

v

CONTENTS- Continued

Topography

Migration of oil

V e g e t a t i on

E levations

"

"Gas blowout s"

History of oil prosp ecting in Georgia

Physiographic fea tures of Georgia

Physiographic divi sions

Coastal Plain

"

Genera l featu res

Fall-line hills

_

Daugher ty pl ain Altamaha upl an d

Southern lim e-sink r egion Okefenoke e plain

Satilla Coasta l lowland

Piedmont Plate au

Appala chian Mountain s

Appala ch ian Valley Cu mber la nd Pl ateau

Geology of the Coas tal Plain of Georgi a

Geologic formati on s Cr etaceous sys te m

Low er Cre t aceous ( ?) undifferc ntintcd Eutaw form ation

Ripley formati on

Upper cre ateous und iff'trent iut ed Tertia ry sy ste m

E ocene ser ies .

Midway forma ti on

Wilcox formati on . . "

Claibor ne gr oup

:McBea n formati on

UndifTere ntiate d Cla iborne deposi t s

Dep osits of Jackson a ge

Ocal a limest one

_

Barnwell formati on

Olig ocene ser ies

Vi cksburg gr oup

Glendon formation Chatt a hoochee for ma t ion .. , _

Mio cene serie s

_

Alum Bluff formati on

Marks Head marl Duplin marl

Unclassified Mi ocene deposits Pliocene ( ? ) ser les
Charlton formation Quaternary syste m

VI

_ _

Page

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54

. 54-55

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55

. 55-56

. 5658

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58

. 58-50

. 50-65

. 50-61

. 61-62

.

62

. 63-64

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64

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66

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68

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60

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70

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71

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72

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72

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73

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74

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74

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75

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76

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77

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78

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78

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70

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70

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70

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80

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81

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81

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82

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83

_.

84

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85

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86

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86

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86

CONTE NTS- Continued
Page

Pl ei stocen e ser ies Colum bia group Okef enokee forma ti on Sat.illa fo rmat ion
Hcgi onal dip of for ma tions

.

87

.

87

.

87

.

8U

.

!JO

Cor re latio n table of prin cip al Gu lf Coa st for mations, s howing those

that have pro d uced oil or gas Some deep we lls of the Coa stal Plai n

. UI-92 . U3-U5

W ell logs
Alban y Che ro kee H ill S cotland Fred el D o c t o r town H a zelhurst

(S ava nna h ]

. 93-94 .. 94-97
. 97-98 . 98 101 . 101-102 . 102-105

S ummary

.

t ruct u ral conditions in the Coas t a l Pl a in of Georg ia

. 107-114

Methods employe d in deter mi ning st r uct u res Str uctura l a r ea N o.1 Stru ctural area N o. 2 Structural are a N o.3. :

. 107 . 107-109 . 109-112 . 112-115

Elevations Contact outcro p elevations E levations det er mined fr om wen logs

.

115

. 115-116

. 117-120

Log s of well s u sed in determi nin g st r uct u re cont ou r lin es Gene ra l st r u ct u ra l evidence

. 121-127 . 127-129

Oil seeps in Georgia Scotl an d see p Wrightsv lll e seep Hawki nsv ill e seep Interpret a t ion

. 129-131

.

129

.

130

. 130

. 130-131

Gene r allzed st ructure of t he Coasta l Pl ain of Geo rg ia a nd adj a cent

a r eas

131-132

Conclusions on structural cond it ions of t he Coa st a l Plain..... . . . 132-133

Petroleum possibilities

133

P ossible sou r ces of oil in t he Coa sta l Plain

133137

Pe troleum possibilities nor th of t he Fan line. .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . . .. 135-138

Piedm ont Plut eau and Appa la chi a n },Iountains ... .. .

.. 135

Ap pala chian Valley a nd Cu mber la nd Pla t eau

135137

Summary

137

Oil prosp ect well s nor th of t he F a ll line. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Mor gan Cou nt y well

138

R ome P et r oleum and Iron Com pany's well s . . .. . .. . .. . . ... ...

138

Gen cral conclusi ons 011 petroleum possi bilities of Geor g ia

139-140

Ap pendix A :

Some gen eral cons ider a t lons r elative to th e produ ction of oil and gas 140-147 App endix D:

Altitudes in the Coa stal Plain of Georgi a R iyer alti tudes

149- 161 162-164

VII

11..LUSTRA'fIONS

PLATES

Page

I ]I III IV V VI VII VIII

Prospect oi l well, Dixi e Oil Compa ny, near Mcltue, Wh eeler

Cou nty

P ro n tepi ece

A, Barnwell sa ndstone, Cla r k's Mill , J effers on Count y 7 .! mil es north-

west of Louisvilie

32

13,Oea la lim est one ,'xpos u re on Flint Riv er, Cr isp Cou nt y

.

A, Gle ndo n lim est one ou t he Oemulgee River 2 mil es sout h of Hnwkins-

vlll e, Pulaski County

50 0. .

B, Indurat ed sa nd and cla y, Alum Bluff formati on, M il l Creek, J ell'

Dav is County

.

A, Indurat ed sa nd and clay Alum Bluff formati on, :lIill Cr eek J ell'

Dads Cou nty

64

B, W orking fa ce Tift hill sa nd pi t eas t side of Flint Riv er , Albany ..

A, Prosp ect oil well, :lIiddle Georgi a Oil and Gas Compa ny, near Jeff

Da vis-Coffee Cou nty line 15 mil es west of Hazl ehurst . . . . . . . . . . . 80 B, I ndurated Alum mull' formation at Water fall s, on Mill Creek
J ell' Davis Cou nty . .. . , . . , . , . . , . .. . , . , .. ,. , . ,. , . " " .. . , ., ..

A, Eo cene ba sa l conglomern te 0 \'1' 1' bauxite, east fa ce of Carswe ll nea r

)I cInt~'re, Wilkin son County

"

, .. , . . . .. . . . . . . 92

13, Prospe ct oil well, Sava nna h Oil and Gas Cor porat ion, 7 mil es west

of Sa " a nna h

,

,

,

,,.

A, Ocula Iim sestone, bluff on the Kitehafo onee Cree k, 7 mil es ab ove

Al ba n y

,

,

"

128

B, Ocala lim est one in a cu t on th e G. S. & F. R R, 4 mil es nor t h of

Gr ova n ia, H oust on Count y

,

, , .. ,

,.

A, H. G. Samples oil seep No. I, Scotl and, Telfair Cou nt y " .. , . ,

148

13, H . G. Sa mples oil seep No.2, Scotl a nd, Telfair County . . . . , , .. , .

FIGURES

P age

I. Simple auti clin e showing oil and gas colle cte d in por ous bed at crest

of fold . . ,

,

,

" .,..,

, 40

2. Faulted monoclin e, showing oil and gas collec te d on dowu thrown side

of fa ult , . ,

,

,.,

,

, , . . . 41

3. P oro us lens on monocline, oil and gas in solid black ,

, . . . . 42

4. Terrace ou monocline, showing oil and g as collec te d in poro us bed on

the t er ra ce

,

"

' .. 43

5. Lens-shaped por ou s bed in less por ou s st rata , . ,

, . , . . , . 44

(j . Oil and gas r eserv oir form ed by a n un conf ormity

, . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

7. Si mple nu ti cline for med by domin g effect of snit plug . , , . , . , , .. . , . . , . 46

8. Simple sy ncline showing oil and gas collec t ed in por ous bed in bot t om

of fold , ,

,

,,

,,

, , . . 47

D. Fo lded beds ben eath nn un conf ormity

48

10. Exp osure and r emoval of form er r eserv oir ro cks by erosion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4D

I I. Generalized st ructure of the Coas t a l Plain of Georgia and adjncent

nreas

,. , ."

"

,

,,

, 131

:MAPS

P a ge

I Sh owing physiograp hic divi sions of Oeor gia . ,. ,

, .. ,. .. . .. 60

II Structural nreas of t he Coas t al Plain of Georgia

,

, .. , , 108

III Geolog ica l map of th e Coas ta l P lain of Geor gia showing st r uct u r a l lin es 135

VIII

POSSIBILITIES OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION IN GEORGIA
INTRODUCTIO N Th is report is devot ed t o a presentation of the data r elativ e to t he possibilit ies of p etr oleum and n atural gas pr odu cti on in Georgia. In order that the subj ect may be more r ead ily understood by the layman the writers have attempted t o outline a f ew major princ iples of gen eral geology, and have added bri ef statements r egarding the natur e of pet roleum and natural gas, their origin, and mod e of accumulation . The data embr aced within this report have been gather ed from many sources . The account of the physiography, with only slight modifications, has been t ak en from the Un ited States Geological Surv ey Water-Supply P aper 341 and from bulletin 15 of the State Survey. To these da ta ha s been added material collect ed in the field. The account of the geology has been in consider able
part t ak en from t he publications of L . 'V. Stephenson, C. W .
Cooke, T. W . Vaughan , E . W . Ber ry , Otto Veatch , and H. K. Shearer, and in part based on field wor k of the writ er s. The section on ,. gener al geologic principles" and the section on " gener al considerations relative to petroleum and natural gas " ha ve been compiled from the works of Pirsson and Shucher t, Chamberlin and Salisbury, Johnson an d Hunt ley, W . H. E mmons, Dorsey Hager , D avid T. D ay, and othe rs .
The field work upon wh ich this r eport is based was d one dur in g the seasons of 1921 and 1922. Practi call y the whole of the t ime spen t in the field was in the Coastal P lain area, with only a very small part spent in that portion of the Sta t e north of the F all line.

2

GEOLO GIC A.L SURVEY OF GE ORGIA.

'I'he authors express their thanks to C. 'N . Cooke and L . W. Stephenson, both of the United States Geological Survey, f or the va luable aid and advice given by the m. 'I'hanks are lik ewise due to J . F. 'Noot en of Eastman, Ga., and to Robert Murray of Lumber City, Ga., for valuable well logs. Thanks are also given to W. T. Thom, Jr., of the United States Geological Survey, for h is crit icism of the manuscript and for valuable suggestions offered by hi m. It is impossible to state here the names of the numerous
t
other pe rs ons who have contributed material used in this bulletin. In every case t h e writers have attempted to in dicat e the source of all suc h data. F or t hese data they ar e grateful, and they also wish to express their apprec iat ion of the int er est an d ready r esp onse shown by ma ny citizens of t h e State.

GENERAL GE OL OGICAL PRINCIPLES
A study of the p etr oleum an d oil possibilities of any are a is essentially a problem of geology, and must be based upon certain fundament al geologic prin ciples. Th ese principles are mainly in the nature of earth processes, which have been going on sinc e the ear lier periods of geologic hist ory an d will cont inue in definitely . Th ey eonstitute the fulfillment of natural laws, which are only partly understood. Of t hese grand processes of n ature, four are of especial in t er est: (1 ) Erosion an d depositi on; (2) earth movements; (3 ) the alteration of r ocks ; (4) ani mal and vegetable life.

EROS.ION AND DEPOSITION
Nearly all land masses are gradually being er oded or worn away. Mainly through the agency of rain and wind surface material is carried to t he streams, whi ch in turn transport their burden to the oceans, wh er e it is deposited on the sea bottom. Thus erosion and deposition are complementary processes. Much of the transported material is carried as mechanically suspended solid matter, but the amount of dissolved matter carried in solution is also great.

GENERAL GEOL OGICAL PRINOIPLES

3

Th e rate at which land surfaces ar e lowered by erosion is largely dependent upon the steepness of surface slope, the amount of rain and wind, and the tendency of the surface material to disintegrate and decompose into fine particles that may be easily moved . The sum of these factors generally determines the rate of erosion.'
Dep osition of suspended matter is largely governed by current velocit ies. The swifte r the current the larger the size of particles that can be carr ied. As currents decr ease in velocity the coarser particles are dropped first an d the deposits are graded according to size. As marine currents are usually swif ter near ocean shores , sand and other coarse material is usually deposit ed near t he shore line, and the finer materi al is carried fa r ther out t o sea. Very fine particles, which would normally r emain in suspen sion f or a long t ime, tend to coagulate through the agency of the salinity of sea water and sink to t he bott om.
Dissolved ma tt er, suc h as lime , is precipi tated from solu tion under various favo rable physical and chemical conditions. Bact eria are kno wn t o play an important part her e. More highly soluble constituent s, suc h as or dinary salt, r emain in solution and caus e the salinity of ocean water.
The transporting power of wind is an impor tant f actor in er osion an d dep osit ion . Fine particles of solid ma tter are car ried great distances in t he air .
Th e final r esul t of er osion and deposit ion woul d be the levelin g of all land mas ses approximately down to sea level, with the corresponding transfer of material to the oceans. Th e system would then m-obably appro ach a state o! equilibrium were it not for t he fact that movem ents of the earth 's surface distur b t he nic ely ad justed balance.
EARTH MOVEMENTS
The surface of t he earth is probabl y nev er entirely stationary. Pract ically ever y re gion that has been studied shows evidence of

an"adtl'oSnTaoh~l1cerroa,ntfsseoravrpapetlrrooonxsiiomCnoamtoermlytihsosenioeCnof, aoSsoettnaalIntPe8lDa76ion0c

o f Ge orgia , as e s ti m y ears. See V olume ume nt No . 676, 1919.

a te II,

d by Dole Report ot

4

GEOLO GlOAL S URVEY OF GEORGIA

repeated upward and downward movemen ts, relative to other areas. Usually the rate of motion is very slow, extending over vast periods of ti me, but it is sometimes very rapid. Movem ents may be of r egional extent, affe cting many hundred thousand squ are miles of t erritory, or they may be localized within a very small ar ea, of perhaps a fracti on of one squ are mile . Th er e is also gr eat variation in the magnitude of ver ti cal displacement, ranging probably from a fe w in ches up to several miles.
Of t he theor ies whi ch have been advan ced r egarding t he cause of earth movements, cont raction due mainly to cooling is r egarded as the most impor tant. Internal heat effects and overloadi ng of areas due t o deposition ar e al so cons idere d important.
Earthquakes and volcanic act ivity somet imes accompa ny movemen ts . Th e fo rme r are gene rally considered t o be caused by r eadjustment along lines of weakness, and the lat t er t o be caused by heat effects.
W e have strong evidence that the interior of the earth is very hot, th e tem perature incr easing with depth, but no one kn ows just how hot it is at extreme depth, neither is it known whether or not t he material there is molten. There is how ever , evidence indicat ing that t he whole earth wa s once molten . This coul d very well explain the hi gh t emper atures known to exist within the ear th t oday .
All ear th movements, whatever their cause may be, te nd t o buckle the horizont al beds in t o f olds, whi ch are sometimes very gentle, with only slight deviatio n f rom t he horizont al , but at ti mes t he folding becomes so in t ense as to t ilt the bed s to a vertical posit ion or even to overturn them . Beds which are br ittle, an d consequ ently easily broken, are often fractured by only gentle folding, whil e tou gher mate rial may be int ensely defo r med without breakin g.
ALTERATION OF R OCK S
The mat erial of whi ch the earth is composed lS ever- changing.

GE N ER AL GEOL OGICA L PRIN OIPLES

5

Chemical dec ompositio n assisted by mecha nical disintegratio n is persist entl y acti ve in breaking down exis ting ro cks and forming new types. Great pressure s associated with f oldin g and pressures due t o weight of overl ying material, together with oth er causes, bring abo ut profoun d changes in the na ture of rocks. Heat and the great element time are likewise effect ive .
Humidity of clim ate, with its associat ed abundance of vegetation in warm r egions, r esulting in the profuse lib eration of organic acids in t he ground water, is perhaps the most pot ent factor in r ock alteration near the surf ace. H ere , t oo, t he imp act of moving rain wat er an d of wind, each with its burden of solid particles, is felt by all expos ed r ocks . Th e freezin g and thawin g of water collect ed in sma ll cre vices exert intermittent ex pans ive forces with disruptive effect s, and the downward pull of gr av ity is ever present, searching out every weakness in ro ck support.
Rocks buried beyond the r each of these weathering agencies are correspondingly slow in their rate of alter ation, bu t here the effects of greater pressures come in to play. All groun d wat ers contain a greater or less quantity of the active chemical reagents, such as oxygen and carbo n di oxide gas, promoting decomposition. In general the rat e of chan ge is greater n ear th e surface and decrea ses with depth.

CLASSIFICATION OF R OCKS
T ypes.-The te rm rock is applied to all solid material of which the ear th is composed, whether it be compact, like granite, or un consolidated, like loose sand .
Rocks are broadly classified with reference to origin into three ty pes-igneous, sedim entary, and metamorphic.
Igneous r ocks are thos e which hav e solidified from a molten condition caused by gre at heat within the earth. Volcanic lava and granite ar e good exampl es of this type.

(j

GEOLOGlGAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Sedimentary rocks are those which have been laid down by water or wind through er osion and dep osition. Limestone and sandstone are good examples of this type.

Metamorphic rocks are of either igneous or sedim en tary ori gm , and have been pro!oundly changed by such ag encies as pressure and heat. Gneiss and marble are good examples of this type, t he for mer being derived from granit e and th e latter from lim estone.

All known ro cks may be placed in one of the above three classes. The total amount of rock of sedimentary origin is very small comp ar ed with that of igneous origin. The latter theor eti call y might be considered to extend to the centre of the earth, and all rock ori ginally of ig neous nature before erosion and deposition began. The sedimentary r ocks are natur ally found only as an outer coating of the ear th, which, however, is known to reach a thickness of many tho usand f eet in some ~reas. A large portion of the ear t h 's surface is cover ed with thin deposits of loose alter ation products, like sand, clay, and ordinary soil, more or less mixed. The more uniform, and usually mor e compact, rocks in place li e beneath this surface ma ntle.

Igneous rocks generally occur 'in great irregularly shaped masses, while the sedimentary ro cks are usually in d istinct layers, whi ch were mor e or less horizontal when dep osited but often have been folded or broken by earth movements.

Mineral contents.-All ro ck may be seen , by the a id of the microscope or even by the unaided eye alone, to be an aggregate of relatively small particles. Th e substance of each parti cle has a definite chemical comp osition and distinct physical prop er ties and is called a mineral. One, two, or more minerals may be present in the same rock. More than a thousand su ch minerals are known, but most of them are comparatively rare, and the great bulk of earth material is composed of less than twenty-five of t hese minerals.

GE N ERAL GEOLOGlOAL PRIN OIPLES

7

Following is a tabulated list of sixteen of the more important minerals, showing th eir general chemical composition and physical nature :

Table showing properties of 16 common minerals.

Nam e

Chemical Nature

General description

Quartz Feldspar Hornblende P y r o x e ne Calcite
Chlorite Kaolin (clay ) Dolomite Gypsum Hematite

Ox id e of SlIlcon. Silicate of aluminum, etc.

Resembles glass. L lgh t co lored, h a rd , distinct
cleavage."

Compl ex silicate, u suall y of cal- Usually da rk co lore d, often cium, ma gnesium and Iron. greenish, hard.

Complex s lllcate, u su ally of cal- Usuall y dark, oft en g reen is h , clum, ma g ne s iu m and i r on . h a r d.

Calcium carbonate.

Lig h t co lo red , moderate hard ness, effer vesces with acids.

Silicate of Alu m in u m and m a g- Greeni s h, splits r ea dil y In t o nesl u m w ith com bi n ed water. n on -e lastic th in leaves.

Sili cat e of a luminu m with com - L ig ht co lored If pure; so ft,

bi ned water .

plastic when wet.

Ca rbonate of calcium and mag- Light colored , moderately har d. n es lu m.

Calcium sulphate w ith com- Light colored to transparent,

blned water.

s oft.

I ron oxide.

R ed or brown, heavy.

L imonite Mag neti te Mic a Serpenti n e Talc Siderite

Oxide of Iron with co mbined Y ello w or br ow n , heavy. water.

Oxide of Iron. Si li ca t e of aluminum, etc.

Ve ry da r k , of t en black, hard, heavy.
B lack to t ransparent. Splits In to thin flexib le sheets.

S ilicate of magn esium with Gr ee nish, u sua ll y w i th IIg h t -

combined water.

col ored streatcs.

!.fagn e s ium sil blned water.

'H e wi th co m - Light colored , often g r eenr sh, so f t , feels g reasy.

Ca r b ona t e of Ir on .

Usually brown, heavy.

Of the sixteen common minerals tabulated above, quartz, feldspar, hornblende, and pyroxene are by f ar the most commo n, comprising probably three-fourths or more of all rocks .

s

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA.

Pirsson' shows the average rock to have the following elementary composition, indicating 87.46 per cent of all rock material as being composed of the four elements oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and iron.

Chemical Composition of the average rock .

Oxygen SllIcon Aluminum Iron

P er c4e7n.0t7. 28.06 7.9 0 4. 43

Calcium

3.4 4

Magnesium

2.40

Sodium

2.4 3

Potassium

2.45

Hydrogen

.22

Titanium

. 40

Carbon

.20

Chlorine

.07

Phosphorus

.11

Sulphur

. 11'

All ot h er el emen t s

.i l

100 .00

Text1we.-Igneous rocks which solidify at great depths beneath the surface cool slowly an d are coarse grained, while those which come to or near the surface while still liquid cool rapidly and have a much finer t exture. Very rapid cooling of rocks high in quartz content tends to produce a glassy texture.
Rocks are named according to their origin, the minerals of which they are composed, and their texture. In general there is a metatnorphie rock corresponding to each igneous or sedimentary rock from which it was derived. Following is a list of several of the mor e common rocks of each of the three main classes. In this classification the texture of a rock is considered, being termed course grained if t he individual grains are large enough to be readily distinguishable to the unaided eye.
i Plrason, L. V . "Rocks and Rock Minerals," P. 18, 1915.

GENERAL GE OL OGIOAL PRIN OIPLES

!l

Table S howing Characters of some comm on rocks.

Na m e Granite Fel s ite
Syenite Diorite Ga bbro Basalt
Sandstone L ime ston e Cla y Shale
Slate
Gneiss
Marble

Origin

Minera l c o m p ositi o n, etc.

T extur e

I g neous Sedimenta r y

Mainly q u a rtz and f el d s par . C oarse grain ed .

Lig h t-colored minerals of su ch s mall g r ai n a s to be indistinguishable to eye alone.

F ine

g rai ned.

Ma inly fe ld spa r.

Co a r s e g r aine d .

Mainly feldspa r and hornblende .

Main ly feldspa r and pyroxen e.

Bl ack or nea r ly black minerals of Fine g rai ne d.
such small gra in as to be indistin gui shabl e to the eye alone .

Gra ins u sually more or less r ound ed , main l y o f q uartz.

Coarse

g rained.

A p precia b ly h igh in calc ite. Variab le . Mainly kaolin or associated Fine grain ed .
m ineral similar to kaolin.

S imilar t o cl a y or mud.

Fine grai n e d , usu a ll y t hi n l y Iarnl nated.

Metamorphic Similar to clay f rom which Fine g rained , s plits

It was der ive d .

into thin lay-

ers.

Sim ilar to g ranite f r om which i t Was d eriv e d.

Coarse

g rai ned ,

f olia t ed, wit h

more or less ten-

d eri ey to split

In t o layers .

S imilar to p ure limestone f r om Coarse grained. , whi ch It was de rived .

Most igneous rocks are hard and compa ct, but sedimentary rocks are usually softer and often only loosely consolidated. Sedimentary ro cks cont ain many animal and veg etable remains. Limestone, sandstone, clay or shale, or some combination of t hese, are by far the most abundant types of sedimentary rocks, for earth material erod ed and prepared for deposition will nearly always be converted into one of these materials. There is much great er div rsity among igneous ro cks and also among metamorphic r ocks.

10

GEOLOGIOAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

LIFE ON THB E ARTH AND THE GE OL OGIC TIME TABLE
The earth is very, very old. Abundant evidence likewise points to the great antiquity of animal and vegetable life, in comparison with which the earliest record of human life is quite recent. The ancient remains of animal and veg etable organisms, buried in sedimentary rocks during their deposit ion, ages ago, which are abundantly preserved in these rocks, tell us a great deal about the past history of the earth. Igneous rocks, however, and their metamorphic derivatives never contain these r emains. .
It has been universally observed that certain forms of organisms are found in certain sedimentary rocks, while in the overlying beds, which are consequently younger in age, many of these forms fail t o appear and new ones take their place. It is also f ound that when a form disappears it never reappears in the younger ro cks, except in the rare cases of r ecurrent forms due t o migration. Thus the sedimentary ro cks deposited during each period of the past have cha racteristic organisms which serve t o identify them as belonging to that period of deposition. These animal and veg etable remains are called fossils. Some are microscopic in size while ot hers are larger than most present day forms. The more common forms are shellfish of the general nature of modern clams and oysters. Usually only the harder parts of the body, such as shell, bone, and teeth, are preserved. The original material of the fossils is sometimes entirely and often partly replaced by mineral matter, the f orm , how -
ever, being preserved. Fossils from all parts of the globe have been studie d, clas sified,
and named. Ro ck s of similar age contain similar fossils in all parts of the world. In addition to the time significance of the fossils they reflect the conditions nnder which the organisms lived.
The rocks th emselv es, esp ecially those of sedimentary origin, also give much information regarding the past. If certain results are produced by certain geologic processes today it is reasonable to assume tha t similar r esults were produced by similar processes in

GENERAL GEOLOGIOAL PRINCIPLES

11

the past. On this basis, with the results of the past before us, mainly in the form of the sedimentary record, we can tell a greaf deal about the conditions wh ich must have produced the observed re sults. 'r hus by studying almost any sedimentary bed at any locality it is possible to determine with greater or less certainty the conditions under which the bed was formed, i. e., the approximate depth of water, its degree of salinity, clarity, t emperature, and current conditions, its proximity to land, and the nature of the surface rocks, topography, and climate.
With data of these kinds diligently compiled from many parts of th e world it has been possible to interpret' the past hist or y of the earth and to arrange a time table of past events. The divisions of this table are in t erms of ear t h movements, and the associated er osion and deposition cycles, and each subdivision has its charact erist ic fossils whereby r ocks anywhere in the world may be more or less definitely correlated, showing at what time the formation in question was deposited.
The record of earth events preserved in the r ocks has been partly obliterated, however, t hroug h ro ck alteration and eros ion, and there are gaps in t he record wherever no sediments were deposited. Some of these breaks in the continuity of the record will no doubt be filled in as newly discovered data become available, but many of the gaps will remain, for the data neces sary to bridge th em are no doubt hopelessly buried beyond human reach.
Th e names of many of the time di visions are place names, referring to the place where beds belonging to that period of deposition were first studied an d classified.
Following is the geologic time table used commonly throughout the Western H emisphere. In the Eastern H emispher e some different names and diff er ent subdivisons are .~mploYE;d in parts of the table, but the time significance of the characteristic fossil s is universally constant. The divisions enumerated in the table have smaller subdivisions not shown. which vary in name and from one

12

GEO L OGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGI A

area to an other, but t he rocks wer e deposited during the same general epoch. For example, Miocene ti me is r epresent ed in Georgia by the Alum Bluff formation, the Marks H ead marl, and the Duplin marl, whil e in certain southern California are as th e Miocene embraces the Vaquer os formati on an d t he Modelo f orm ation.

Geologic Time Ta ble.

Era. Cenozoic M e s o z o ic Paleo zo ic

Period of S ys tem.
Qu a t e r n a ry
T ertiary
Cretaceous
J urassic Triass ic
Carbo n ifer ou s
Devon ian S il urian Ordovt cian Cambr ian

Epoch or Series.
R ecent P leis tocen e Pllocene Mi ocene Oli go cen e E ocene Upper Cre taceou s L ow er Cret a ce ou s
Per m ia n Pennsylvanian . Mi s s is s ip pian

P r o te r o zoi c

Algonkia n Archean

Th e age of any bed of rock or any event in, earth history is r eferred to one of the divisions of the above table, fundamentally on th e evidence of f ossils. Geologic time is measured in terms of these divisions and not in years. For example, we would say that a certain bed of ro ck is of Eoc ene age or of Cretaceous age, as shown by fossils in t he bed itself or in another bed with established tim e relations to the one under consideration.

GENERAL GEOLOG IO.t1L PRIN OIPLE S

13

'l'he qu estion of the age of the earth in te r ms of ye ars has been ask ed many times but ne ver ans wer ed in an entirely sa tisfactory manner . Several methods have been us ed in attacking this difficult problem.
Assumin g that the earth was once molten, calcul at ions ha ve been made of the time required for it to cool to it s present temperature.
Ano th er meth od is based on the measurement of the rates at which sedimentary rocks are today being deposited and eroded, and comparing the r esults with the measured thicknesses of sediments of the va rious periods in the time table.
.A third metho d is based on the comparatively recently determined fact that the element uranium, of its own accord, changes to radium, which in turn changes to lead, the transformations always t akin g place at fixed rat es, which have been determined. Thus by measuring the amount of each of the above elements in a rock, and determining certain radioactive properties, the age of the rock may be calculated in years.
The results of these age calculations vary widely. The time which has elapsed since the deposition of the oldest known sedi mentary rocks, that is, since early Archean time, is placed as short as a fe w million years in some calculations and as great as more than a billion years in others. The present tendency is to regard the last named method, that of the rate of transformation of elements, as the most accurate. This method indicat es that more than a billion years have passed since the beginning of geologic time.

SUMMARY OF GE OL OGIC HIST ORY
The sequence of past events, referred to the standard time table, presents an int eresting story of the earth. Some of the ma jor events of this story connected with the North American continent are briefly summar ized in the following outline.
Pr e-Archean time . -P reArchean his tory is extr emely theoretic and deals largely with the origin of the earth and the changes which

14

GE OLOGIOAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

took place before its present general f orm and nature were attained. Numerous theories have been advanced regarding the origin of
the earth. One of the most popular th eori es is that the sun was once surrounded by an ext r emely hot and rarefied gaseous material which r evolved about the central mass. In the cours e of time the outer rarefied'gas t ended to segregat e about localized nuclei as centr es of conc~n tration. As these segregations cooled they condensed into molten matter , which on further cooling solidified and form ed t he earth and other planets.
According to another and later theory, larg e masses of hot, gaseous matter were thrown off from the sun. Condensation an d later solidificati on took place. Gr avity an d collision are su pposed to have unit ed the numer ous small bod ies in to a f ew larger ones, r esulting in the formation of t he various plan ets, including the ear th.
A long t ime inter val probably elapsed between the forma t ion of the earth and earl iest known sedimentation .
Proterozoic era.- The Ar chean peri od mark s the begin ning of definitely re cord ed earth history. Rocks of this age ar e found through out a large part of Canada, in p or ti ons of the Appalac hi an province, and in cer tain Rocky Mountain areas. Th ese rocks are all metamorphi c, having been der ived from both ign eous and sedimentary types. There is evidence of ear th movements elevating the land an d for ming mountain chains, of erosion and deposition, and of the advance an d retreat of seas, t ogether with oth er natur al processes which have been going on ever since, constan tly changing the surfa ce of the ear th.
Th er e is no pr oof of life in the Archean, but the presence of certa in mineral deposits in ro cks of this age could best be explained. by life on the globe' at th at ti me. Metamorphism has so altered th e r ocks as to obliterate all life forms which may once have been present. The per iod closed with a general continental uplift pushing back the everehanging ocean shore lines.
Algonkian rocks are in many ways similar t o the Archean. Th e latter have the same general distribution as t he former, from which the y

GENERAL GE OL OGIO JIL PRIN CI PL ES

15

are often ins eparable. The L ake Superior deposits of iron an d copper belong to r ocks of t hese two perio ds. T he oldest r ecognizable remains of life are of Algonkian age. In most of these rocks, however, as in the Archean, alteration has destroyed all evidence of organisms which may have existed.

. Paleozoic era.- The Paleozoic marks the earliest tim e of which we have abundant fossil remains of life. Many of these forms are rather advanced types, suggesting the antecedent life indicated in t he earlier periods. Th e geologic record is much more complete subsequent to the beginning of the Paleozoic than in the older r ocks. Some of the greatest kn own deposits of coal and petroleum are found in formations of t his age, esp ecially thos e of Carbonif erous t ime, during which the climate was very warm and land surfaces swampy over a large part of the world, r egardless of lat itude. Throughout North Ameri ca the general cont inent al outline remained constant. Several areas, generally confined to the outer edges of the continent, r emained persistently above wat er during the numerous shallo w-sea invasions and retreats over vast inland areas. Th e Mississippi River drainage basin underwent sub merg ence and emergence man y times. P aleozoic time is mar ked by t he great development of inver tebrate animals, fishes, and fernlike plants. Life during the late P aleozoic was adap ted to the warm, low, swampy conditions which generally prevailed.
The era closed with a general uplift forming the Ap palachi an l\Iountains, many times higher than their present-day remains, whi ch are mere r emnants of these giant an cestors, worn down and softened in contour by subs equent erosion.
Mesozoic era.- l\Iesozoic conti nental sea inunda ti ons were less widespr ead than during the P aleozoic. The Cretaceous sea, which was th e most ext ensive of the era, .connect.ed the present Gulf of Mexico with the Arctic Ocean, dividing the continent into eastern and western portions. Climate during the early Mesozoic was generally arid.

16

GEOLOGIOAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

l\Iesozoic life was characterized by the great number of huge reptiles, whose remains constitute the most spectacular forms of the mus eums of the world. These great animals, however, like oth er for ms, became extinct when changes brought about new living condi tions, and new forms appeared to take their place. The era saw the appearance of birds, flowering pl ants, and primitive mammals. Gr eat qua ntities of petroleum are found in the late Mesozoic rocks . Th e Rocky Mountains wer e formed during a widespread uplift at the close of the era.
Cenozoic era.- Throughout Cenozoic time a great er part of t he conti nen t has main tained an elevation above sea level. Sea trans gressions ha ve tak en place as in previous eras, but have covered relatively smaller portions of the land. The present land area is almost as large as the continent al mass which has had a tendency to retain its identity throughout the ages, the invading seas having been relativ ely shallow an d sup erficial.
Life during th e Cen ozoic has been characterized by the mamma ls, human life apparentl y being first r ecorded in the Pliocene. P ar ts of the Pleistocene were very cold, at tended by glaci ers cover ing a large part of Canada and ext ending as fa r south as Ohio. Th e Gr eat Lakes were formed by these glaciers, which on melting ha ve gradually r eceded northward. The present Arctic ice cap and some of t he more southerly glaciers ar e ap parently th e r emnants of the last Pleistocene ice sheets.
Conclsuions .e-Is: considering the general plan of things outlined in earth hist ory one is forci bly impressed by certain general princi ples which become evident.
The vas tness of geologic ti me cannot be compr ehended by the hu man mind with its finit e limitations, and t he true perspective of earth event s is lost.
Th e fa ce of the earth appears t o remain constant. Th e mountains, hills, plains, rivers, oceans, and other common phys ical features of t he

PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS

17

earth are apparently everlasting, because they may only be observed throughout a relatively short period of time, but in reality the face of the earth is ever changing, in great cycles of events.
Life forms on the earth are continually changing as new living conditions arise.
The events of earth history proceed in an efficient and orderly . fashion, in response to natural laws. These laws are not all perfectly known, but to the extent that they are understood we are able to interpret past geologic events.

GENER.AL CONSIDERATIONS RELATIVE TO PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
The word petroleum means rock oil. It is the name applied to an inflammable mixture of oily hydrocarbons which comes from the earth through natural seepages or from flowing or pumped wells . The average petroleum consists of an intimate mixture of gasoline, kerosene, lubricating oils, and paraffin or asphalt or both, each of which contains numerous compounds of carbon and hydrogen.
Petroleum has been known, under various names, for many centuries. It was known to the early Persians, Greeks, and Romans under the name of naptha. The term bitumen was used by the Romans to cover all the natural occurring hydrocarbons which are now known under the terms of petroleum, maltha, and asphaltum or asphalt.
Asphaltum is the dark, solid to semi-solid residue left after the evaporation of the lighter constituents (gasoline, kerosene, ete.) of one class of petroleum.
Maltha is the name applied to the pasty, oily substance midway in consistency between petroleum and asphaltum.
Natural or rock gas is a gaseous mixture, usually combustible, and formed naturally in the earth. It is sometimes found is-

18

GEOLO GIC ,lL S URVEY OF GEORGIA

suing through natural openings, but is generally obt ained by boring. Natural gas is quit e commonly associat ed with both petroleum an d coal.
U SES OF P E TROLEUM
The uses of petroleum and its produ cts are many and varied. The main uses are for the generating of power, heat, and light, an d f or purposes of lubrication. The chief products of petroleum, ranked in or der of total money value, are : (1) Gasoline ; (2) kerosene ; (3) fuel oils; (4) lubricants. There are, in addition, some three hundred or more miscellaneous products.

m ST ORIC AL NOTES
Petroleum, asphalt, and maltha have been known sinc e earliest historic t imes. R efer ences to p etroleum and allied substances are to be found in the Bible and in the early Greek and Latin literature. In the early da ys, and until r elatively recent date, the p etroleum and asphalt were obtained from seeps, springs, and dug pits.
Although petroleum has been exploited for a century or more in Al sace an d Burma, by mea ns of deep dug shafts, the modern technology of oil drilling had its principal developments in th e Ap palachian re gion of the United States and in the Petrolia region of Ontar io, Canada. Th e ro t ary type of drill was deve loped in the Gulf Coast r egion of Texas.
In the United States, between the years 1840 and 1860 there was considerable activity in the distilling of oil from coal and shal e. By the year 1860 ther e were more than fifty distilling companies in the United States. In 1854 a company was organized to drill for oil, but t he company failed and no well was drilled. In Au - . gust, 1859, the first oil well in the United States was drilled by Col. E dwin L. Drake, near Titusvill e, Pa., to a depth of 69112 feet. Since that date the oil industry has developed with great r api dity, until in 1921 t here were produced in t he Unit ed St ates al one 472,-

PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS

19

183,0001 barrels of cr ude oil. In 1920 there wer e more than 400 refineries and approximately 30,000 miles of transportation pipe lines in t he United States. Up to the end of 1920 the United St ates h ad produced 5,429,693,0002 barrels of pe troleum, or approximately 62 per cent of the world 's total production.

GEOLOGIC DISTRIBUTION

The age of r ocks producing oil or gas, or both, range from Cambrian to R ecent. 'l'h e Cambr ian of New York has produced a small amount of gas and the Cambrian of Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec. ,Canada, has produ ced a li t tl e petroleum. Probably the oldest f ormati on t hat has been of real commerc ial imp ortance as a producer is the Trenton limestone , of Ordovi cian ag e. Of the oil produced in the world approximately 55 to 60 per cent has come from rocks of Tertiary age, with the Paleozoic of the United States ranking n ext, followed by t he rocks of Mesozoi c age.
The f ollowin g table, taken fro m Johnson and Huntley 's " Oil and Gas Production, " page 28, sh ows the relative importance of th e major produ cing formations:

Order 0/ Prominences

Oil
(1 ) T ertia r ,' ( 2) Carbo n if ero u s (3) Creta c eo u s ( 4) Devonian ( 5) Ordov ic ian (6) Silurian

Gas
(1 ) D ev onian (2) Carb onif erou s (3) Cretaceou s (4 ) Silurian (5) Ordo vi ci an (6) T ertiary

Theor et icall y, the older the ro cks the greater the proportion of gas to oil, but, due to the fact that the older rocks are normally more inac cessibl e, they do not actually produce the most gas,

1U . S. G eological Survey Statistics. 2D a y . Davi d T., "Han d b ook of the Petrol eum Industry," Vol. I, pp . 324325, 1922 .
3Rank f or o ll is on po tential b a s is ; rank for g a s on p r es en t production.

20

GE OLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA.

GEOGRAPmC DISTRIBUTION
The area covered by the producing oil fields is small when compared with the size of the earth as a whole . More than half of t he world's supply of p etroleum is concentrated in two areas, one ar ound the Gulf of Mexico-Caribbean Sea r egion, and t he other around t he Caucasian axis. E ach r epr esents about 2 per cent of the world 's area, and each has pr oduced ab out 30 per cent of t he world's petroleum.
The oil supply of the world is about equally divided between the eastern and western hemispheres. The northern hemisp here, however, pro du ces today about five times as much oil as does the Southern hemisphere. This is accounted for in part by the fact that t he land area of t he Northern hemisphere is approximately five times that of the Southern, and in part by the diff erent character of the rocks in the two hemispheres.
At the present time all the five continents are producers of oil. They rank as follows: (1) North America, (2 ) Europe, (3) Asia, (4) South America, (5) Africa. Th e East and West Indian Islands are als o producers.
The producing areas of the United States as ranked in order of importance in 1920 are : 1(1) Mid -Continent (Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, northern and central Texa s, and north ern Louisiana ); (2) California; (3) Appalachian; (4) Gulf; (5) Ro cky Mountain (Wyomin g, Montana, North Dakota, Color ado, Utah, New Mexico, !daho, and Ore gon ); ( 6) Illinois; (7) Lima-Indiana.
FUTURE SUPPLY
In the p ast fifty years the United States has produced approximately 62 per cent of the world 's petroleum. Between 1913 and 1921 the dem ands of the United States for petroleum and its pro-

aDay, D a v Id T ., "Handbook of the Petroleum tndustrv," V ol. I, p. 32i , 1922. At end of 1922 r ank of AppalachIan and Gulf areas rev ersed. Arkansas now Included In M Id -Continent.

PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS

21

ducts have in cr eased about 75 per cent. It is highly probable that the peak of the petroleum production has been r eached, and the t r end t oday is towards more refined distillation metho ds and less wasteful production methods.
Th e world 's potential supply of crude petroleum is perhap s most gen erally place d as being sufficient to last sixteen to eighteen years. That does not mean, however, that there will be no production beyond eighteen year s, but it represents the time which it is figured would be sufficient to exhaust the actual an d p otential supplies were they developed and used at the present rate.
Th e world 's fut ur e supply of petroleum will probably come in large part fro m distillation of oil shales, such as the Green River (Eoc ene ) shales of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado, and from the distillation of t orb anit e or cannel coal.

PHYSICAL P ROP ERTIES
The physical properti es most commonly used in describing petr oleum are specific gravity, base, color , odor, viscosit y, expansion, flash point, and calor ific value.
Specific Gravit y.-The sp ecific grav ity of an oil is one of t he most commonly u sed means of designating its character. Oils range in sp ecific gravit y from 0.733 or below to 1.000 or slightly above, as compared to an equal volume of distilled water, taken as 1.000. This decimal syst em is very extensively used throughout Europe, but in the United States the Baume scale is employed almost without exception. The Baume scale is a purely arbitrary one, in which the weigh t of water is placed at 10 , the degrees increasing as the weight of t he liquid decreases, so that the higher the value Baume the ligh ter the oil. To convert degrees Baume to th e decimal standard the U. S. Bureau of Sandards gives the following formula, in which the density is taken at 60 degrees F .:

22

GE OL OGIOAL SU RVEY OF GEORGIA

14 0

"Ba ume - - - -- - - - - 1 30

Specific gravity

Specific g r a v f ty of li q u id

1. 0000

0.8 75 0

0.7368

Ba u me 10 30 60

In general th e light er cr ude oils, or th ose of higher Baume value, yield larger proportions of gasoline and keros ene and are thus of more value. Exceptions to this are natural lubricating oils , whic h are scarce and command a high price, and some of the heavi er oils low in gasoline but high in sulphur-fre e lu bricating stock.

Base.-The " base" of an oil r efers to the residue left after th e lighter constituents have been removed. Petroleums fall into two general classes, those of pa raffin base and those of asphalt base. There is, in addition, what essentially constitutes a third cla ss, which is intermediate between the above given class es an d cont ain s both paraffin and asphalt.

In general the paraffin base oils are lighter and yield gasol ine, keros ene and light lubricants. 'I'he asphalt base oils are usually the h eavier oils and ar e commonly low in gasoline but high in lubricants and fuel oil.

Color.-Petroleum has a wide range in colors, varying f rom palestraw and light-lemon yellow colors through greens , reds, and browns to nearly black. By transmitted light most cr ude oils are transculent, althoug h some are opaque in very thin bodies. By r eflected light th e crude oils usually ha ve a dark gree nish cast, wher eas the r efined produ ct s very commonly have a blu ish, ir r idescent color.

Odor.-Crude oils vary in odor, but in gener al the odors of th e oils f rom various fields are fairly const an t. In general the P enn sylva nia oils have a gasoline odor, th e oils of Texas 'an d California more commonly have the odor of coal tar, wh ile some of th e LimaIndian a and Louisian a oils have a st.rong sulphurous smell.

PETROLEUJI AND N A TU R :iL ass

23

Viscosity.- 'l'he viscosity of an oil is of major importance as related t o recovery, pumping, and piping. Oils range from those of high viscosity, which approach the consistency of molasses, down to the very fluid oils of low viscosity which flow nearly as r eadil y as wate r . In general the asphalt base oils ar e the mor e viscous. Some of t he less viscous paraffin base oils may, howev er , offer greater piping and pumping difficulties than some of the more viscous oils, because a release of pressure may precipitate paraffin wax, thereby clogging pipes and pumps.
E xpansion. -Oils hav e a t endency to expan d with a rise of temperature. The amount of this expansion is of importance in gaging for pipe lines and storage tanks . Expansi on is determined by the use of graduated hydrometers, having corrections for t emperature.
Flash point.-The flash poin t of an oil is a measure of its tendency to volatilize into combustible gases. This t end ency increas es with ris e in temperature, and the temperature at which th e vapor will igni te un der arbitrarily stan dar dized conditions is called the flash point of that particular oil.
Flash point is of vital imp ortance in governing the safety with which oils may be han dled and transported, and also in det ermining whether it f alls into t he illuminating-oil class or into the naptha class, to be burne d as a vapor in int ernal combustion engines.
Oalorific valllc.- The calorific or heat value of oils varies with the d iffer ent oils. It is of primary importance in determining the fue l value of an oil. Calorific value is usually expressed in British Thermal Un its, one B .T.U. being the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree in temperature, Fahrenheit . The following figures, in B.T.U.'s per pound of material, give a comparison of values : Wood 5,040; peat 7,500; coke 1l,500; .coall0,500 ; fu el oil 18,000 to 22,000. When these value figures are considered alone they give good evidence of the desirability of oil for fue l, but whe n it is re memb er ed that t he sto rage of oil r equire s fa r less space per given amount of av ail abl e energy, t ogether with its ease of handling

24

GEOLOGIOAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

and transportation, it can be very r eadily seen why the demand for fuel oil is so great.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
P etroleum an d natural gas are not simple compounds bu t are mixtures of compounds of carbon and hydrogen. There are also usually present var ious impurities, such as sulphur, ni trogen, et c., in var iable but usually small am ounts. The following series of hydrocarbons t ha t have been found in pe troleum is taken from Mab er y'.
(1) Cn H 2n + 2
(2) CnH2n
(3) CnH2n-2
(4) CnH2n- 4
(5) CnH2n-6
Of the 'above, number (1), the par affin series, number (2) , the olefine series, and number (5), the aromatic or benzine series, are the most common .
DISTILLATION FRACTIONS
The exact chemical an alysis of an oil is not as desirable to know as are t he fracti ons or proportions of pr oducts that may be ob tained on distillation. These fractions are the measure of t he value of an oil. T he fraction which is distilled off between the in itial boiling p oin t an d 150 0. const itutes the gasoline f racti on; that which comes off betwe en 150 0 . and 3000. constitutes the kerosene fraction. Above 3000. the various lu bricat ing oils come off in pr ogressive or der. The r esidu es left are 'either furthertreated by cracking or are used as fuel oils, pa raffin, asphalt, or binder ma t erial for briquetting powdere d fuel.
CLASSIFICATION OF OILS
Cr ude oils are broad ly classified ac cor ding to the r esidual material left after boilin g off the lighter constituents, usually embracing gasoline, kerosene, and a part of the lubricating fractions. The resi due

1M abery, C. F. , Trans. A . .J. M . & M . E., Vol. LXV, P. 505, 1921 .

PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS

25

is normally heavy and viscous. This classification gives three types, namely : (1) Paraffin base oils or those with a paraffin r esidue, (2) asphalt base oils or those with a residue of asphaltic nature, and (3) mixed base oils which give res idues containing paraffin and asphalt.
The paraffin base oils are characteristic of the Appalachian fields. They are light in color, generally varying from pale-straw through the yellows 'and browns. They are relatively fluid, and their content of gasoline and other volatile constituents is high. Their odor is usually that of a refined product and n ot unpleasant. Chemically these oils are high in hydrocarbons of the paraffin series and low in sulphur and oxygen compounds. They are high Baume gravity, that is of low density, and consistent with the qualities enume r ated bring a high price, due to their content of gasoline, kerosene, and high grade lubricant stock and being low in the harmful sulphur and oxygen compounds.
The asphalt base oils prevail generally in the Mexican, Texas Gulf Coast, and some California fields. Their properties are in general the reverse of th ose of the paraffin base oils. They are of high viscosity, low Baume gravity, very dark or black in color, and have a disagreeable odor. The percentage of gasoline is low. Chemically the asphaltic oils are high in sulphur and oxygen compounds and low in members of the paraffin series of hydrocarbons. Th ese oils are generally of low market value and often have a very high p ercentage of constituents suit ed best for fuel.
Mixed base oils, which are common in North Texas , Oklahoma, and some Rocky Mountain areas, quite naturally possess properties intermediate in position between the other two types.
The classification given above is commerc ially useful, as it is generally directly related to the market value of the oil. .From a scientific viewpoint, however. it is not exact, for the expressed relations of the physical and chemical properties are not always strictly true.

GEOLOGIOAL S UR VEY 0/1' GEORGIA
Petroleum is sometimes br oadly referred to high-sulph ur and lowsul phur classes. This, with some exc eptions, is simply ano ther expression of t he asphalt-base and paraffin-base types, re sp ective ly, an d is cor respondingly an index especially to the value of the lubricant st oek content, t he quality of which is largely dep en dent upon the amount of harmful sulphur comp ounds ,pr esent .
It would be very difficult to ar range a concise classifi cat ion of the petroleums, for t hei r prope r t ies would overlap from one proposed class to another, r endering such a classif ication of little value.
RELATIONS BETWEEN PETROLEUM, COAL, AND NATURAL GAS
General relatiolls.-The f requent occurrence of petroleum, coal, an d na tural gas in the same geological formation an d the r elations of each of these substances t o the others has been a popular f ield of investigation among petroleum geologists .
A great deal is known about p etroleum. Its chemical nature has been p ar tly work ed ou t, its p hys ical properties have been more or less fully determined, and its mod e of formation and alteration at least p ar tl y established. H oweve r, its highly complex chemical nature and the readiness with which tits constituents decomp ose during analysis, t ogether with t he fa ct t hat it is often separated f rom its source, ha ve all been inst rumen tal in presenting many pr oblems which have -n otbeen solv ed. Th ere is, the r efore , much that is unknown concerning petroleum.
The nature and or igin of coal an d the changes wh ich it undergoes subsequ ent to its formation are f airly well understood:
Th e general nature and properties of natural gas have been dete r mined, an d th e pro cess of its formation under specifi ed conditions can often be traced st ep by step, but th ere are num erous conditions wh ich might r esult in the formati on of similar gases, and, too , the mobil e nature of ga s may p ermit migration away from its source. Consequentl y it is oft en diffi cult to determine the genetic his tory of an y particul ar deposit of natural gas. It is a definitely est ablish ed

PETRO.I.EUM AND NATURAL GAS

27

fact, however, that most dep osits of natural gas h ave been deri ve d from either petr olum or coal.
Tli e paraffi n .wries.- A lthough chemically petroleums are known to eont ain members of at lea st five ser ies of the carbon-hydrogen compounds, certain general r elat ions are clea r ly brought out by a consideration of one of these series of hydrocarbons, namely, the paraffin or methane series, which is a pri ncipal constituent of the oils of the Appalachian fields .
The paraffin series has th e gene ral chemical f or mul a CnH2n+2
That is, in each member of the series the number of hydrogen atoms is twice as great as the number of carbon atoms, plus two.
Following is a t abulated list of some of t he mor e common members of the paraffin series, showing the name, chemical formula, boiling point, Baume g-ravity, an d consistency of each, also the commercial products into which the members fall . Th e t abl e is necessar ily gener alized and is intended to show general relations only, for t he complex nature of the hydrocarbons and variation in refinery practice precludes p re cision .
Some common members of the paraffi n series

Consiste n cy

Nam e

B. P . C.

B e.

Chemical

formula

P r od u cts

Normally gases

M et hane Ethane P r op a n e Butane

Normally liquids

Pentane Hexane Heptane Octane Nonane Decane

-'16 4 - 84 .1 - 37 + 1
37 69 98 125 150
173~

C H4 C2 Ho C:' H S C4 IDO

Natural gas
I

9 3 C5 Hl2 83 CO ID4 7 5 Co H IO 69 CS H I S 65 Co H2 o 62 CW H22

Gasoline and Kerosene

N or m a lly t hlclt

li quids an d Lower mem-

s oli ds

bers

(N o t e . B . P . C. _ Bolh n g POIn t Cen tigrade,

Lubrican ts, Paraffin a nd
thick r estd ues.
Be.ee'Bnume grnvitv }.

28

GE OLOGIOA L SURVEY OF GE ORGIA

An examination of the above table revea ls a number of imp ortant relations which are true of petroleum in general. The seri es is arr anged in order of increasing number of carbon and hydrogen atoms as we pass to the lowe r members, the r at io CnHn + 2, however , being maintained.
The first four members are normally gases. This is clearly shown by their low temperature boiling points. Ordinary natural gas embraces this group. Below the gases are numerous members which are normally liquids, including the gasoline, kerosene, and some of the lubricant fractions . Passing still lower in th e series we find substances which are solids under ordinary conditions. These ar e the chief constituents of paraffin wax. Thus as we pass from higher to lower members we find in progressive order a gradational change in consistency from the gaseous state to that of a liquid and finally to a solid. Similarly, the boiling points show a steady decrease in tendency to volatize, with a corresponding decrease in Baume gravity.
The refining of oil utilizes the difference in boiling points as a means of separating the commercial products. Also it has been found that the application of high temperatures under proper conditions will cause the lower members to decompose chemically, splitting up into new members with fewer atoms higher up in the series.This process is called cracking and increases the high value gasoline recovery from an oil by changing into gasoline the lower members which would normally bring a lower price.
Simultaneously with this increase in the higher members, new members are formed which fall very low in the series and contain some free carbon as well as concentrated impurities. In r efining these are embraced in the heavy r esidue. Thus the cracking process generates light, volatile products, and also heavy r esidues with free carbon, from t he same materi al.
. I n Nature the cracking process is constantly going on. H er e the heat is usually less intense than in artificial refining, but the time

PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS

29

is greatly increased, and such additional factors as very high pressure, movement, shale filtration, et c., come into action, and the r esult is similar to that in artificial r efin ing. Petroleum in the earth, therefore, is constantly changing. An ideal type exp res sion of this chan ge would be the alteration of an average-grade p etroleum in to high-grade, light petroleum and asphalt. The former would in turn go over to still lighter pr oduct s and finally to natural gas, wh ile t he latter would correspondingly be lowered in grade with an in crease in fixe d carbon, eventually form ing graphite.
The fa ctor s, pressur e, heat, movement, etc., which bring about the alteration of petr oleum, are associated with and roughly proportionate to earth f olding and general deformation of the strata. The intensity of deformation, with due conside ration to the time element and p ressures due to overlying rocks, is therefore an index to the st age of alteration reached by any pe troleum present. Obviously if the oil has reached the gas and asphalt or graphite stage it is no longer recoverable as liquid oil.
During all stages of alteration except the very last, when graphite is being formed petroleum is low in free carbon and soluble in such solvents as carbon disulplride, ether, and chloroform. Th ere is also a tendency of the thick or solid phases of petroleum to melt on the application of heat. P etroleum is normally regarded as being derived from animal an d vegetable material dep osited in salt water.
Ooals.-Coal is formed from vegetation covered by water which shuts out the air, thereby preventing decay . The conditions necessary to the formation of coal are commonly fulfilled in many swamps of the pr esent time, where plant matter f alls into the water, gradually sinks into the mud and is sealed u p away from oxodizing conditions which cause decay.
The main constituent of vegetable matter is cellulose, a compound of carbon, hy drogen and oxygen.
Just as petroleum is altered by such factors as pressure, heat, movement, time, ete., the buried plant remains undergo a na tural distil-

30

GEOLOGICAL SUR YEY OF GEORGIA

lation liberating methan e gas, water vap or and oth er gases, at the same time forming free car bon. During the earl ier stages of the change bacterial action is probably important. In the course of time the material successively passes t hrough the stages of peat, lignite, and bituminous coal, and, if the alteration fa ctors are sufficient in mag nitude, the anthrac ite coal st age an d f inally the grap hite stage are reached. Each of th ese substances is derived from the preceding one with th e liberation of volatile matter and an in crease in fixed carbon. Th e latter is absent in the original vegetable matter and constitutes nearly 100 per cen t of graphite, whil e volatile matter in the vegetation is hi gh and almost abs ent in graphite.
Coals are relatively insoluble and usually do not melt on heating. Most of them ar e low in condensable hydroc arbon gases. Th ey are norm ally a product of the rand and usually of fresh or brackish wat er burial.
Natural gases.-By far the most important of the natural gases are the hydrocarbon gases already discu ssed in connection with petroleum and coal, from which they are deri ved. In addit ion the following gases are found mor e or less associated with those mentio ned: Air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxid e, hydrogen sulphide, argon, xenon, neon, crypton, and helium.
Th e hydrocarbon gases are all inflammable. Th ey are often divided into two gr oups, nam ely, the dry or non-condensable gr oup and the wet or con densable group . Dry gas consists largely of methane, which as indicat ed in t he paraffin series table, is the highest and most volatile member of the oil series. It is so highly volatile, with a boiling point of- 164 Cent igr ade, t hat it will remain in a gaseous condition, resisting ordinary liquification methods, such as application of low temperatures and reasonable pressures. It is consequently called a dry gas. Wet gases, as the name indicates, may be readily condens ed in to the liquid state. Th is group is high in ethane, propane, and butane. These gases have higher boiling points th an methane and are more readily condensed. Along with th ese three members ,

PE TIWLEUM A..D NATUR A L GAS

31

which, as indi cated, are normally in the gaseous state, there is usually more or less volatilized pentane and hexane.
'Vet gases on condensation yi eld an important commer cial product, casing -hea d gasoline, which is naturally highly volatile and dangerous to h an dle. It is usually mixed with kerosen e to give an intermediate pr oduct known as blen ded gasoline. W et gases are consider ed to have been r ecen tly in contact with liquid petroleum. Dry gas does not n ecessarily h ave sign ifican ce with r ef er en ce to oil, for it may have come fr om other sources.
Th e gases mentioned as being associated with those of a hydrocar bon nature have no known direct conn ection with oil. They are non-condensable an d are someti mes r eferred to the dry gases along with the non-condensable hydrocarbon gases. With the exception of carbon mon-oxide an d hydrogen sulphide t hese associated gases are not inflammable. Air in natural gas is tho ught t o r epresent atmospher e entrapped in t he rocks. Nitrogen is often t he residue from air afte r r emoval of the oxygen. Car bon dioxide and carbon monoxide are comm on oxi dati on products of vegetable matter. Hydrogen sulphide is often gen erated by the decomposition of pyrite , which is a very common mineral. Argon, xenon, neon, krpton, and h elium usually occur only in small quantities. All of these exccpt h elium probably are derived mostl y from t h e at mosphere. Helium is t hou gh t t o come fro m the spontaneous alter ation of radium. It is very light an d is inc ombu stible. Du e t o these properti es it may be used to inflate dirigible balloons.
S1tmmary.-Following is a tabular summar y showin g some general r ela tions between the petroleum or paraffin series and the coal series, each of which contributes t o th e world's supply of natural gases.

32

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Comporison. of Petroleum Series and Coal Series

Petroleum series

Coal series

Gas

LIght petroleum

H eavy petr oleum

A sph alt

Cann el Coal

Graphite

Mainly llqui d or a eml-Itq uld, low in flxed car bo n, r ela ti v el y so luble In carbon dlsulphide, chl oroform and e t h er, m elt on heati ng, high in condensable h y d r ocarbons. Series principally of salt w ater origin, f ro m a nimal and vegetabl e matter .

Vegeta ti on P eat Lignite B itum inous coal A n t h r a cit e coal Graphite Mainl y soll d s , hi g h In fixe d carbo n
rela ti v el y Insolu bl e In carbon df sulp hl d e, c hlorofo rm, an d ether , do n ot melt on heating, low in co n d e n sable h y d r oca r b on s . Series p ri n cip a lly of f r esh-w a t er origIn, f r om ve g etable
matter.

In examinat ion of the table it is of interest to note that asphalt of

the petroleum series merges into certain bituminous coal known as cannel coal. At this point the chemical and physical properties of

each series are abou t the same. This relation suggests that petroleum might be formed f rom coal, but the theory is not well subs tan tiated. Although petroleum and coal are often found in the same area, one overlying the other, they normally occur in different beds deposited under different conditions of sedimentation. The stratigraphic re la t ion is generally such t!!at obviously the petroleum and coal have come from a different source.

The commonly accepted general relations between petroleum, coal, and natural gas have been outlined, but there is not sufficient knowledge on the subject to define the boundaries with precision. It is not kn own to what extent the same material might be capable of forming either series, or to what degree it is possible for members of one series to be converted into material falling into the other. It is also

n ote dthat graphit e is a common resultant product of both petroleum and coal. It seems that the exact laws governing the r elati ons between petroleum and coal have not been ascertained.

In testing new areas for oil it is of vital imp or tance to know whether the alteration of any possible petroleum present has progr essed beyond the liquid-oil stage. Very often coal beds of great er or less magnitude are present at or near the surface and available for

PETROL E UJI POS SIlJILJ7'I ES OF GE ORG IA

PL A TE I1

SAN DSTONE , CLA RK E'S :\1 ILL, .JEFFE H NOR TH WEST OF LOUI SVTLf.lE.

B. OCALA LDIESTO NE EX POSeRE OX F LI NT H IVE R, CRlS P COUNTY.

OOND I TiO N S ESSEN.TI .tLL TO OOMMERCIA.L OIL

33

study. As stat ed elsewhere in this r ep or t , David W hit e has ap proximately define d the lim it beyond which p et roleum is ' more or less completely conver ted in to other produ cts , in te rms of t he per cent of fixed carbon in t he coa l of the area, on a pure coal basis. . He has found that where the fix ed carbon .r at io is greater tha n about 65 per cent most of the p etroleum will have passed bey ond the liquid state. Coal of this 65 per cent stage falls in the bi tumin ous class.

CONDI'l'IONS ESSEN'l'IAL TO THE FORMA'l'ION OF PETROLEUM I N CO:;\LMERCIAL QUAl'J'l'ITIES .
Commerc ial production of petroleum is depend ent oua nu mber of factors. These have been grouped by th e writers un der the fou r major headings of (1) source, (2) conver sion , (3 ) accumulation, and (4) retention.
There must first be material from which oil may be der ived, and th is material needs then to be converted into li quid oil. Aft er the formation of the liquid petroleum it is necessary that it be collected in commer cial quantit ies, an d it mu st be r etained both during conversion and during succeeding time. All four of the above maj or conditions mu st be fulfilled an d not one can bo omitted.
Th e qu estion of origin of pe trol eum is here not treat ed separ at ely , but is briefly dis cussed under th e head ings of "Source " and "Accumulation. "
SOURCE
There are two main th eories advanced for the origin of petroleum and natural gas . . Thes c may be styled the inorganic and the or ganic theories.
I norganic t~t eory .-The inorgan ic t heory of t he origin of petroleum and natural gas has been advanced and supported mainly by chemists. This theory is based primarily on the assumption that the wat ers and gas es within the earth, reacting with oth er chemi cal compounds, generate th e hydrocarbons, whi ch are lat er collect ed in favor able reservoirs.

34

GEOLO GICA L SU R V E Y OF GEORGIA

" Berthe lot sho wed t hat ca rbo n di oxide at high temperat u res ca n r eact on fr ee a lkaline metals , whic h some have supposed t he in t er ior of t he earth contains, a nd can yi eld a cetylene, whi ch would br eak down, for ming h igh er hydrocarbons.
H e showed that ace ty lene heat ed to h igh te mper atu r e yi eld s benzene,";
Oth er chemical theories along somewhat different lines have been advanced to account for the ori gin of p etroleum from inorganic sources, but the basic principles are along the lines given abo ve an d need not here be discussed.
Today the in organic theory of the ori gin of petroleum is not r egarded as of very great impor tance by most petroleum geologists, in spit e of t he f act th at hydrocarb ons have been produced exper imentally from inor ganic sources. Some of the strongest arguments against th e acceptan ce of t he inorganic th eory are ; (1) The almost univ ersal barrenness of igneous and crystalline rocks except in cases wher e they were very clearly not th e or iginal source of th e oil bu t acted merely as r eservoirs , (2) petr oleum r eserv oirs are generally t ightly sealed and woul d be difficult of access to pet roleums coming from dep th ; and (3 ) practically all commerc ial produ ction to date h as come fro m sedimentary rocks.
The inorganic theory of or igin, however, ap pears to be both possible and pl ausible, but as a practi cal expl anation it is not supported by the great mass of field evidence.
Organic theory .- The first expression of th e theor y that petroleum is derived by n atural distillati on from organic matter containe d in sedim ent ar y r ocks was suggested by J . S. Newberry in his pa per on the " R{)ck Oils of Ohio," published in the Ohio Agricultural Rep ort for 1859. Th e theor y was again set forth and emph asized by Newberry in Vol. I , of th e Ohio Geological Survey, in 1873, and by Edward Orton in Vol. VI of the Ohio Geological Survey, 1888.
It is now commonly accept ed that petroleum and na tural gas are derived from organi c matter . Both plant and animal matter h aw.

l E mmons, W . H., "Geol c g y of Petro leum," p . 80, 1921.

OONDITION S ES,"ENT I A.L TO OOJIJIEROIAL OlL

35

been assigned as the sole source of petroleum 'and natural gas, but from th e evidence in hand it appears that some oil is derived from plant remains, some from animal remains, and some from a combination of the two , Plants are now probably r egarded as the more important source.
Th e organic r emains that furnish the material for petroleum and natural gas are laid down in th e sedimentary rocks at the tim e the se rocks a re dep osit ed . l\Iost commonly the rocks which contain oilforming matter are laid down in the salt waters of the seas and oceans, though some fresh-water materials contain large amounts of matter which may be converted into p etroleum by artifieial means.
All ar eas wh ere there are considerable thickness of sedimentary rock s that have not been too highl y metamorphosed offer possibilities f or comme rc ial quantities of petroleum , on a purely li thologic basis, but sh al es, lim estones, marls, and dolomite s are the prin cipal petroliferous or oil-yieldin g r ocks. Of these source ro cks shales are by far th e mo t important . Thi s is t o be accounted for because shales mak e up from 65 t o 80 p er cent of all sedimentary rocks , and because in the 'ar eas in which shales are dep osit ed the conditions are most favorabl e for t he preservation of the oil-forming matter. The muds whi ch form the shales are usually laid down 11l shallow, quie t water near shore lines.
No definite limit can be placed as to the munmum t hickness of source r ocks th at w ill furnish oil in commer cial quantities, but it is safe t o say th at wher e petroliferous ro cks are thin an d poorly r epresented the petroleum possibiliti es are not normally good. In many of the oil fields th e petroliferous shales that have furnished the oilforming matter att ain thousands of f eet in thickness, Moreover, the amoun t of oil-forming material in the rocks varies greatly, and where the material is very abundant great thick~esses of rock are not always n ecessary.
Throughout a large part of geological time there has probably been abundant life to furnish large amounts of oil-forming matter, and its

GBOLOGIC,lL SURVE1' OJ? GEORGIA.
absence in many of t he sedimentary rocks is due to a lack of its preservation r ather t han to its absence from the seas and oceans.
CONVERSION
Geologists are not all in accord as to the process of conversion of organic matter into petroleum 01' as to the time at which this conversion takes place. 'I'he three most prominent ideas advanced are : (1) 'I'hat the petroleum results from the natural distillation of oil-for ming matter in the r ocks, that is, the material has not been br oken up into different products at the tim e of deposition, but that the liberation of the waxes an d fats and thei r conversion to petroleum all takes place long after deposition, and is attributable to pressure, and p robably heat, caused by compact ing and movement, with the ti me element always present. (2) That at th e time of deposition of t he organic matter bacteri al action liberates the waxes and fats, which would normally t end to rise to the surface as tiny glob ules. But in even slightly turbid wat ers th ese globules would attach themselves to clay particles, which would sink, and the fatty matter would then become entombed in the rocks, to be later converted into liquid petroleum, by pressure and hea t caused by compacting and movement. (3 ) That the bacterial action on the organic matter caus es the direct conversion to liquid p etroleum, which is thus contemporaneous with the strata in which it was or iginally contained.
The present trend of t houg ht among some pet rol eum geologists is that th e conversion of animal matter to petroleum takes place soon after deposition, whereas th e conversion of th e plant matter probably takes place long after burial.
It is not within the scope of this bulletin to ent er in to any exhaustive discussion of these general ideas and their many modifications. It will suffice to say that all three carry weigh t and probably not one alon e embr aces all the facts.
Today it is diffic ult to say which idea is the most gen erally accepted. If it is assumed that oil is preponderantly of vegetable or igin

CONDI'l'IONB E BSENThlI, TO COMMERCIAL OIL

37

it is proba ble that the first theory, that of na tural distillation, is the most important. In cases where the source of the oil is animal matter th e t hird t heory , that of direct conversion to liquid p etroleum at time of deposition, would p robably be the more ap plicable. Th e presen ce of gas, which must, in large pa rt, have been form ed after the r eservoirs were sealed, th e presence of oil in structures sea led long aft er burial , and t he r elation between th e deg ree of fixed ca rbon in the ro cks an d the grade of th e oil, all constitute strong evidence that in many cases the second theory ( that of th e liberation of the wax es and fa ts at time of depos it ion and t he ir subsequent conversion, due to pressure) must be of maj or impor t ance, unless we assume that t he oil was formed at the time of deposit ion an d was later subject ed to met am orphism, givin g ri se to gas and to a change d char acte r of t he oil. Such an ass umpt ion is in many cases unwarrant ed by th e conditions whi ch prevail.
Wh eth er or no t movement is the a gent -of pr ima ry importance in th e conv ersion of the oil-forming matter into p etroleum, it is certain that the amount of deformation of the strata has a very direct bearing on t he chara cter of the oil, and th e deformation of the strata may even be so gr eat t ha t t he previously liquid oil be comes mainly fixed carb on and may n ever thereafter be r ecov ered as liquid p etroleum. Th e two f ollow ing la,~'s as given by D avid Whit e fur nish t he best st at ement s of t hese metamorphic effe cts .'
[ I] *"In r egions wh er e the progressiv e devol nt il iza ti on of t he org an ic de-
posits in an y form ation ha s pas sed a cert a in point, marked in most prov in ces by 65 to 70 per cent of fixed ca rbon (pu r e coa l ba sis ) in t he associa ted or over ly ing
coals, commer cia l oil pools are not present in that formation nor in any for ma ti on
normally und erl ying it , t houg h commerc ia l gas pools ma y occur " .

lJohnson and Hu ntley, Oil a nd Gas Produc tion, p . 23, 1915.

38

GEOLOGICAL S URVEY OF GEORGIA.

[2 ] "The lowest rank oils of each type a re found in the r egions a nd for ma t ions in which t he carbonaceous deposits a r e lea st alter ed . .. . the highest rank oils being, on the wh ole, found in r egion s wh er e ca rbonaceous deposits .. .. have been bro ug ht t o correspondingly higher r anks".
Whether or n ot the deve lop ment of st ructures, suc h as domes, anti-clines, etc., are of major importance 'as regards the form ation of oil will p erhaps long remain a matter of speculation. But cer tainly they do play a very impor tant part in the accum ulation and will be dealt with under that heading.

A CCUMULATION GENERA.L P RI NC I PLE S
When liquid oil is fo rmed it is more or less scattered throughout the r ocks. Th er ef ore in order to get quantity pr odu ct ion at any point it is ne cessary that t he oil be concentrated. This n ecessitates migration t o a common centre, which takes place when several requirements are fulfilled . First, p oro us beds must be present, containing open spaces, such as those between the individual grains in a sandstone, in order to provide a passageway along which the oil may mov e du ring accum ulation, and also to serve as a r eservoir at the point of concentration. Sec ondly, the porous bed mus t be over laid, an d usually underla in, by r elatively no n-p or ous material, thereby confini ng the oil to restr icted zones and preventing it s being scat te re d . Th irdly, ther e must be some force acting on th e oil along con ver ging di rections, th ereby concentrating it at a common centre from over a r elatively large area. It is fu rthermore necessary to have select ive action to wa rd oil, as compared with water , in order to sepa r ate the two. Oil is rare ly found wi th out associated wat er, wh ich usu ally carries considerable salt 111 solution.
POROSITY OF RO CKS
Sandsto nes are normally the most poro us type of sed imentary r ock. Usu ally thei r pore space vari es from about 10 p er cent to about 30 per cent of th eir volume . Li mestones as a r ul e are much more

CONDITIONS ESSENTIilL TO COMME R CIAL OIL

39

compact than sandstones, but sometimes have a relatively high porosity, generally due either to a loosely compacted nature, as in fossil coral reefs, or to extensive water channeling from solution, or to fractur e fissures, or to the concentration accompanying certain chan ges in min eral nature. Shales and clays contain an abundance of minute openings, but these are so very small as to prevent free movement of any oil or water contained in them.
Since, as previously stated, most oil originates in shale s, and sin ce these usually contain sand members with the ne cessary por osity, it naturally follows that in the majority of fields the oil is found concentrated in these sand beds. In many instances, however, oil is conc entrated in porous limestones, the lim estone itself, or some other bed, p erhaps of shale, being the source of the oil. Accumulations of oil in shale are not unknown, but they are not of commercial imp ort ance. Effective porosity is probably always a r equisite to quanti ty produ ctio n.
nIPERVIOUS CAP P I NG
Shales, clays, and dense lim eston es are th e most non-porous types of sedim entary ro cks. All of these ar e common as imp ervious capping nec essary t o confine the oil during and after accumulation. Very fine-grained, compact sandstone, especially when saturated with water or oil, is r elatively impervious unless subject ed to high unbalan ced pressures. A bed may be th e source of oil which migrates into an 'adj acent porous sand, and then function as a relatively imper vious cappin g confining th e oil to the porous bed.
FORCES CAUS I NG THE MOVEMENT OF OIL
'I'he foll owing forces ar e probably th e most importan t in causin g the movement of oil: (1) The buoyancy of oil when associated with water, with which it will not mix, causin g the oil to ri se on t op of the water; (2 ) 'the force of moving water or gas tending t o car ry the oil along with it; (3) static gas and water pressure; (4) capillary attraction; and (5 ) comp act in g of b eds squ eezing out the oil in to other mor e porous b eds. Sudden earth movements, such as those accompa-

40

GEOWGICAL SURVEY 0 1' GEORGIA

nying f aulting, are considered important in st arting t he movement

of oil.

FAVOR1UBLE STRUCTURES

In order to bring about the con centration of oil it is necessary

that the attitude of the strata be suc h as t o br ing one or more of the above mentioned f or ces in t o action, causing the oil to move. It is also

ne cessary that the induced move ment be to wa rd a common centre. Any attitude of the beds which will fulfill th ese two requirements is te rmed favora ble st r ucture, wi th r eferen ce t o t he accumulation of oil

and gas . In harmony with these pri nciples it may be conse rvatively

stated th at ne arl y all the producing wells of the world are locat ed on favorable struct nres, ben eat h which t he oil is trapped in pools, occupying the inter -granula r spaces of porous beds .

Three t yp es of fav orable st ructures are common : (1) f olded

st rata, (2) closed mon oclin al st rata , an d (3) lens-shaped p or ous beds.

OIL 1'1."" uf'S

... . ' .

Fig'. I. -Simple a nticlin e w ith o il and g a s (solid b la c k ) co llect ed in po ro us b ed at c rest of f o l d.
Folded st m ta.- Figure 1, illustrating a simple fold, shows the most common form of this typc of st r uctu re. Fo rce No.4, (capillary attraction ) assisted by fo rce No.5 (the compacting of beds) are inst rumenbal in movin g t he oil from its source in the shale to the por ous sand, wher e t he wat er, oil, an d gas all occupy t he open spaces between t he in dividu al grains. Th e oil being lighter t ha n the water, an d so constituted as not to mix with water, r ises on top of t he latter to t he upper part of the f old, and from each side, as indicated. In 3. simila r way the gas ris es on to p of the oil to the extreme cr est of the

CONDI'1'IONS ESSENTUL '1'0 COM]IERCI,lL aLL
fol d, th e wat er occupying a position well down the sides. 'I'hus force No.1, exerted through buoyancy, is brought into play, moving the oil to a common centre, the cr est of the fold, from each side. Also the gas, r isin g in response to great bouyaney, carries the oil up with it, utilizing fo rce No.2. It is also generally true that strata are more in t ense ly comp act ed, from folding, down the slopes than around the crest of a f old, thus squeezing th e oil away from the lower parts to wa r d the mor e porous cr est, thereby engaging force No.5. F or ce N o. 3 (the static pressure of water and gas ) tends to hold the wa t er and gas entr apped in the fold as indicated. It is thus 'seen how the simple f old illustr ate d brings into play five fo rces which collect th e oil from a r ela tively large area on the sides of th e fold, carrying it up to a common p oin t , and causing accumulation around the cre st in the ma nner shown by figure 1.
There are many modifications of th e simple fold shown, all of whi ch in gener al are effe ct ive in causing accumulati on through the principles out lined. If t he f olding is so intense as to break.th e strata it is possible that a large part of th e oil and gas may escape.
imple folds whi ch are r elatively long and narrow are called an ticline , while the ter m dome is applied to those ha ving a wid th r elatively gr eat as compar ed to length. The an ti cline is probably the most common gen eral form of st ructure favo r able to oil and gas accumulatio n .
F ig. 2.-Fa u lted m on ocline. 0 11 and gas (soll d bl a c k ) co lleote d o n down thrown side of fault.
Closed mo nocli nai strata.-l\Ionoclinal strata 0; beds dipping in
one direction only probably rank next in importance to fold s in the accumul atio n of oil and gas. Th e fa ulted monoclin e shown in figu re 2.

42

GEOLOGlC,lL S UR VE Y OF GEORGIA.

falls in this class. In this case the concentrative forces are in gener al similar to those ope rating in fold ed strata shown in Figure 1. Here the gas and oil would con t in ue to move up dip , through the poro us sand bed , and escape at the surface as an oil and gas seepage were there no interruption in the passageway. 'I'his is prevented , however, by a brea k or fault in t he beds, with re lative movemen t in the dire ct ion shown by the ar rows. T he compact sh ale on t he right of the f aul t line is thrown opposite.the porous oil sand on t he left , thereby sealin g the latter by blocking the open passageway at t his point. The movement al on g t he fault plane te n ds to form pulverized ma te r ial calle d gouge, whi ch often seals the porous bed to t he lef t of t he fa ult, irrespective of what bed may be br ought opposite it. E ffect ive seal.in g may r esult from the de position of r esi du al hydrocarbons, like asphalt, or of m ineral matter, such as calcite, from solu ti on. The water, oil, and gas will be arranged as indicated, with accumulatio n a short distance down dip f r om t he fa ult. In case the br ea k is no t sealed by impervious matter the oil and gas may escap e, j ust as they would under similar conditions in folded strata.
Figure 3 sh ows another common closed monoclinal st ructure favor able to ac cumulati on . Here the principles involved are similar to those of Figure 2, except that t he up-dip movement of oil and gas, instead of being blo cked by a sealed fault, is stopp ed by the porous sand changing to imp ervious shale or clay, thus te r minating the open passageway.

Fig. 3.-Porous len s' on mon ocllne. Oll a nd gas shown in s olld bl ack.
I n f igures 2 and 3 t he u p-dip movement of the oil is stopped by the te rmination of a f ree passageway. Another at tit u de of the beds,

OOND I'1'IONS E SSENTI AL T O OOM!J[ E R OI,1L OIL

43

the terraced monocline shown in figur e 4, often r esults in accumulat ion of oil at the p oint in di cat ed. Here the oil moves up-dip, du e to forces already discussed, dependent up on the ste epness of dip . On meet ing the flattened attitude of the bed th e for ces are cor respondingly lessen ed, preventing further mov ement and re sulting in concentrati on where the steepn ess of dip changes. If the water pr esent has even slight movement, down -dip concentration from above the flattened area ma y take place. A structure of this nature is called a ter race.

--- -- -- --- ---- ---- - -- ----- - - - - - ----::: - - P--==;:--:::::o--~ -::::=---::,,-~ --:=---::=-==--:-:--:=-=-=-c-~-::==--:~ :_:::::;:-.:-:-.

c---:.>:~::;:.:.;:':
'

.:-:-.::::::-:;-;.;

--------- --- --- -- ----- . ------------------------- -:-:---------------------------- ------- --== - - - - -- ....:-:- ::::- --- ----- -- - - - ~" " - ;::;;:;~ . ::--.;:,:::;~ '.' . ';::;'--

-

-

-

-
-

-

-
--

-
---

~

--:-

F ig . 4.- Ter ra c e on m ono cli n e. Oil a n d gas ( s ol id b lack) co ll ec te d i n po ro u s

b ed on the t erra ce.

L ens-shap ed POI'OUS beds.-Structures of this nature in horizontal strat a are of mu ch less imp ortance t han where the strata are folded or in clined. F igure 5 illustrates this class of str ucture . Here cap illary attraction and the compacting of the shale carry th e oil from its source in the shale into th e sand lens. Gas and mor e or less wa t er will usually be present an d the oil and gas will be concentr at ed as shown . Th is type of structure usually does not gather the oil from over a very large area, but simply draws it from the beds immediately adjacent t o the sand lens. Some sand lenses probably contain only oil and gas, due to the fact that the water, having a greater cap illar y attr action than oil, might leave the porous sand and enter th e adjacent bed, wh ere the small size of the p ores gives gerater capillarity, th er eby ex er tin g a gr eater attraction toward t he water than the oil. Th e fa ct that wa t er has a greater capillarity than oil seems t o be unquestioned, but the ability of the water in the sand to re place the oil already in the fine-grained shale is questione d. The fact that oil is generally

GEOLOG IO.1L SURVEY OF GEORGL!

more viscous than water would t end to retain the oil in the coarse r grained sand, while th e water, du e to its r elative f luid ity , might enter the fine pores of the shale. In any event, when oil and water occup y beds of variable porosity the oil tends to become segregated in the more p orous zones. Commer cial accumulation of oil and gas in structures of the above type are imp ortant in some fields.

I6:~:~~ ~~~;~::;i;=-:~ --=-_-_ -== _ - _--= - ---=== - ----- - - --- -- ---- -- ---- -- ----- - ---- -- - --_ .

.0;--

__==_

~~

..~ : ~~ :~.: ~~ :-. " .

. ~ ": :;'~.:""'7.' ~.>.:~~

- - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - - - -

Fig. 5.- Lens - sh a pe d po ro us bed In l e s s porous str ata. Oil and gas s oli d black . Bed s ho r izo n t a l.

Oth er stru ctur es.-The sketches shown in F igures 1 to 5, inclusiv e, are id eali zed to mor e clearly r epresent th e principles involved in accumulation. They illustrate some of the more common types of simple favor abl e structures without showing the common, more or less complex, modifica tions or specifi c structures r epresented by comp oun d an t icl ines, plunging anticlin es, salt domes, igneous domes, and monoclines sealed by dikes, et c. Compound an ti clines are compos ed of mor e than one fold, whi ch t o a great er or less extent merge in to a sing le st r ucture , and sometimes with superposition of small folds or domes on a larger fold. P lun ging anticlin es ar e those having an axis in clin ed t o the horizontal. Salt domes are those underlain by great cores of salt. Th ese are common in the Gulf Coast area of Texas and Louisiana . Igneous domes are those formed by intrusions of molt en igneous rock. In monoclines sealed by dikes igneous material has broken through the reservoir beds, sealing th em up at the point of contact in a manner similar t o that in seal ed fault ed monoclines. In the common structures just enumer ate d t he principles of accumulation are the same as described under 'their r esp ectiv e types.

CONDI T IONS ESSENT IA L TO COMMERC IA l, OIL

45

S ummar !J of structllres.-From a consideration of th e st r uctur es described it is evident that in gen eral structures favora ble to accumulation of oil and gas imply porous beds, impervious cappin g, folded or otherwise deform ed strata, and wat er . How ever , th er e may be exceptions, illustrated by the porous lenses in strata which are horizontal. Also, when abundant water is absent th e oil, with no wat er to float on, may move down dip from gr avity and become concentrated well down th e sides of structures. Ideal conditions of this type would give accumulat ion at the lowest point of the strata , such as the troug h or syncline between two anticlines. Produc tiv e structures of t his nature are found in numerous fields, especiall y in the Ap palachian area, but they a re the exce ption r ather than th e rule, f or water is one of the most important fa ctors in accumulati on.

F ig. G.-Reservoir formed b)' an un con r orrnttv , O ll and gas i n s olid b l ack ,
'I' he impor tance of f avora ble structure with r efer ence to commer cial production can scarcely be over-est imat ed. It is un doubtedly nex t in importance to the presence of oil or oil-forming matter itself, 'I'he pressure, movement of beds, ctc ., incident to f olding oi' any f orm of deformation is also kno wn to be a factor in t he changing of oilfor ming matter into liquid oil. Structures, therefor e, are n ot only activ e in the accumulat ion of oil an d gas but arc produced by forces whi ch arc reg ar ded as conversion fa ctors also. 'I'he r elativ e importan~e which st r ucture bears to each of these processes cannot be .definitely stated.
R E T E N T ION
Th e f ourth and last ma jor r equirement to be fulfilled in order to p r oduce commercial quant ities of petrol eum is r etention. 'I'he oilformi ng mat er ial, t he waxe and fats, and the liquid petroleum must

46

GEOLO GIO.4.L SURVEY OF GEORGlLt

be prevent ed ,f r om eseaping. This is accomplished by impe rvious retaining material. 'Without this retention the petroleum formed du ring past geologic time would never have been preserved until the present day.
Th e presence of imper vious retaining material, whatever its character, is necessary not only after the oil has been collected in favorable r eservoirs, but also at the t ime of the depos ition of the oil-forming matter an d during the t ime interv ening between deposition and collecti on as liquid oil in r eserv oirs .

F ig. 7.-Si m pl e anti clin e formed by do ming effec t o f salt pl u g. in solid black.

Oil a nd gas

W hether we assume that th e whole of the conversion from organ ic matt er into p etroleum t akes place after burial, or t ha t it takes place either wholly or in part at th e t ime of deposition, it is essential that from t he very t ime the material is deposited it must have over it some eovering to exclude the air, thus preventing oxidation and evap ora t ion. The pr incip le of burial and exclusi on of oxygen perhaps offers one of the best reasons why th e mu ds and clays, when changed into shales, are the great source r ocks of oil. Muds an d clay s are n ormally laid down in qui et waters, practically barren of f ree oxygen. Mor eover, the clay particles act as an impervious seal against the escape of the waxes and fa ts, due to the at traction which th ey exert on the tiny particles, as previously mentioned.

An impervious covering for a favorable r eservoir r eally has a double function . In the first place, without this imper vious covering over porous strata there could har dly be a true reservoi r, for the porous strata would not normally offer a suitable plac e of lodgment for

OONDITIONS ESSENTIAL TO OOMMEROIAL OIL

4i

the oil. Then, after the oil has been collected in r eservoi rs it is very commonly subjected to both gas an d hydrostatic pressures. In order tha t it may not be force d out of the porous rocks it is necessary that the lat t er should r emain overl ai d, and us ua lly underlaid, by relative. ly imp ervious rocks.

. .. =-- . : '.." '.' ::::..- ---- .: .. ~" ~ ~ , ,'" ' ' ' '

-- -...: '.' .:

. , . ' : ' .' : .

. : ./~ ./".::

;.:. . - - . :>~ ~. ~.~~ ~~ ~~~.~:'.: .. . '

~-::-.

:::--.' .-------- -- ----=-- -- ----.------:--- "" '.. ---- .. . '".. .

::---

--' /":' /' - -- , -.....-...::

. . ,'

,'

--

. --:::
'

.
.'

.'

..'
'. '

.

.

.

/

/...-

Fig. S.-Si m p le syncline wi t h oil a nd gas (so li d bla ck ) coll e cted i n porous

bed in the bottom of f old.

'I'he commonest of these imp ervious cap ro cks ar e shales and clays, though often very dense lim estones and dolomites ser ve. In the case of the shales and clays, their actual porosity may be high, bu t the p ore sp aces are so small that t he oil ma y not ente r . Shales and clay s are especially imp ervious to oil when they are saturated with water, t he oil lacking the power to force th e w ater out of the fine por es. In t he case of dense limest on es an d dolomites acting as the r etaining strat a, imperviousness is du e mainly t o the actually small amount of their pore space.
Modificati ons of th e above gen er al statements are to be foun d in su ch cases as where evaporation of some of t he oil in a porous bed has so clo gged the p ores as to fo rm a dam to furthe r escap e of the oil. This n ormally effect s a porous bed at its out crop at the surfac e and practi cally implies some imp ervious coverin g over the greater part of t he st ratum .
Faults may cut across strata or igneous dikes may be intruded through t hem, forming very effectu al dams to migration throu gh po- . r ous strata, there by fo r ming a favorable coll ecting ground. Again, this normally implies, in each case, a r elatively impervious covering abov e the oil-bearing stratum in order t o make t h e damming effect ive.

48

GEOLOGIOA.L SURVEY OP GE ORGIA.

'I'here are a number of f act ors which oper ate against the retention of oil in pools. Th e first, the most imp or t ant , of these, is the breaking of the strata. Othe r factors of impor t an ce are deep val ley cuttin g, change in wat er level, and igneo us act ivity.
All of t he above conditions te n ding t o offset r et ention, with the last named excepted in some cases, are caused primarily by earth movements sub sequent to the collection of the oil in the r eservoirs. As h as already been pointed out, movements of t he 'ear th 's cr ust both fold and fault the rocks. These folds and faults may for m the favorable r eser voirs,' but very often the folding is so intense that the strata are both fractured and faulted, and these openings may very r eadily serve as means of esca pe for at least part of any oil that may have bee n pres ent.

.::....~~~::-:-~::: : .. : :~~.~ ~~ .:-::

~ r. : ~~.-:= ~--:- ; . ~ ~ ~ ~ :::

.0
- . .. . -- . ~
: .: '. ---==-- - __ .....::-.. .-:. - . . '


'

.
'
7/"

/~ . ..-.-:~ -=.---:':" . '..-~ -.::;;:::::.:"::::::."::0:-.-:----.--=:-:==---=-

. . . -

~-..::::::: . .. . . : ~-...;;:

. _~ :::--:::: "

~ .~ '" ,

. ~' .~ ~

Fig. 9.-S ho\\'ing in cre a s e in fo lding ben e a t h a n un con f o r m it y . O il a nd goas

in soli d b lack.

E ar t h movements may, and very commonly do, result in uplift of th e land areas. Th is may cause r en ewed erosion, cut ting away the covering of the r eser voir r ocks. 'iTery often, how ever, the petroleum reservoirs are buried sufficiently deep t o b e prot ected against er osion for almost infinite periods of time .
Dir ectly r elated to elevation and erosion is change of water level. Very commonly th e low er surface of the oil r ests on water , and if this wate r is, for any r eason , withd rawn, th e oil will tend to follo w it and go down the limbs of the str uctures by gravitationa l action . (I n the case of oil in dry rocks in sy nclines, the intrusion of water may f or ce the oil up t he limbs of the st ructures .) Deep er osion t ends to fur nish openings permitting the entombed gr oun d wat er t o escape , th ereby lower in g its level within the strata. Solu-

LOO.1TION OF OIL AND GAS WELLS

4H

t ion action may likewise r elease t he undergroun d waters wit h conseq uent cha nge of lev el.
The in trusion of ign eous ro cks in t o th e sedim ents may eit her act alone or aecom pany .ear th movements. Th e accompanying heat may entire ly disperse an y ' exi sting oil in the roc ks inva ded , t he magn it ude of th e intrusiv e mass an d its prox imit y to t he reser voir bein g t he governing factors, assuming of course that t he mass is h ot .

Fi b'. lO.- Exp os ure a n d r e rn o va l of f o r mer r cs ervot r r ock s by erosion. Oil
and gas in s olid black.
It should th us be generally clear that there are certain conditions, such as imp er vious coverings, that must be looked fo r in conn ection wit h oil colle ction . It should also be borne in mind that fa ults, folds, and ign eous in trusion s may be eith er desirable or undesirable features, and always their deg r ee an d th e particular con ditions sho uld be noted, and eac h area considered on its own merits.
LOCATION OF OIL AND GAS TE ST WELLS 'I'h er e have been stated, in the fo r egoing section, th e major conditions whic h must b e fu lfilled bef or e commerc ial producti on of pet roleum or natura l gas may be expected. Th ese conditi ons are by n o means always easily r ecogni zed and can oft en only be det er min ed by careful prospectin g of a r egion. Suc h prospectin g is normally st imul ated by, and ba sed on, tw o sets of data whi ch are here termed non- st ructural and structural. Th ey include bot h surface and sub surface fa cto rs . Non-siruc tu rai [aciors > The first of t he non-structural factors bea ring on th e occur re nce of pet role um to be considered is t he rock colum n and sequen ce of t he region un der consideration. In r egi ons

5U

GEOLO GIC .1L SURl'EY OJ.' GEORGIA

of igneous ro cks or highly metamorphosed rocks of any type prospe cting f or petr oleum is little warranted. Any area of sedim entary roc ks not t oo highly metamorphosed offers a possibility for petroleum. W her e the ro cks ar e of a petrolifero us character, such as some shales, an d the re are also presen t reservoir typ es of ro cks, like porous san dst ones, and where such rocks are of considerable thickness, pros pectin g is better warranted. Often the rock sequence and cha racter can only be learned from more or less distant outcrops and from well cu ttin gs.
Another set of non-structural data that commonly stiumlates interest and prospecting is what may be called surface indications of petroleum. The se includes the presence of deposits of asphaltum, paraffin, gilsonit e, et c., oil seeps; gas seeps; mud volcanoes; burned shale; an d salt water.
In many areas deposits o~ heavy hydrocarbons are t o be f ound. Th ey may occur as deposi ts of asphalt or gilsonite et c., or t hey may be in the form of bituminous rocks (r ocks impregnated with the hydro carbons.) Su ch deposits are the result of the evaporat ion of t he more volatile constituents of petroleum. Th ey usually occur along the outc rops of t he oil-bearing form ations or around openings, such as springs, fractures, faults, et c.
Seeps of petr oleum itself are common in man y ar eas, and often indicate quan ti ty supply at dep th, but do not necessarily point t o commercial accumulat ion below the point of issu e, as the oil may have come fr om a lon g dist anc e away. Sometim es seeps and depo sits of t he heavier hydrocarbons ar e far r emoved from productive r egions an d are th er eby misle ading for th e immediate ar ea, but offer hopes of produ ction from th e same formations , where those may be buried an d where structural conditions are favorable .
Gas seeps are common in many regions. Often the gas is of an inflammable character, but it is not necessarily of a petroleum ori gin, and may be anyone of several naturally occurring non-petroleum gas es. The source of the gas can be determined by careful

PE'l'ROl.EUJI POSS lBl Ll'l'IES OF GEORGIA

rt.si III

.A. GLENDON LDlEST ONE ON OCJ\lULGEE RIVER, 2 J\IILEG SO TH OF HA WKTN SVILLE, P LASKI COUNT Y.

B. INll UHATE D SAN D AND C LA Y, ALU~ I BLl Flo' FOID IATION, :\11 LL CR EE K, .JEFF DAVI S COUN T Y.

LO OA'l'ION OF OIL AND GAS WELLS

51

chemical analysis only when the gas is of tile wet type, containing condensable hydrocarbons. Such gases are commonly considered to be of petroleum origin. Sometimes gas issuing from openings will carry with it particles of mud and sand, thereby building up a cone . Th ese are commonly called mud volcanoes. They are almost always in loose, poorly consolidated material. Sometimes the material is of a pl astic character and so seals up the opening. The gas th en being colle ct ed under some pressure may periodically burst t hr ou gh the covering with more or less violence, thereby resembling a volcano.
Burned shale, or " clin ke r" as it is often call ed, may in some cas es be indicative of at least past supplies of petroleum. Where the bituminous material has been burned, probably from spontaneous combustion, it may burn the overlying shales, forming clinker. H owever, su ch effects are very common in regions wh ere there is lignite or brown coal, du e t o the burning of the lignite, and should not be give n undue importance as an oil indicator.
Salt wat er springs and "salt licks," as well. as springs of sulphur wat er , are sometimes indications of nearby oil bodies. Oil is very commonly associated with salt water and also with sulphur. However , it should be borne in mind that many non-petroliferous formati ons cont ain salt and sulphur, and solutions coming from these ne ed n ot in an y way be evidence of oil.
S tructu ral indications.- In any area where the rocks are of a possible oil-p ro ducing charact er, whether oth er surface indications menti oned above are present or not, the presence or abs ence of favorable st r uct ur al features should be looked for, and their location, extent, and character determined.
Somet imes it is very easy to work out the location and magnitude of structures wh ere good r ock exposures are numerous and the st ructures simple. Very often, however, outcrops are few and poor, structures are complicate d and of very low dips, making the task of delimiting them a difficult one . In such cases a very careful sur-

52

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

vey is nec essary. Often structures must be projected from distant outc r ops or even determined in large ~easure by data from drilled wells.
In the working out of a geologic structure, whether by hand level, al idade, transit, or by well logs, it is essential th at some one definite bed or horizon, whi ch can be f airly r eadily r ecogn ized, be taken as a key bed: Then all measurements of elevat ions are in terms of this key bed and its departures from the horizontal may in general be int er pr et ed as outlining any structure. Often the only data available may be a negative cha rac t er ; that is, there ma y be an absence of outcrops, well records, or both, and then th e la ck of exposures at the surface of formations r easonably expect ed at r elatively shallow depths constitutes fa irly strong evidence against any u plift. This may be offset by any previ ous structures having been planed off and th en buried ben eath h oriz ontal beds, in whi ch ease the structure would remain conce aled, unless there was move ment later than the depos ition of th e surface material.
Again, it must be borne in mind that the few conditions outlined above by no means wholly cover the seleetion of the loeati on of a test well , but represent only some of the major consi derations a nti are here giv en to the extent that they may throw light on some of the succeeding disc ussions.
'While surface indicati ons, su ch as asphalt and gilsonite d eposi ts, oil seeps, bituminous r ocks, et c., are often present, th ey are by no means universally present in oil fields. In fa ct, th ey ar e t he exce ption rather than the rule. Furthermor e, their ch ief significan ce probably li es in th e fact that th ey stimulate inter est for detailed exami nation. Su ch furth er investi gation may lead to the discovery of favorabl e structures. It th en becomes largely a question as t o whether or not the major conditions of source, conv ersion, aecumulation, and r et ent ion have be en fulfilled . W het her or n ot t hey have been met must, in the last analvsis, b e determined by th e drill, and even this may fail. f or th e prndu etive h orizons may be so deeply

POPULAR FALLAOIES

53

buried as to be practically imp ossible to reach by the pr esent-day drilli n g methods.

P OPULAR l!' ALLACIES RELA'1'IVE TO PETROLEUM A.1~D NA'1'URAL GAS
Many popular fa llac ies conce rning t he meth od of locating oil and gas fields are preval ent . '1'0 enumer ate all of these would be diffi cult, in as much as many of them ar e purely local, but some of these er r oneous ideas of wider extent are here explai ned with the hope of disc rediting t hem.
Div illi,llg rods, "Doodle bugs," " IFiggle sticks, " etc.- One of t he common methods used by f ake promot er s to det ermine the alle ged presen ce of oil and gas is by the use of divining r ods, " Doodle bu gs, " " wiggle st icks," and other such cont riva nces . 'I'hese ar e of many and va ried types bu t all are based on the assumption th at oil and gas are capable of exerting some force on these "detectors " which will cause them to move , ben d, r ot at e, oxidize, cha nge color, or do various other things. Caref ul study of the prin ciples upon wh ich these contrivances are based and the r esults obt ained by th eir use, both equally disc redit their va lue as a mea ns of locati ng oil or gas p ools.
General surfa ce appearan ce.- A.llothe r common fallacy is based Oil the general appearance of a r egion. Some p erson, familiar wit h some oil r egion, may go int o another region of similar appear ance and thereby con clude t hat oil must be present. As a ma tter of fact surf ace appearance has absolutely no direct bear ing on the presence or absence of oil whe r e such surface appear ance is purely a matt er of topography, soil color, vegetation etc .
Topograph y.-A very common mistak e made by many persons is th e con fusin g of or dinary hills and rid ges wit h structure. Very oft en, for example , isolat ed, r ound-topped hill s ' ar e r egarded as domes wh en t hey are st r ictly an eros iona l feat ure. Hills may, an d often do. coincide with st ructure, bu t far oftener do not,

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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

1l:Ligm tion of oil.-A common practice among so-called "oil experts" is to plot, on base maps, structural lines connecting widely separated oil fields, or to proj ect such lines long distances from a producing field to show structure in an unstudied r egion regardless of actually existin g conditions. After establishing their desired structures th ey pi cture r ivers of oil flowing al ong underground, there by assuming practically universal extent of f ormations and incredible migration pow er s of oil.
As a matter of fa ct geologic formations are by n o mea ns of universal extent . Oft en times form ations of the same age are of wide extent, but that does n ot mean that th ey are .everywher e of the same charact er and could permit migra t ion of oil thro ug h out their exte nt , all other con dit ions being f avor able . Mor eover, no such wonder ful powe rs of migrati on have ever been proven for oil.
More oft en, howeve r , suc h " experts" take no account of for mations, bu t att r ibut e t o oil the power of migrating any dista nce, through an y kin d of ro ck, or over any t yp e of str ucture . An example of this is the often-st ated r eason wh y oil must exis t in souther n Georgia. This is based on the theory t hat the oil has mi grated fro m the Ke ntuc ky fields . In this case th ey do not t ak e in to account th e distance, the presenc e of wid e ar eas of ign eous an d hi gh ly metamor ph osed sedimen tary rocks, and the ma jo r st r uct ural lines of the area betw cen K entucky and souther n Georgia, but cre dit oil with p owers gre at enough to over come all obstacles .
V egetation. -Va ri ous att emp ts h ave been made to show a relat ion. ship between the pr esence of oil an d gas and certain types of vegetation. Present-day vegetation is pr imar ily the r esult of existing clima te and soil, an d it is difficult to see how it could hav e any conn ectio n with deeply buried oil formed in past geologic t ime . It is conceiv abl e that th e presence of certain gas es foun d in some oil fields might h av e an effect on the veget ati on, but none of the

POPULAR FALLAOIES

55

relationships suggested have very wide acceptance amo ng pe t r oleum geolo gists.
An indirect re lationship is often shown in this way: In many areas certain types of vegetation are commonly found wher e cert ion f ormations are at the surface or nearly so . In this way the vegetation may show the presence of certain formations near the su rface whose presence there may in di cat e structure. Thus in directly vegetation may in di cat e structure, but it is only related to oil in it s bearing on sa id structural conditions.
Elevatiolls.-The idea is sometimes pu t for th that no oil is to be expected from beds whose elevation is above sea-level. The fallacy of this can readily be proved by an examination of the data f r om any oil fields.
((Gas blowout s." - A mong ma ny self-s tyled " oil experts" the socalled " gas blowout " is conside r ed excellent evidence of the pr esence of oil or gas . Mud volcanoes might will be ter med "gas blowouts," but what are gen er ally called "blowouts" are not of the mud vol cano type but r epresent effects generall y produced by erosion or by che mical action.
One type of the so-called "blowout " is t he isolated rock outcrop in regi ons gene r ally cov ered by loose mantle r ock or soil. The outcrop is sai d to have been blown .out and broken by t he gas pressure s from th e underlying oil and gas pools. As a ma tter of fact such "blowouts " are not known to exist unless the r ock s have been forced up by ign eous ac tion, in which cas e t he action is certainly not the result of natural gas pressure. These isolat ed outc ro ps are the n ormal r esult of er osion, t he harder portions of the rock b eing mo r e resistant, th er eby bein g left ex posed after the softer portions have b een eroded away.
Another t yp e of "blowout" is said to be proven by the presen ce of ro cks having a burned or blackened appearan ce. Very often these supposedly burn ed rocks are high in iron and manganese oxid es, the iron and manganese salts having been deposited f rom

56

GEOLOGiCAL SURVEY OF GEORGiA

solution, with accompanying oxidation. In very arid regions the burned appearance may be due to desert varnish on the rocks. That is, the intense heat of the sun has caused the salts within th e rocks to be brought to the surface, where they produce the dark staining.
A third commonly called " gas blowout " is th e lime sink. 'I'his is t he direct resul t of t he caving in of th e surface, caused by th e collapse of underground cav erns formed by th e removal of limy ma terial in solution.
Oth er typ es of th e so-called " gas blowouts" migh t be enumerated, but it is probably sufficient to say t hat the t erm " gas blowout" as commonly used is ent ire ly erroneous and has no significance as related to oil or gas production.

HIS'l'OR,Y OF OIL PROSPE O'l'ING IN GEORGIA In 1919 the Georg ia Geological Survey, in a r eport ent itled " A Preliminary Report on th e Oil Prospect near Scotland, 'l'elfair Oounty, Ga.," outlin ed a history of oil prospecting in Georgia to that date. Th e fo ll owin g record is taken largely from the above report, slightly modifi ed and supplemented, bringing it up to the present date. The pi oneer deep t est of the Ooast al Plain of Georgia was made by t he la t e Oapt. A. F . Lucas , whose fame in connec t ion with early production near Beaumont, Texas, is well known . Oapt. Lucas in 1905 drilled at a point about three and a half miles southwest of Louisvill e, in J efferson Oounty. 'I'he location was made mainly with refer ence t o apparent oil seeps. Drilling difficulties wer e encoun tered at about 500 fe et, and th e well was shut down until tw o years later, when it was taken over by the Georgia P etroleum Oil 00., who car r ied it down to the crystalline rocks, at 1143 feet, without commercial production. Soon after Lucas began the Louisville test well another test was started near Doetortown, in Wayne County, and ca rr ied to 1901 f eet. Som e gas was r eported below 500 f eet but no quantity of eit her oil or gas was encount ered.

OIL PROSPECTING IN GEORGIA

57

In 1908 a t est was made near Hazelhurst, by the Hinson Oil, Gas and Development Co. This well is repor ted t o have been sunk t o about 985 feet and shot with dynamite, which bridged the hole and ba dly damaged the casing. A barrel or more of crude oil is said to have been bailed out after the shot, but it seems that th e well was never cleaned out to continue the te st.
The deepest hole ever drilled in th e Coast al Plain of Georgia is at F r ed el, t en mil es sou th of Waycross, drilled in 1915 by t he W ay cr oss Oil and Gas Co. in an uns ucces sf ul att empt t o get production. howings of oil and gas wer e reported at about 1000 f eet.
Not lon g after the Fredel proj ect was sta r te d a great deal of leasing was done in the Ch att ahoochee and Withla cooche e River areas. This activity was caused by reference ill a State report on th e geology of the Coast al Plain to hypotheti cal ant iclines indicated by st r eam data. Only one shallow t est is known to have been made , h owever, an d this appare ntl y fail ed t o enc ourage fur ther dr illing.
I n 1919 a test well was drilled t o about 830 fe et , at a p oint about 9 miles northwest of Fitzgerald, wi thout enc ounter in g pro duct ion.
I n 1920 the Middle Georgia Oil & Gas Co., drilled ab out 12 mil es northwest of Sandersville, reaching the bas ement crystalline ro cks at a little less than 400 fe et . The same company lat er began a t est in J eff Davis county about 15 mil es west of Hazelhurst. This op er at ion is te mpo rar ily shut down at 1975 f eet .
At abou t the sam e tim e the Middle Georgia Oil & Gas Co. was makin g th e Sandersville test a well was being drilled at Cherokee Hill about 6 mil es n orthwest of Savannah. A dept h of about 2130 f'eet was reache d and sh owin gs of oil and gas r eported but no production was obtained.
In the summer of 1921 the Three Creeks Oil Compa ny drill ed at AlIens Station, about 9 miles south of Augusta, r each ing the basement crystalli ne rocks at about 400 feet. Th e comp any then moved

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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

their rig to a 'poin t in Burke County about two and a half miles east of Green 's Cut , where they are temporarily shut down at about 1000 feet", 'Phis is the only known test well in the State that is drilling at the present t ime, exce pt t he Dix ie Oil Company's well near Mcltae in Wheeler county.
In addition t o the enumerated test wells in the Coastal Plain several attempts to secure oil production have been made in North Geor gia. In 1902 the Rome P etroleum and Iron Co. drilled two wells, 1200 feet and ~850 f eet deep, respectively, in t he Paleozoic area near Rome. Several years later an 1100 foot t est was made ill the crystalline r ocks nea r Madison.
All drilling in Georgia has so f ar failed to r esult in commer cial produ cti on.
P HYSIOGRAPIDC FEA'l'URES OF GE ORGIA'
PIfYSIO GRAPHIC DIVISIONS
The State of Geor gia is divided into five well-marked pliysiographic divisions, namely, t he Coastal Plain, the Piedm ont Platea u, the Appalachian l\Iountains, the Appalachian Valley, and t he Cumber land Plateau. E ach of th ese divisions is compar atively well defined ; nevertheless, in some inst an ces, th e lin e of separation can not always be sha rply drawn. Often , in places, on e divis ion blends with another, so that it is f requently impossible to give definite boundari es. In su ch cases the boundaries can only be sp oken of as occur r ing within certain limits.
The physiographi c divisions of th e State, above enumerated, are not p eculiar to Georsria alone. They form a part of the main to pogr aphic provin ces of th e Eastern div ision of the Unite d St at es, which ha ve been described, under the names her e given, by Hayes' and oth er s. As a whol e these divisions may be spoken of .as cer t ain well-ma rk ed lan d f orms, composing belt s or zones of varia -
'Later. t h e t e s t w ell h e re r eferred to w a s a.ba nd on e rl an d a no the r w a s p u t do wn in t h e sa me v ici n ity, w hi c h en co u ntered c r ystalli n e r ock at abo ut 1002 f e e t.
' R enri n ted , with ex cep t ion of s ection on Coas tal Pla in . f r om desc r ip ti on by
S. ' V. )Ic Ca lJi e , in G eo rgia G e ol. Surv. Bu l l. 15, p p. 23-2 7. 1908.
' U. S. G e ol. Su rvey, Ninet e e n t h Ann. R ept ., 1897-9 8, PP. 9- 58.

PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF GEORGIA

59

ble width exte ndin g from New York to Alabama. Each division has its own topographic p eculiarities and const itutes a disti nct physiographic type, Th ey all have a southwesterly t rend, an d travers e the various States between the limit s mentioned. The surf ace configuration of Georgia , as represented by t he physiographic divisions above enumer at ed, is here described in detail.
COASTAL PLAIN I
General featmes.- The Coastal P lain of Georgia embra ces all that portion of the State that lies south of the Piedmont Plateau r egion, It has an areal extent of appr oximately 36,000 squa re miles. The lin e 'of cont act be tween the Piedmo nt Plateau an d th e Coastal Plain is an irregular lin e, known as th e " Fall lin e. " It extends f rom Columbus on the w est through Ma con an d Mill edgeville, to August a on the east . 'I'he Fall line der ived its name fr om th e small falls or rapids whi ch mar k th e places wh ere the streams leave th e more stee ply sloping crystalline ro cks of the Pi edmont region and pa ss onto the softer ro ck s of the Coast al Plain.
Physiographically the r egion is a low plain h avin g a gentle southward slope. In comparison with the other physiogr aph ic divisi ons of the state this plain has been subjecte d to ero sion for only a shor t time, and its t opography over the greater pa rt of t he area may be desc r ibed as youthful. On the wh ole th e Coastal Pla in is level, although it compr ises some hilly and broken are as in the north ern part n ear t he Fall line, where in places it is d issected and appear s somewhat more mature, Non e of t he hills, however, rise above a gener al level, an d the ir tops presen t an even skyline . Th e ro cks are mainly un consolid ated sands, clays, an d marls of simple structure, and th e r egi on consequently lack s t he pronounced t op ography du e to r esist an t varieti es of r ock and the folding of beds t hat ch ar acterize t he Appalachian Vall ey and the Appalachian Mountains. The plain r eaches a maximum elevation above sea level of 650 t o 700 f eet between Macon an d Columbus, an d of 500 to 600
l I n lnree port reprfn tcd f rom S teph en srm. L . W .. nn d ypllt C'h, .T. 0 .. " Under zroun d W a ter . of Georgi n." U . S . Geo1. Su r vey W nt , Su p . P ap er, p p . 2 8-38, 191 5 .

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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

f eet between Macon and Augusta, and thence slopes 3 t o 4 feet p el' mile to sea level. About half of the pl ain is less t han 300 f eet, and a large area near the Atlantic coast, abo ut one-se venth of the total, is less than 100 f eet above sea level. H er e the streams ha ve

~I A P I SHOWIXG PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISlO~S OF GEORGIA

PHYSiOGRAPHIC FEAT URES OF GEORGIA

61

n ot cut as deep courses as in th e old er di visions, t ributary stream s are fe wer, and large, fiat, undrained or poorly drained areas abound, p articularly in th e southeastern part.
Although the Coast al P lain ma y b e des crib ed, in comp ar ison . with the Appal achian Valley, Appalachian M ounta ins, and Piedmont Plateau, as a plain, it is not en t ire ly f ea turelcss , an d wi thin itself it presents t op ographi c contrasts. It may be divided in t o six physiographic subdivisions-the Fall-lin e hills, D ough er ty plai n, AItamaha upland, Souther n lime-sink r egion, Okefenookee p la in, and Satilla coastal lowlan d.
Fall-line hills.-Thc Fall-line hills, as is ind ica ted by t hei r name, occupy. t h e upper po r tion of th e Coas t al Plain, th eir no r thern boundary being approximat ely th e Fall-line, sout h of which the hills f orm a belt 40 t o 50 mil es wide acro ss th c State. This b elt, h ow eve r, is n ot .sha r ply de fine d, fo r on th e no rth it me rges into t he Piedmont Plateau and on the sou t h into the level and less broken land of th e Dough er ty plain and the Altamaha upland. In th e Falllinc hills, more than in any oth er su bdivision of the Coas ta l Plai n , the topographic f eatures are du e t o surface er osion . Str eam er os ion is more active b ecause .of the greater altitude, and it has been going on f or a longer pe r iod of t ime . 'I'he r cgio n is cha racter ized by flat-topped hill s or ri d ges and deep gullies or " wnshes . " The larger streams have cut courses 200 to 350 f eet b elow t he level of t h e uplan d plain, and th e no r th er n po rtion of th e b elt is as brok en as the adjacent Pi edmont Pl at eau. Th e r egion is und erlain m ain ly by sands and clay s of Cretaceous an d E ocen e a ge, an d th eir softness has favo re d r a pid erosi on .
In elevation ab ove sea lev el th e hi gh er land west of Ocmulgee R iver varies from 350 to 700 f ect ; th at east of the Ocmul gee from 300 to 600 f eet. The elevations of low water at Columbus, Macon, Milledgevill e, and Augusta are, r esp ectively, 200, 279, 241 and 109 feet.

62

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Two types of hills are commonly r ecognized, t he sand hills and the red hill s. The sand hi lls are best develope d in the northern po rt ion of the belt. Th ey are essent ially flat ridg es, with from 3 t o 30 feet of cover ing of loose, gray to brownish qua rtz sand, which is prob ably residual fro m t he underlying material. The red hills are the mor e common in the souther n part of th e F all-line belt. The soil of the hills is a br ight r ed sand or r ed sandy loam, and is r esidual from the underl ying form ations.
D ouqheris] plain.- The D ough erty plain occupies a lar ge area in t he west ern part of the Coastal Plain, extending from the Chattaho ochee rive~ to a f ew mil es east of Flint river, where it is r ather sharply separated f rom th e Altamaha upland by the escarpment formed by t he no rth-western limit of the Alum Bluff formation . It includes all or t he greater part of the count ies of Decat ur, Seminole, Mill er , Mit chell, E arl y, B aker, Calhoun, Dougher ty, Ran dolph , Terr ell, L ee and Sumter. A small str ip extends eastward from the Flint to t he Oconee, in cluding parts of Dooly , Houston, Pulaski and L aurens counties. The plain is char acterized by very level tracts, containing f ew elevations t hat can prop erly be t ermed hills. Small streams and br anc hes are compa rativ ely few, an d surf ace er osion is consequ entl y sli ght, the drainage being in large measure sub t erranean. The surface is fur th er cha ra cterized by numerous lime sinks, whi ch vary in size from small depr essions, with di amet ers of from 100 to 200 feet, to hollows occupying several hundred acr es and t o chains of sin ks sever al miles in length. Th e sinks usually contain sh all ow p on ds or la k es.
Th e ma in top ographic f eatures of the Dougherty plain have r esulted from t he rapid r emoval in solut ion of th e calcareous materials of the surf ace or near-surface formations. Th e elevat ion above sea lev el of th e Dou gherty plain varies from approximately 125 feet in Decatur County t o 450 f eet in t he southe rn pa rt of Houston County,
~
mu ch t he. greater porti on bein g less t ha n 300 f eet .

PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF GEORGIA

63

Altamoha upland.- 'l'he Altamaha upland constitutes the largest physiographic subdivision of the Coastal P lain. Its northern boundary runs irre gularl y between Waynesboro, Tennille, Dubl in, Cochran, and Vienna, and its western ed ge li es parallel to and a f ew miles east of F 'l int Ri ver as far south as Decatur Coun ty. On th e southeast , in E ffingham, Libe rty, Wayne, P ier ce, W are, and Clin ch counties, it mer ges in t o the sandy p ine flats of the Okefenokee plain. Th e divisi on embr aee s most of the r egion popularly known as the "wiregrass country," and is underlain by the Alum Bluff formation, an d by t he weath er ed r esidual products of that formation or by y ounger material of similar lithology.

The r egion can be calle d an upl an d only in comparison with t he low coastal plain on the southea st and the adjacent Dough er ty plain on t he west; on the whole it is lower th an the Pall-line hills to the north. It va r ies in elevation above sea level fr om ab out 470 feet in the n or th and west to about 125 fee t in the southeas t , there being a gradual slope t o the southeast.

Cha racteristic of th e topography are low rolling hills with smo oth or soft en ed outlin es, which, exc ept along the lar ge rivers, do not ris e mor e t han 40 or 50 feet above the va lleys. Non e of the fea tures sugges t ruggedness, yet 'at the same time t he r egion is not monotonously level or flat .

Streams are much more numerous than on th e Dougherty plain an d the coastal flats . Altamaha, Ocmulgee, and Oconee rivers have cut valleys 100 to 150 f eet deep, border ed in a few places by precipit ous bluffs, where the surface rocks are locally more r esista nt , but ex cept for these the va lleys ar e shallow. Th ose of the small streams have low breastlike slopes and may be desc ribed as dish shaped. Th e cre eks flow thr ough bro ad swampy bottoms, are generally sluggish, and are cha racter ized by clear water, free fro m sedimen t , in contr ast to the muddy waters of the Ocmulgee, Oconee and Altamaha.

64

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

In the sou the aste rn part of the Altamaha uplan d t he la nd is more lev el and finally merges into the moist pine flats of the Okefen ok ee pla in . Throughout this part small eypress ponds ar e numerous, th e valleys of t he small streams are more swampy, and the st re ams th emselves have banks not more than a foo t or two high. Al ong t he northern an d west ern ed ges of th e Al t am ah a up land in Screven, Wilcox, Cr isp, Turner, Worth, and Decatur counti es, sinks, due t o th e un der ground solution of lim eston e, are pr esent.
Th e soil is gene r ally sandy and th e country in places is thickly man tl ed wi th loose gray sand. In many pl aces, though more notably in the north ern half, ar e con side r able exposures of th e indurated clays and sands of t he Alum Bluff fo rmation . Many of the str eams and creeks are bordered by sand hills made up of loose, gray, yellow, or ligh t-br own, quar tz sand . 'I'hcse sand belts normally para !leI the stream s and r arely excee d two miles in width. Th e origin of these sand hills is not yet well und er stood.
In compar ison wi th the D ough er ty plain, th e Altamaha upland has a r olling topography, mor e num er ous st re ams, an d fewer lime sink s. It is not so entirely f eatureless as the swamp y t ra cts alon g the coast and is better drained. In contrast to the Fall-lin e hills it lacks r uggedness, and it s vall eys are shallower .
Southern lim e-sink region.-The Southern lim e-sink r egion occupies a sma ll area in the southern part of the stat e, embr ac in g the sou the astern part of Decatur Count y, the southern halves of Gr ady, Thomas, B rooks, and Low11C1es conn t ies, and ad jacent area s in F lor ida. Th e t opogra phy is hilly and is char acte r ized by lime sinks, lakes, and ponds.
Th e surfac e varies from 150 to 275 feet above sea level, and the hill s ri se 50 to 75 f cet and in a fe w pla ces 100 feet ahove the vall eys. Th e t opogra phy is more rugged t han that of the adj acen t Altamaha upla n d and the Dougherty plain, this diff er ence, and other characteristi es of the subd ivision being du e mainly to the differ ences in t he under ly ing geologic formati ons. Th e lime sinks are du e to the under-

PETRO I ,EUJf POFJFJlBI l.l T fRFJ OF GRORGTA

PL,lTE I V

A. IND URATED SAXD AND CLAY. A L U~ [ BL UF F FOlOL\TI OX, ~I I LL CHE EK, .JEFF DAVIS COUNT Y.

B. WORKING FA CE, TIFT HILL SAND PIT, EAST SID E OF FLI NT RIVER, ALBANY.

PH YSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF GEORGIA

65

ground solution of upper Olig ocen e limestone, which, except in sma ll areas, is no t t he surface mat erial, but which is overlain by 50 to 100 feet of sand aud clay , whose soft and easily eroded character probably accounts for its gr eat er ruggedness as compa re d wit h the wester n lime-sink region (Doughert y plain ). 'l'h e lakes and ponds occupy dep ressions caus ed by t he collapse of underground solu tion caver ns in lim estones, Some of the lak es cover areas of sever al hund re d acr es and are free fro m t imbe r gr owth , but the smaller an d shallower ponds suppor t a t hick growth of cypr ess. 'l'he water in these sinks varies with the seasons, but is known suddenly t o dis ap pea r or to r ise, owing probably t o the opening or closin g of undergr ound passages.
'I'he drai nage, as in the Dough erty plain, is to some ext ent subter r anean, and small streams are not num erous . Th o r ivers of th e r egion, the Ocklocknee, the W ithlacoochee, and other smaller str eams, flow canal-like thr ou gh broad sand-covered terrace plains. The wat ers of the str eams are 110t muddy but are dark on account of dissolved and suspend ed organic matter ; that of the lake is clear.
Th e soil is in many places r ed san dy clay . Superficial gray sand, su ch as char acter izes the Altarnaha upland, is not so wide ly dist r ibuted. The tree gr owth diffe rs somewhat from that of the wir egrass r egion to the north , some oak and hi ckory being associate d with t he long-leaf pine.
Ok ef enokee plain.- T he Okefenokee pl ain f orms a north-south belt 20 to 40 miles wide in the sout heastern part of the Coastal Plain , includin g pa rts of Effingham, B ryan , Lib er t y, Wayne, Pier ce, Camden , W are, Charlton, Clinch, an d E chols counties. On t he west it is bounded ap proximately by a line exte n ding fr om th e northeast corner of E ffingham county southwestw ar d nea r ly to Gr oveland , Bryan County, thence to a point a. f ew mil es south of Glenville , th ence nearly to J esup and Waycross, and thence along th e western boundary of the Okefenokee Swamp. Th e escar pment sep arating the pl ain fr om th e Altama ha upl and is poorly defined, and in

66

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

pl aces tile two seem to merge . On the east t he plain is sep arated f rom a lower coastal t erraee by an ab r upt descent or escar pmen t.
'rile Okefenokee plain is essentially a featureless sandy flat, in which the re are few strea ms and many cypress and gum p onds and swam ps, whose areas r an ge f rom a few ac res or a few squar e mil es t o the immense expanse of the Okefenokee Swamp. It t hus p resents a cont rast to t he rolling topogra phy and d endr it ic draina ge of the .A.ltama ha upl and. 'l'h e Ok efe nokee plain va r ies in ele vation above sea level from abo ut 60 to perhaps 125 fcet, sloping eastward ab ou t 2 feet to t he m ile . 'I'he drainage is poo r, at lea st 25 p er cent of t he ?-r ea being swa mpy, and t he fe w creeks and branches flow th ro ug h bro ad sw ampy flats only sli ghtly lower than the general level. At only a few places are t he bluffs as h igh as 30 or 40 f eet . Th e flatness of the plain and its swam py condition are due to t he newness of the lan d surface, t he r et r eat of the sea h aving taken place in comp arat ively r eccnt geo logie tim e, to t he low altitude, and t o the fa ct that t he su rface forma ti on is a t hick , loose, porous sa n d which ab sor bs the r ainf all and hen ce lessen s su r fa ce er osion . Th e streams arc sluggish, and t hei r waters, excep t t hose of t he Altamaha an d Savannah, are bl ack or coffee-colored fr om organi c matter . 'I'h e r egi on is cha racter ized by moi st long-leaf pine and saw-palmetto flats, cypress ponds, gallberry flats, an d swamps supporting thick growths of gum and bay .
Satilla coastal lowland.- 'l'he Satilla coastal lowland or Sa t illa pl ain is a low marine terrace 20 t o 35 miles wide that borders the Atlantic Ocean and includes part or all of the counties of Cha tham, Bryan, Liberty, Mefntosh, Glynn, and Cam den , The west ern edge is marked by a rise of 20 to 40 f eet, probably a Pleisto cene sho re line, which is prominent at Walthourville, Mount Pleasant, and Waynesville, and a sh or t distanee east of Folkston.
The greater part of t he plain is 15 to 25 fe et above sea level, but in a f ew plaees it (reaches an elevat ion of about 40 feet . It has a slight eastwar d slope , some what difficult to estimate but generally

PH YSIOGRAPHIC FEAT URES OF GEORGIA

67

less th an a fo ot t o t he mile. Al though the plain is low, fl at, and p oorly drained it presents several di ffer ent topographic aspe ct s. It differs f rom the Ok cf en ok ee plain chiefl y in its lower altitude, in its gr eat er area of swamp and inunda t ed land, and in it s topographic f or ms, which are in cident to low coast land.
'I'he west ern part of the belt is on the whole a san dy flat plain conta in ing an open growth of long-leaf pine. Numer ous small cypress p onds and large swamp areas ab ound. Near the coas t th e plain presents a di fferent asp ect. Owin g to r ecent submer gence the coas t line is ir r egul ar, and a net wor k of sea islan ds, t idal rivers, sounds, estua ries, and marshes 'h as been f ormed. Th e land te r minates as beach on sea islands, as sand bluffs not more than 10 or 15 feet above low tide, and as marshes at th e mouths of the rivers . Th e islan ds are san d covered, and some of them exhi bit sand dunes, which, how ever, n owhere r each great magnitude.
Th e tree growth of t he coast land is characterized by th e cabbage palmetto and live oaks, 'which are more abundant than far th er west.
There are two classes of swamp land, upland an d tidal. Swamps of t he upland class , of whi ch Buff al o Swa mp, in the w est ern part of Glynn Count y, is representative, probably occupy the sit es of former sh allow sounds or coastal lagoons and marshes which have become lan d through uplift and r etreat of th e sea, and which have not been inundated as a r esult of later subsidence indicated by drowned-river courses. Other upland swamps are apparently once more becoming lagoons, for the subsidence seem s to be still going on and the sea to be slowly encr oaching on the land. The best proof of this is the presence of tree stumps, and even dead standing trees, in brackish wa te l' marshes.
The second class, the tidal swamps, occur in considerable areas along Savannah, Ogeeehee, Altamaha, Satilla, and .S1. Mary 's riv ers . They differ from salt marshes chiefly in that at high tide they are pa rtly covered by the back ing up of the fresh river water, ins tead

68

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

of directly by th e sea. They extend up th e rivers 10 to 20 miles beyo n d the salt marshes.
The salt marsh es r ea ch their great est ext ent at the mouths of the rivers, being caused mainly by subsidence of th e coast, th ough silting of t he low areas by the streams has doubtless been a factor.
Th e Satilla plain is po orly draine d, owing to the newness of the land surface and its low altit ude. 'I'h e few streams are sluggi sh, and with the exce ption of the Sav annah and Altamaha riveis the wa t er s are dark or even black from or ganic matte r . Most of the st r eams flow eastwar d or southeastwar d, their cour ses having been determined by the gen eral slop e of the plain, Satilla and St. Mary 's river s, however , in parts of th eir courses flow parallel to the coast- th at is, at right an gles t o the t errace slope.

PIEDMONT PLATEAU
The Piedmont Plat eau is a wide belt, or zon e, of elevated lan d, str etchi ng fro m the f oot of t he Appalachi an Mountains to the Coastal Plain. Its nor thern limit is an ill-defined line, ext ending f ro m the ex t reme north east ern corner of the State to the GeorgiaAlabama lin e, a few mi les sou theast of Cedar town. It t raverses t he State fro m the north east t o th e sou thwest, wi th an average wi dth of more t ha n 100 miles, and comp r ises an area of something lik e one-third 'of the total area of t he State. This physio graphic division consists of 'an old land fo r m, whi ch ha s been r educed by er osion to a peneplain. Al ong its north er n bou ndary it has an aver age eleva tion of about 1,200 f eet abo v e sea level, while at its junct ion with .ti le Coast al Plain it is r edu ced t o a little less than half of this elevat ion . It has, th er efor e, a slop e to th e southward of about 5 f eet per mile, or about twice thc slope of th e Coastal Plain.
Th e Piedm ont Plateau , when vi ewed fro m an elevate d point, has the appearance of a level plain, dott ed h er e and there with isolated moun tains and hills, such as Stone Mount ai n, K enn esaw Mountain, and Pine Mountain, whi ch ris e from 500 to 800 fee t

PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF GEORGIA

69

above th e general lev el of th e Plateau, and which appear to be r emnants of an old er and somewhat different topography.
Th e minor in equalities of the surface of the Piedmont Plat eau are entirely overl ooked, or minimized, by a view from an elevated point. The region, instead of being a level plain, has a broken surface, made up of low, well-rounded hills and ridges, separ at ed by narrow f ertile valleys. 'I'hese minor hills or ridges, which usually have a southwesterly trend , have an elevation varying from 200 to 300 feet above the stream level.
The streams of the Piedmont P lateau are usually r apid, and are frequently marked by cataracts and water-falls. This feature of th e streams is especially accentuated along the margin of the Coastal P lain. 'I'he river valleys, which are being continually increased in depth by the er osive action of the streams, rarely ever exceed a width of more than a few thousand ya r ds.

APPALACIDAN MOUNTAINS
This physiographic division is located in the northern part of the State, along th e Georgia-Tennessee line, and extends as far south as Cartersville, the coun ty sit e of Bartow County. It has a somew hat triangular fo rm, being limited on the south by the P iedmont P lat eau, and on the west by the Ap palachian V alley. The western boundary may be said to correspond with what is known as the Cartersville fault, a great displacement marking the boundary betwe en thc metamorphic and the sedim entary rocks in t he northwestern part of the State. 'I'his division embra ces all, or a part of the following counties : Rabun, 'I'owns, Lumpkin, Union, Fannin, Gilme r, P ick ens and Bartow. It is one of the smallest of the five topographic divisions of the State; n evertheless it comprises an area of more t han 2,000 square miles.
Th is division forms the southern terminus of the Appalach ian Mountains . I t is preeminently a mountain r egion , noted for its picturesque scenery and lofty mountains. Th e average elevation of

70

GEOLOGICA L SURVEY OF GEORGIA

the r egion is less than 2,000 f eet, y et th er e are numer ous mountains within the area attaining an altitude of more than twice this height. Th e larger mountains occur in groups or mass es withou t definite a rran gemen t , Th e hi gh er p eaks of these gro ups usually h ave precipitous slopes, which, in places, become almost inaccessible. Th e lesser mount ains, an d the ri dges of the r egion gene r ally, have a southwesterly trend, corresponding to the general course of the streams . The valleys are narrow and are traversed by r apid str eams wh ich , in places, form f alls ma ny feet in height. B etween th e main mountains and t he ri d ges there is a large area of broken coun try, with hills ri sing 400 to 500 f ect above the gen eral st ream level. This portion of the division r esembles very closely the more hilly parts of the P iedmon t Plateau .

APP ALACHIAN VALLEY
The Appa la chian Valley ma y be de fined as a low land, lying between t he Appalachi an Moun t ains and the Cumberland P lateau . This physiographic divisi on, whi ch traver ses th e northeast ern cor ner of the State in a southwester ly direction, is about 35 miles wide, and it has an average elevation of about 850 f eet abo ve sea lev el. Its west ern boundary is an irregular lin e, f ollo win g the eastern escar pments of Pigeon and L ookout mountains.
Th e r egion is ma de up of a numb er of mino r valleys , sep ar at ed f r om each oth er by sha rp or by well-r ou nded ri dges. The former ridges as in the case of Ta yl or 's r idge and Chattoog a Moun tain, of t en attain an al ti tude of 1,500 feet, whil e the la tter rarely r eaches a heigh t of m ore than 1,200 f eet . Th ese ridges all have a northeas t -south wes t t re nd, and give to th e r egion a cor r ugat ed appearan ce. Th e mino r valley s are u suall y narrow and are traver sed by rather sluggish streams, whi ch in th e northwestern part of the area flow north in to the Tennessee River, while th ose in the other parts of the area flow southward to the Gulf of Mexi co.

PHYSIOGRAPHIC FE AT URE S OF GEORGIA

71

CUMBERLAND PLATEAU
'I'hs Cumberland Plateau occu pies the extreme no rthwestern corner of Georgia, and emb races P igeon Mountain and p or tions of L ooko ut and Sa nd moun t ain s. This ph ysiographic division of the State constitutes the extreme eastern margin of t he Cumber lan d Highlands, traversing Alabama and Tennesse e furthe r to t he westward. Broadly speaking, the ar ea is an elevated tableland, bise cted lon gitudin all y by a deep, n arrow vall ey. That p art of the area lying east of t he va lley constitutes L ook out and P igeon mountain s, and that to the west Sand Mountain, These mountains have broad, flat tops, with an av erage elevation of ab out 1,800 fe et above sea level. The slop es of the mountains are always precipitous, and are often marked by bold sandst on e cliffs, which in some places att ain a h eight of 200 f eet .
Look out Mount ain as it enters Georgia f r om Alabama for ms a broad, flat- t op moun tain, about 10 mil es in width. Some 6 or 8 miles nor th of the St ate line the mountain sends off to the northwar d a sp ur known as Pi geon Mount ain. From this point to its north ern terminus in the vicinity of Chattanooga it va r ies in width from 2 to 4 mil es. Some of the small streams. which take th eir risc on Look out , in the ir descent to the valley below hav e cut deep and prec ipito us chasms in t he sa n dstone bluffs which form t he brow of the mou ntain . Sand Mountain, as re presented in Georgia, diff ers from L ook out Mount ain mainly in bei ng broader and in having a more even su rface . The vall ey ab ove r eferred to as bisect ing the Cumber lan d Plateau r egi on of Geor gia is the only valley occu ri ng in th is physiographic division. I t h as an average width of about 3 miles and is traversed by Lookout Cre ek, a sluggish st ream, of cons id er able size, f lowing nor th into the Tennessee River. Th e surface of t he vall ey is r ollin g, bu t at the same time it has a gener al slope to the northw ard .

GEOLO GY OF 'r H E COAs'rAL P LAI N Oli' GE ORG IA

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS

-J
""

'I'he geologic fo r mat ions of t he Coast al Plain of Geor gi a ra nge ill age from Cretaceous (P r obably

Lower Cre t aceous ) t o Recent , 'I'he areas of outcr op of the for mations are in more or less parallel

belt s or ban ds, t he older formations passin g benea th the young er as we p r oceed t owa r d th e present

coast. 'I'her e follows a table of th ese for mations an d a description of each one.

Era Cenozoic Mesozoic

System Qu.rternary Tertiary
Cretaceous

Series Recent Pleistocene Pliocene(7) Miocene
Oligocene
Eocene
Upper Cretaceous
Lower Cretaceous

Greup Columbia
Vicksburg Cla iborne

Fermallon

Member

BatiJIa formation

Okefenokee format ion

Charlton formation

Duplin Marl

Marks Head marl

Alum B1uCC Icrmation

Cbattnhoochee forma t ion

Glendon formation
Ocala is. / Barnwell Corm. tin'
I UndiCCerentiated Me!!e. n formn-
Claiborne to west tion in ca!jt Ga.

Jr Band and marl
Twiggs clay

Wilcox formaton

Midway Cormntion

Ripley Cormation

Providence sand
Mari ne beds Cusseta sand

- ; Ulld;r:- - - - Tombigbee sand

Eutaw formation Upper

Cretaceous

Lower beds

Lower (7) Cretaceous

Thickness

~

50

ot-<

I;")

20-50

Q

7

t-<

10-15

en

45:!:



350:!:

~

"<:

HJO:!:

c

l OO:!:

'>:l

gsI;")

300:!:

~

s::I;")
200:!:

75- 100

2 0 0 - 400

900:!:

550:!: 375 ?

GEOLOGY OF THE COASTA L PLAIN

73

CRET.A:CEOUS SYSTEM

Immediately south of the Fall lin e is a belt of sands, clays, and marls varying in width from about 5 to 35 mil es and extending southwestward acr oss th e state from Augusta, through Macon, to Columbus. The se deposit s r est unconfor mably on the old crysta lli ne basement r ocks, from which their lower part was obviously der ived. They are overlain un conformably by beds of unquestion ed Eocene age.
In th e area ad jacent to Chattahoochee Ri ver the lower pa rt of these deposits consists of arkosic, micaceous, crossbedded sandy clays and gravels p r obably of Lower Cr etaceous 'age, which were probably laid down in shallow non-marine water. Mat erials of this character extend into Ala bama, where they are well developed as far west as Alaba ma R iver . 'I'hey are traceable to ward the n or th east for a distance of abo ut 25 miles, where they pi nch out and disappear against the crystalline r ocks of the P iedmont Plateau . Th ese older non-marine beds are unconformably overlain in the Chattahoochee R iver area by interbedded gr ay calcare ous sands and calcar eous clays or mar ls of marin e or igin (E utaw and Ripley formations) , some layers of which carry well-preserv ed Upper Cretaceous fossils . Toward th e northeast th ese marine strata first intertongue with and finally merge completely into irregularly bedded sands and clays of shallow-water or igin, which in this r eport are called undifferenti at ed Upper Cretaceous deposits.
The Cr etac eous of this r egion, as adapted from Stephenson- and . oth ers, is subdivid ed as follows :

Series

Formation

Member

Upper Cretaceo us Lower Cretaceous

Rip ley Eutaw Lower Cretaceous (1).

Providence sand Mari ne beds Cusseta sand
Tomblgbee S3Ild Lower beds

7 -- - -
1 Undifferentiated Upper Cretaceous

' Stepbenson, I,. W., U. S. Gcol. Surve y Pro!' Pap. No. 81, pp. 19 et SCO., 1914.

74

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L O"\VER CRE TACE OUS ( ?) 1Th,""DI FFEREI\'"TIATED
The st rata in th e vicinity of Columbus previously r eferred to as probably of L ower Cretaceo us age outcrop along Chattahoochee River approximat ely from Colu mbus to the mouth of Upatoi Creek, a distance of about 9 miles. Th e area n arrows to th e east and t erminates in a point nea r Gen eva, about 25 miles east of Columbus, where th e overl ying Eutaw r ests on the crystallines. Th e beds consist of about 375 feet of micaceous, cross-bedded sands, clays and gravels. Th ey wer e derived from decomposed crystalline rock s and hav e been transported only a very short distance from th eir source. Th e beds rest un conformably u pon crystalline rocks .
The un conformity mention ed between th ese beds and the overlying defini tely r ecognized Eutaw would seem to indicate th eir preEutaw age, and if the older beds are r eally of Lower Cr eta ceous age t he unconformity is of considerable time significance.
Th ese n on-marine beds hav e thus far f ailed to yi eld any wellpreserv ed fossils in Georgia . On th e basis, however, of th eir ap paren t r elation to beds of more or less definite Lower Cretaceous ag e fa r ther west in Al abama they have been referred to th e lower Cretaceous by Stephenson", Berry", and others .
EDTA'V' FORMATION
The Eutaw f ormation is exp osed in western Georgia in a triangular area 10 miles wide along Chattahoochee River below the mouth of Upatoi Cr eek, bu t narrowing eastward and merging in to the lower part of th e undifferentiated Upper Cretaceous deposits. In the Chattahoochee Riv er vall ey it r ests with un conformity on th e su pp osed Lower Cre ta ceous. At its outcrop th e forma tion con ists mainly of more or less fossiliferous, marine, dark-colored sands an d clays, whi ch are partly calcareous and attain a. thickness of ah?u t 550 feet. Stephenson recognizes a lower or basal member and an upper or Tombigbee sand member.

' Stephenso n, L. W ., U . S . Geol. Su r vey Prof. P aper 8 1, p . 10, 19101. ' Be rry, E . W., U . S . Geol. Survey P rof. Paper 11 2 , p , 7, 1 91 9.

GEOLOGY OF THE COAST AL PLAIN

75

RJPLEY FORllATIONl
Th e Ripley formation outcrops over a northeast-southwest belt in western Geor gia extending from the Chattahoochee Ri ver, where it is about 15 miles wid e, eastwar d to the Flint Ri ver . It r ests with apparent conformity up on the E ut aw formation in the Chattahoochee Riv er vall ey, and merg es in to the undifferentiated Upper Oretaceous farther east war d . In general the for mation is marine and comprises dark-gray to green, f ossiliferous sands, clays, and impure limeston es. Th e total' thickn ess of the Ripl ey in t he r egion of its outcrop is th ought to be about 900 f eet. Members designated as the Ousseta san d and th e Providence sand are r ecognized. In th e Flint River valley the deposits merge with more or less in tertongueing int o the undifferentiat ed Up per Oretaceous deposits .

UPPER ORETACE OUS UNDIFFERENTIATED
Ea stward f rom the F lint Riv er valley, in a belt with a maximum width of about 35 mil es, parall eling the Fall l ine an d extending acr oss the State, ar e th e deposits r eferred to as undiffer entiated Upper Cretaceous. Th e t erran e consists of arko sic and micaceous sands, gravels, and clays, whi ch wer e laid down in shallow wat er swept by chaotic currents. Oommercial deposits of kaolin and gravel are common. Th e mat er ial evidently was r emoved from the weath ered, highly kaolinized surface of the an cient crystalli ne rocks by r ather sudden r ejuvenati on of drainage. 'I'hese deposits ar e p robably of Eutaw and Ripley age. Th ey r est unc onform ably on the cr ystall ines, are overlain unconform ably by t he E ocene in easte rn Georgi a, and grade into th e Eutaw and Ripley formations in western Georgia, r eaching a maximum thi ckness of abou t 600 f eet.
The lower part of th ese undiffer entiated deposits has in previous r eports by St eph enson, Berry, and oth ers been r egarded as Lower Oretaceous in age and as correspond ing to the " Hamburg" of Sloan

1 S tep heson, L. W ., Ge oJ. S urv e y P r of . Pap. xe, 81, p, 21, 1914.

76

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

III South Carol ina and to the somewhat more definitely believed ' Lower Cre ta ceous of Alabama. In r ecent field work in Aik en County, S. C., however , Dr. C. W . Cooke found no evidence which warrants separ ating the "Hamburg beds" of .sloan, of th e so-called Lower Cre taceous, from the overly ing Mid dendorf, whi ch has been shown by Berry' and oth ers to be of Upper Cretaceous age . Th us in the absence of paleont ologic evidence t o the contrary the "Hamburg beds" of western South Caro lina and th eir apparent southwestward extension represented by thc so-call ed Lower Cretaceous of eastern Georgia are .p r obably of Upper .Cretaceous age.

TERTIARY SYSTEM
EOCENE SERIES
MIDWAY FO RMATION"
Areal d~t1"ibutitJn.-The l\Iidway formation has a relatively small areal ext ent. It ontcrops in a belt having a general northeast-southwest direction, and exten ding from Fort Gaines on the Chattahoochee Riv er to Montezuma on the Flint River, and from Montezuma north and northeast into H ouston County as far as the Perry branch of the Central of Georgia Railway. Th e areal width of out crop of th e formation on t he Chattahoochee River is about 8 mil es, on the Flint about 15 miles, and between th ese two rivers averages 8 t o 10 miles.
S tratigraphic position .-The Midway formation r ests unconformably up on the Upper Cretaceous. Exact contacts betw een th e two are difficult to find because of scarcity of exposures and th e lithologie similarity between th e basal Midway and th e upper beds of th e Upper Cretaceous.
Along the Chattahoochee River at F ort Gaines the Midway formation is separated from the overlying 'Wilcox by a sha r p un conformity. In places the f ormation is overlain by loose sands, and along the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers by te rrace deposits probably of Pleistocene 'age.

'B erry, E. W., U . S . Geol. Survey Pro!. Paper 11 2, p . 7, 1 919 . ' Arter St eph en son , L. W ., a nd V eatch, Otto, U . S ., Geol. Survey W at er-Supply P aper
No. 3-11, pp. 67 7 0, 191 5 .

GEOLOGY OF THE COASTAL PLAIN

77

Lithologic character and thi ckn ess.-The Midway formation is prin cipally marine. It consists of sands; clays, marls, and limeston es, with occasional thin flint beds. Th e sands are vari-colored, though often gray and drab . 'I'he limestones are usually hard, arenaceous, and highly fossiliferous. The clays usually occur in massive white lenses. 'I'he marls consist ma inl y of qua rtz sand, clay, glauconite, and shells. Fullers earth occurs at places. Th e san ds and clay s make up t he greater part of th e form ation. The thickness of the f ormation may be as great as 400 feet along the Flint River. Along the Chattahoochee the thickness is probably in the n eighborhood of 200 feet.

WILCOx FORMATIONt
A real distribution.-The 'Wilcox formation is of very lim ited areal ext ent. It outcrops as a belt with a northeast-southwest trend from Fort Gain es on t he Chatt ahoochee Riv er to the. Flint Ri ver in Sumter County. Th e wid th of the outcr op probably averages 5 or 6 mil es.
Stmtigmphic position .-The 'Wilcox formation embraces the strata lying between t he Midway and Claiborne formations. Al ong the Chattahoochee Riv er it r ests un confor mably on the Midway formati on. East of th e Chattahoochee Riv er satisfacto ry contacts between th e Midway and 'Wilcox are very scarce, making an exact lin e of sepa r ati on difficult t o place.
'I'he 'Wilcox formation is overlain by th e Claiborn e deposits. 'Wher e observed the contact is marked by an un dulatory line of pebbles of coarse materi al , but shows no pronoun ced physical evidence of any considerabl e time interval between the deposition of the t wo formations.
L ith ologic character and thickness.-The Wil cox for mation varies considerably from place to pla ee. Along t he Chattahoochee River it consists chiefly of 'dark, laminated, often lignitic , sandy clay, in pl aces consolida ted t o mudstonc ; sandy, glauconiti c shell marl; and

t After Steph en son . T,. W ., an d V ea tch , Olto, U . S , Geo1. S u r vey W a ter S up ply P aper Xo. 34 1 , PI' . 70 7 3, 1 9 1 5 .

78

GEOLOGICAL SURV EY OF GEORGIA

dark, ligniti e, argillaceous sand. In Randolph County west and north of Cuthbert the formation in places resembles fuller's earth, and in oth er places seems to consist largely of vari-colored, somewha t kaolinie sand. In places in Webster County t he formation is gray to drab, laminated, glauconitic clay and sand. To the east in Schley and Macon counties, it appears to be made up of. r ed to white sands with massive beds of white clay.
Th e exact thickn ess of the 'Wilcox f ormation is not definit ely known. At Fort Gaines it probably does not exceed 75 f eet . At P eter son Hill, northwest of Cuthbert 4lf2 miles, about 100 f eet of the str ata are expos ed.
CLAIB ORNE GROUP1
Formations and areal extent .- 'l'he Claiborne group 111 Georgia is repr esente d by the l\IcBean formation and undiffer ent iated Clai borne deposits. The Mclsean for mation outc r ops in the extreme nor theastern corner of th e Coastal Plain, along l\IcBea n Creek, Spirit Creek, Little Spirit Cr eek, and for a short distance along t he Savannah Riv er . Th e undiffer entiated Claiborne deposits outc rop as a narr ow irregular strip extending from the Chattahoochee River below Fort Gain es nor th eastward to the F lint River, along wh ich it out crops for a few miles in Sumter and Dooly counties.

MCBEAN FORMATION
S tratigraphic position.- The Melsean formation r ests unconf ormably upon t he Upper Cre taceous st rata, and is in turn overlain by the B arnwell formation, from which it is p robably separated, at least locally, by an unconformi ty. It is overl apped by the Bar nwell formation .
L ithologic character and thickness.- The Melsean f ormation is mad e up chiefly of gray marl or sandy limestone, an d y ellow sand, with a small amount of ligni ti c ma teri al an d greenish clay. Th e gr eat est observ ed thickness does not exceed 80 feet .

' A f t er Cooke. C. W., a nd S h e arer, H . K ., U . S . Geol. S u rvey Prof. P a p er 120-C, P P. 4 9-5 1 , 1 918.

79
UI\DIFFEIlENTIATED CLAIBORNE DEPO SITS
Stratigraphic position .-Between the Chatta hoochee and Flint rivers the Claiborne r ests unconformably up on the Wilcox format ion. Erosion unconformities hav e been noted at F'oi-t Gaines and n ear Cuthber t. The Claiborne deposits are overlain unconformably by red argillaceous sand of undetermined age, from which they are not r eadily distinguished lithologically.
Lithologic character.- The best exp osur es of the Claiborne ar e along Chattahoochee Riv er at F ort Gaines and in the Danville Ferry Bluff On the Flint River, 161;2 mil es east of Am eri cus. In th e Fort Gaines area th e strata consists of gray t o drab sand and clays, in part calcareous, claystone, and clay somewhat res embling f uller's earth. , Vest of Cuthbert the strata appear to be of dark-red, argillaceous sand with a few clay laminre, and fine gravel.
Thi ckncss.-'rhe exact thickness of the undiffer ent iated Clai bor ne deposit s is not known. In the Fort Gaines ar ea the thickness has been estimated as not exceeding 200 feet. 'I'he beds probably t hin to the east war d.
DEPOSITS OF JACKSOX AGE'
The deposits of J ackson age in Georgia include th e Ocala l imestone and the Ba r nwell formation, which are at least p ar tly contemporan eous,
OCALA LIM EST ON E
Areal distrib ut ion and thickness.- The Ocala limestone is in gen era l exposed over t he southern p art of the Dougher ty P lain and over a northeastward interrupted narrow stri p of country as fa r as the Oemulgee River south of Macon. Throughout this area probably its gr eatest thickness is around Albany, where th e city well No.2 indicates a t hickness of about 300 f eet.
'Cooke, C. W ., an d She arer, H . K ., U . S. Geol. S u r vey P rof . P aper No. 12 0-C, 191 8.

80

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Stratigraphic position and lithological nature.-'l'he formation where exposed consists of sands, clays, and rather pure, white, fossiliferous lim estones. 'I'he latter material has through solu tion form ed innumer abl e lim e sinks so characte ristic of the area. Some of t he beds of limestone are silicified in many localities, giving lar ge boulders of r esidual cher t . Farther east war d, under cover of younger form ations, the Ocala is shown by well cn t t in gs to cons ist mainly of white fossiliferous limestones.

BARNW E LL FOR ~IATI ON
Areal distrib ution and. stratig rap h ic positioll.- 'l'he Barnwell formation outcrops over an area about 35 mil es wide, exten ding f rom the Ocmu lg ee River eastward to the Savan nah Ri ver. Throughout the west ern part of this area it r ests unconformably on the Cre taceous, while in th e r egion south of August a it lies with confo r mit y upon th e McB ean formation.
Lithologic n al1lre Mid th ickn ess.-In t he Sava nnah River area the Barnwell cons ists chi efly of r ed sands with thin fossiliferous chert beds underlain by bed s of impure fossiliferous lim estone, marl, and clay. On pa ssin g westw ard the clay members become more prominent and include many commercial deposits of greenish gray full er 's earth. 'I'he maximum th ickness of t he exp osed area of Barnwell is about 200 f eet.
In t he Oemulgee River area th e B arnwell for mation interfingers with the Ocala limest one, the lat ter probably r epresenting a deeper wat er phase of dep osits of n early the same age.

OLIGOCENE SERIES
VICKSBURG GROUP
There are no known exposur es of deposits of Vic ksb urg age in Georgia older than the Glendon formation . I n west ern F lor ida the Mariann a limest one, of pre-Glend on Vi cksburg age, is expo sed a short

P E TRODE UJI I'O S SlBI U'l'I E S OJ.' GE ORG I,!
A. PROSP ECT OIL W ELL, JIIDDL E GEORG IA OI L AN D GAS COJ IPANY, NEAR J E F F DAVI. COF F E E COUNT Y LlNE, Iii ~IlLES WE ST OF HAZ ELII RST - )!ARCH l!12I.
B. I ND URATED AL U;\I BL UF F F ORi\lATION AT WATER FALLS ON JI ILL CREE K, J EF F DAVIS COU.NTY.

GEOLOGY OF THE OOASTAL PLAI N

81

dis tance west of the Chat ta hoochee River, and it is possibl e that deposits of t his age are present in Georgia, over-lapped by the Glendon.

GLENDON FORMA'ION'
A1'eal distrib ution and thickn ess.-'l'he Glendon outcrop form'> a border inland fro m the Altamaha u pl and from t he mouth of F lint R iver to Wrigh tsville, varyin g in width from about 8 to.! 40 miles. In addition an irregular strip,averaging about 15 mile'! III wid th, extends westward from Cordele to F or t Gaines. The Ocala area intervening between these two strips of Glendon outcrop was eviden tly at one time cover ed with Glendon materia l. 'I'h e maximum thickn ess of t he Glendon thor oughout its areal distribution is thought no t to exceed 100 feet, averaging 50 fee t . A small isolated area of Glendon outcrops in Screven and Burke counties in the Savannah River area.
Stratigraphic position and lit hologic nature.-'l'he Glendon formation unconformably overlies the Ocala limestone along the Fl int River belt of outcrop from the mouth of the F lint to a point about 10 miles southeast of Oglethorpe. Thence it extends interruptedly, with an unconformable r elation to the Ocala and Barnwell, respectively, eastward to Wrightsville. Near Oglethorpe it over laps u pon the Midway , Thr oughout t he area extending westwar d from Cordele the u pp er edge of the belt lies uncon for mably on the Claiborne, while its southern edge r ests unconformably on the Ocala. The exposed Glendon consists chiefly of chert-bearing sands, and clays. Under cover and at a few r ecently bared exposures the formation is chi efly limestone.
2
CHATTAHOOCHEE FORMATION
..!lreal distribution and thiclmess.- In southwest Georgia the Chattahoochee formation is exposed over a few small isolated areas, in clu ding lime sinks, in Decatur, Grady, 'I' homas, Brooks, L own des, and
'Cooke. C. W., U . S. G eol. Surve y Prof. Paper No. 132 -A, 1923, and unp ublished notes.
Cooke, a. W ., unpublish ed not es.

82

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Echols counties. In th e Savannah River r egion a small outcrop occurs along Brier Creek, in northeastern Scr even County. The maximum thickness of the form atio n over the areas of exp osure is probably about 100 f eet.

S tmtigraphy and lithologic Natu1e.-The Chattahoochee formati on is generally regarded as Oligocene in age, although evidence now indicates that it may be earl y Miocene. It lies un conf ormably above the Glendon. 'I'his unconformity probably cor res ponds to th e time interval r epresented in Alaba ma and Mississippi by the Byram marl, whi ch is absent in Georgia. Throughout the western part of it s area of outcrop the format ion consists of sands, clays, and sandy, impur e, conglomeratic limeston e. F arther eastward in souther n Georgia the limestone increases in purity but r etains its 'conglomer at ic nature.

MIOCENE SE R IE S
Th e Miocene st rata outcrop over more than half of the Coast al P lain of Georgia, fo rming a .belt 50 to 120 miles wid e acr oss the central portion of th e Coasta l Plain. Th e st r ike of the beds is approximately northeast . Th e areal ext ent is approximately outlined by the physiographic subdivisions of th e Coast al Plain known as the Altamaha upland and the Sou th ern lime-sink region . On the east the Miocene outcrops are bound ed by the Okef enokee plain, and the inland or western limits ar e mar ked by th e escar pment on th e east sid e of the Flint River and north to Vienna, thence roughly n ortheast through Dub lin, thence to Sandersville, t hen to Midville, and thence northeast to the Savannah Riv er. (See maps I , III. )
The Miocene seri es embr aces the Alum Bluff formation and th e Marks H ead and Duplin marls. Th e latter two forma tion s are of ins ignificant areal extent as compa red to th e Alum Bluff formation.

GEOL OGY OF rue COASTAL ~LMN

83

AL UM BL UFF F ORMATION
Distribution and character.-The Alum Bluff formation occupies practically the whole of the areal ext ent of the l\1iocene ser ies, with th e exception of small strips along Savannah , Altamaha, and Satilla r i ver s .

The formation varres considerably in li thologi c char acter from place to place. It is often characterized by gray to r ed, indurated, coarse sands and gravels, of ten argillaceous, and commonly cemented by iron oxide. Usually associated with th e sandstone are white to red, mottled, sandy, massive clays. 'I'hese in durat ed san ds and clays form st eep bluffs along many of the st reams , and also the cappings of many of the hill s. Laterally th e sands and clays vary rapidly, th e mor e resistant p ortions being lar gely responsibl e for the topographic forms developed t hroughout the Alum Bluff area. Where th e formation has been en coun tere d in numerous wells, and at outcrops along some of the streams, the upper part consists of light-colored sands, clay s, and gravel, and the lower part mainly of laminated, gr eenish to bluish marin e clays, gener ally unfossiliferous , and oft en somewhat res embling full er 's ear th. In places it contains thin flint beds, and at numerous localiti es thin beds of limestone are r eported from the lower portion of the formation.

The formation is apparently all of shallow-water origin. It ap pears to be in large part marine, th ough some of the sands, clays , and gravels of th e upper part seem to indicate, by th eir cross-bedd ing, their r ap id lateral gradation, th eir oxidat ion, and th eir generally h eter ogeneous character, a fresh-water or stream origin.

::Jtrat1gl'aphic relationships.-The Alum Bluff, where buried, is separated from the over lying for mations by an unconformity. I n Johnson, J efferson, Burke and pa rt of J enkins counties at least the Alum Bluff f ormation rests on Eo cene strata from which it is separ ated by a major un confor mit y. In the southwestern cor ner of the

84

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

state the formation apparently r ests conforma bly on the Chattahoo-

chee formation. Along its inland limits, between J ohnson County

on the northeast and the southwestern cor ner of the state, the forma-

tion r ests upon the Glendon f ormation, of Oligocene age, from which

it is apparently separated by an unconformity, probably representi ng

a considerable time interval, embr acing all of Chattahoochee and

possib ly part of Glendo n 'and Miocene time. I n t he northern part of

Screven County the Alum Bluff rests upon beds of Ta mpa age, the

exact r elationship of the two not being clearly shown . The Tamp a

is considere d to be approximat ely of Chatt ah oochee age, thus tending

to show no time br eak of magn itude between t he Tampa and the

overlyi ng Alum Bluff.

Thickn ess and rat e of dip.-'rhe thickness of the Alum Bluff forma-

tion varies from a thin covering along its inl and limits t o probably

more than 350 feet along the presen t seacoast . I n general the form a-

tion dips in a southeastwar d direction at the r at e of from 3 to 5 feet

p er mile.

Stru ct llr e.- Str ucturally the Alum Bluff formation has vari able

significance, which will be disc ussed in grea ter detail in succeeding

pages of this bullet in. Suffice to say at this point that the upper

indurated sands an d clays, where exposed as outc rops, have no t rust-

wor thy significance from the point of ind icati ng tr ue str uctur al con-

di tions.

lIIARK S H EAD lIIARL I .

A real dist"iblltion and lithologic charactel.-'l'he Marks H ead marl

has been differentiated along th e Savannah River at an d near P orter 's

Landing, E ffingham County, in sections above P orter 's L anding as

fa r as H udson 's F erry, and in sections below Porter 's La nding as

far as Sister's F erry. Th e beds consist of gray to brow nish, com-

pact, 'argillaceous sands, with lar ge calcareous nodules and some

friable, phosphatic, fossiliferous sands. 'I'hc maximum thickness ob-

ser ved is at P orter's Landin g and tot als about 45 feet.

' A fter S t e ph en s on. L . W ., and V eatch , Ott o. U. S. G. S, " Ta t er- S u p . Paper No. 341 , pp, 98 -99, 191 5.

GEOLOGl' OF THE OOA.STAL P.LMN

85

Stratigraphic position.-The l\Iarks Head ma rl r ests u pon the Al um Bl uff formation, and from seanty evidenee the two appear to be separated by an er osion unconformity. However, the paleontologic evidenee espeeially tends to show that the tim e interval r epresented by the apparent un conf ormity is small. Lying above the Marks Head marl is th e Duplin marl. 'I'hese two form ations ar e separated by an unconformity of considerable tim e magnitude, th e Marks Head marl being early Miocene and the Dupl in marl being lat e Miocene.
St1"1lCture.-Structurally th e Marks Head marl has practically no significan ce, because of its very limi ted known extent. It dips gently to th e south, at probably 4 feet or less to the mile.

DUPLIN MARL'
Areal distribution aiul lithologic character.- 1'he Duplin marl has been differ entiat ed on the Savanna h Riv er at Porter 's Landing, nit. Pleasant Landing, 1lf2 mil es below Porter 's Landing, in sections as far above P orter 's Landing as Hudson 's F erry, and as far below P orter 's Landing as Parisburg, S. C., 23 miles above Savannah. On the Altamaha Riv er th e forma tion has been differ entiated at Doctortown, Buzz ards Roost Bluff, an d at Bu gs Bluff.
Th e formation as exposed on the Savanna h Riv er is mainly a shell marl, mad e up of shells in a ma trix of coarse phos phatic sand. In places, h owever , t he for mation is lar gely fine, gray: to brow n, quartz sand, with very f ew fossils and littl e calcar eous material. On the Savannah Ri ver t he maximum thickness is probably not more than 10 or 12 feet.
The Duplin ma rl as exposed on the Altarnaha River consists of soft , san dy an d pebbly shell marl s, and compact , fine-grained. argillaceous, fossili ferous, blu ish san ds. It is probably 110t more than 12 or 15 feet in thickness .

'ACter St eph en son , I,. W . a n d V ea tch , Otto, U . S . Geol . S u re)' W at er -S up . P a per No . 3 4 1, p p . 9 9-1 0 0 . 1 91 5 .

86

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Stratigraphic posilion.-Along th e Savannah River th e Duplin marl r ests unconformably on the Marks H ead marl, or , where th e latter is absent, upon the Alum Bluff formation. The formation is generally un conf orm ably overlain by young er formations .
Along t he Al t"amaha Riv er th e Duplin marl unconformably over lies th e Alum Bluff, and in turn is overlain by loose sands of probably both Pliocene and Pleistocene age.
S tntctur e.-Along both th e Savannah and th e Altamaha Rivers th e Duplin marl is of too limit ed exten t to be of value structurally. It pr obably dip s sout h an d southeast at the rate of about 3 f eet p er mil e.
UNCLASSIFIE D MI OCENE DEP OSIT S
Along th e Satilla River in th e vicinity of Owens F erry a compa ct san d and calcareous sandstone of Miocene ageis exp osed at low tide.
Material dredged from the Brunswick Riv er at Brunswick is considere d to be of Miocene age. It consists of fragments of bone, and teeth, quartz sand and pebbles, sandy marl or shells in a matr ix of phosphatic sand, argillaceous lim eston e, and hard clay. The extent of the deposit s is not known.
PLIOCENE (?) SERIESl
CHA RL TON F OR]IATION
Th e Pliocene seri es is probably r epresented in th e Coast al P lain of Georgi a by the Char lto n formation. Its areal extent is qui t e small , being confined to a .nar r ow st rip along the St. Mary 's River from Stok es F erry, 11 mil es south of St. George, Charlto n Coun ty, to Orange Bluff, n ear King's F erry, Florida. Fossilifer ous marls r efer able to the same for mation hav e been found at Burnt F ort, on th e Satilla River , 12 mil es northeast of F olks ton, an d 6 miles east of Winok er, both in Charl ton Coun ty, and at th e Ki ng pl antation, 6 miles sout h of Atkinson, Wayne County.
Th e formati on consists of an ar gill aceous lim estone and clay mat erial. Th e exact thickness of the formation is not known, as no ex-

'A fte t S teph en son. L . W . and Veatch, Otto , U . S. Geol. Su rv ey W ater-Sup. P ap. No . 341 , pp. 1 0 0-1 02, 1 91 5.

GEOL OGY OJ? T lIE OOA S1'~l L l'L Al:Y

87

p osures of more th an 15 feet of strata have been observed. Structurally th e formation has litt le or no significance.

QUATERNARY SYSTEM
PLEISTOCE~TE SERIES'
COL UMBIA GROUP
The Pleistocene deposits of the Coast al Plain of Georgia consist of th in accum ulations of sand, clay, and gravel deposited on marine and ri ver terraces. These deposits arc not sup erimposed one upon the other but occupy t err aces at di fferen t top ographic levels, thus tending to merge laterally. The details of th e P leist ocene deposits haw not yet been fully work ed out , and will probably only finally be determined on detailed top ographic work . Th e description as her e given is ta ken f rom U. S. G. S. Water-Supply Paper 341, with only some of the major features set forth. Th e classification of th e Pl eistocene series thus given is as foll ows :

C OLU~IBIA GROUP :

Satilla formation :

Okefenokee formation :

l\Iar ine terrace deposits

Coastal terrace sand

F luviatile deposits

Flnviati le deposits

OKEFENOK EE FOn~IATlON
D istribution and chal'a~t er.-The Okefenokee form ation is made up in part of coastal t errace deposits and in par t of deposits laid down on fluviat ile or riv er terraces. During the deposition of the Okefenokee formation the coast line was probably 40 to 75 miles inland from its present position . The coasta l terrace deposits and the r iver te r ra ce deposits were probably laid down at the same time.
Coastal: deposifs.-The coasta l terrace por tion of the Okefenokee formation corresponds essentially to the phys iographic sub div ision of the Coastal P lain designated the Okefenokee P lain. (l\Iap p. 60.) The western boundary is marked ap proximately by a line from Sister's

'Afte r Steph en son. L, W . a n d V ea tch . Otto, U . S . Geol. S u rve y W a ter-Sup. Pap. No. 341. p p , 102111. 1915.

88

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Ferry or Clyo, or. the Savann ah River, southwe stward through the town of Flemington to Jesup, thence to Waycross and then ce along the western boundary of Okefenokee Swamp. 'I' he eastern boundary is marked by a rather distinct escar pment 20 to 40 mil es from the present coast, which separates the plain from the Satilla terrace. (l\Iap page 60.)
I n gene ra l t he deposits of t he Okefenokee f ormation consists of gray quartz sand . Some r ed and yellow sands, with occasional thin clay beds, probably belong t o t he same formation . Th e sand is usually loose, or entirely un consolidated, bu t becomes more compa ct with depth. In pl aces t he sand is in durated, probably by a cementing material of iron oxide.
The thickness of th e sand is nowhere very great, probably never exceeding 20 f eet , an d aver ages less t ha n 10 feet. It is spread OYI11' a practieally featureless flat plain, with occasional blu ffs 30 or 40 feet hi gh along a fcw of th e larger streams. In pla ces th e sand s have been piled up as low ridges and hills.
Structurally the Okefenokee formation is of very little significance, conforming to the gentle seaward slope of the plain and varying in elevation from about 60 t o 125 feet .
Fl uviatile terrace deposits.-Bordering the major streams of the Ooastal Plain are the r emnants of a pl ain higher than the Satilla plain and 'somewhat lower than the gen eral upland p ortions of the r egion. Th e deposits on this plain are believe d to be contemporaneous with the coastal deposits of th e Okefenokee for mation. The river terraees and the coasta l te rraces tend to merge one with the other .
Th e river-terrace plains are 50 to 125 feet above the present r ivers. The depos it s overl ie successively the olde r for mations of the Coast al Plain, from the Or eta ceous t o the Pliocene. Often t imes, du e t o lithologic similar ity, it is difficult to separate the t errace depos its from the und erl yi ng. older formati ons.
Th e deposits consist in the main of red argillaceous sands, with pebbles and coarse gravels in places. The sands ar e chiefly of quartz

GEOLO GY OJ.' rut: GO,lST.tlL HL.tlIN

so

and m ost of the pebbles are qu ar tz or qua r tzite, but a few are limestone, chert, or limonite.
The form ation is nowher e of any great thickness, being usu ally iess than 20 f eet and r arely exceedi ng 50 feet. It is usually poorly consolidated, bu t in p laces is cemen ted with iron oxid e. 'I'he deposits are confined to th e plains bordering th e rivers, and r an ge from 1 to 10 miles in width.
Like t he depos its of the coastal terrace, those of the st ream terrace s ar e la cking in any structural significance.

SATlLLA FOn~IATION
The Satilla formation occupies a st r ip 20 t o 30 miles wide bordering th e present coast lin e. It occupi es t he physiographic subdivision of the Coastal Plain designat ed t he Satilla coastal lowland. (Map p . 60.) Two types of deposits are embraced within the form ati on, namely the coastal marine deposits and the rive r terrace or fluviatile deposits.
COU$tu~ terrace deposits.-The coastal terrace deposits rest upon an old wave-cut terrace extending 20 to 30 miles inl and from the present coast. 'I' hey consist of gr eenish to bluish mar ine clays, gray, white and yellow sands, and some thin layers of gravel.
'I'he sands are of t he greatest extent, and consist largely of quartz grains, with small amoun ts of mica, magnetite, ilmenite, and some other rare minerals. They ar e nowhere consolidated. The clays are fine textured and generally massive in character. In places th ey become calcareous and contain some fossil r emains. The sands and clays are closely associated and are reg arded as cont emporaneous. 'I'he maximum thickness of the deposits probably does not exceed 50 feet .
]j'~1tvia We terr ace depos its.- T he fluviatile deposits of the Sat illa f ormat ion form low ter races along the maj or streams of the Coast al Pl ain. They consist of u nconsolidated sands, clays, and gravels. These vary somewhat in character along the different streams.

90

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

The ri ver terraces of th e Satilla forma tion are r elativ ely flat pl ains lying 10 to 50 feet above the r ivers and varying in width from a f ew yards up to 10 miles. In gener al th ey extend from th e Fall line to th e marine ter r ace plain with which th ey mer ge.

Structurally th e mar ine t errace deposits and th e river terrace deposits of the Satilla form at ion hav e no r eal signifi cance, being without distinct continu ous beds and forming a thin mantle over old er formatio ns.

REGIONAL DIP OF FORMATIONS
Th e r egional dip of the formations of the Coastal Plain of Georgia IS ap pr oxima tely southeast. Th e rate of dip is about as 'follows : Crystallin e floor, 35 feet per mile; top of u pp er Creta ceous, 20 f eet per mile; top of Eo cene, 8 f eet per mile; top of Oligocene, 5 f eet per mile; top of Miocene, 3 f eet p er mile.

COR RELATION TABLE OF PRINCIPAL GULF COAST FORMATIONS, SHOWING THOSE THAT HAVB PRODUCED OIL OR GAS
Th e following table shows t he principal forma tions of th e Gulf Coast r egion from Georgia t o Texas, inclusive. Stars indicat e th e f ormations whi ch are known t o have produ ced oil or gas. It will be seen that throughout t he Coast al Plain of Georgia are many f ormations the approximate equivalents of which farther west are produc tive. Thi s, however, does not n ecessarily indicate that the corr esponding forma tions wiII be found productive in Georgia .

Oorre la t iow Ta ble of Princi pal (Iu l] Coast P on lla tiolls, S howi 1l!J 'I'/IOSC 'I'lui t Ilao e P rodu ced Oil or Gas.

Ago

Central and

East Toxns

Western Toxas

Loulslana

Mississippi

Alabama

Gooryln

Florida

Terraces Beaumont Pleistocene . Lissie

Terraces Beaumont
Lissie

Terraces Port Hudson Lissie'

Terraces Port Hudson Natchea

Terraces

Terraces Columbia:
Satilla an d Okcfenokco

Terraces Palm Beach Miami Key West Key Largo Lostmans River Fort Thompson bcds of Sellards.

Pliocene (?) Pliocene

Rey nosa
Lagarto Lnparn

Miocene Oligocene

Oakville Catahoula

Re yn osa

Flem- De- Citronelle

iug

Witt

clay' form.

Pascngoulu" Ha t tiesburg

Catahoula "

Cata houla Vicksburg

Citronelle

Cit ronelle

Pascagoula Ha t t iesburg
Cntahouln Vicksburg : t
gr:~d:,n
Marianna Forest Hood
Hill llluf f

Pascagoula Hat tiesburg
Cata houla Vicksburg:
gf:~d~n
Marianna

Charlton

Cha rlton

Duplin Marks Head Alum Bluff
Chat ta hoochee

Cit ronelle

Caloosehutchec

Bone Valley and

and Nashua

Alachua

Choetnwhatcbce Jacksonville
- - - Alum Bluff
I Chnttuhoochee Tampa Icatahoula

8
~ ~
.~...
-s
~

Glendon, Marianna (I)

Vicksburg:
Byram Glendon Marianna

___

~ ~

t'3

Frio Fayett e " Jackson

J ackson'

Ja ckson

Ja ckson

J ackson

Barnwc/

Ocala Ocala

. Eocene

Claiborne: Ycgua"

Cook Mtn.'

Claiborne: Ycgua'
Cook Mtn.'

Mt. Selman' l Mt. Selman'

Claiborne: Yegua St. Maurice

Claiborne: Yezun Lisbon Tnllahntta Winona

Cla iborne' Gosport Lisbon T nlla h a t ta
Winona

Clai~

Not exposed

McBea n

Wilcox

Wilcox t

Wilcox

Wilcox

Wilcox

Wilcox

Not exposed

Midway '

Midwal"t

Midway

Midway

Midway

Midway

Not exposed

I..C...

Corre lation 'I'ublc of Pr i n cipal (lu l] Oous t J<'ol'1l1at ioll.~, S hOlVlllg Phose 'I'luit H aoc Prod uced Oil or Oas.- ( COlltinuc d. )

s

Age

Central and

East Texas

Western Texas

Louisia na

Mississippi

Alaba ma

Georgia

Florida

Nava rro"

~~~~tl~r.I~a ~~~~~~~~ia

Ripley

R ipley

Ripley

Upper

Taylor"

Cretaceous Austin "

Murlbrook Austin

Marfbrook Aust in

Selma

. Selma

Not exposed

(Annona) Brownstown Blossom-

(Annona) '
Brownstown Blossom"

E ulalv

Eutaw

Eutaw

gc;")

Eagle Ford 'VoodLinc

Eagle Ford Vl ooduinc

Eagle Ford' \\'oodbinc

Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa

o
c..;.".)

Thi ck deposits Not exposed. Not exposed.

Lower

variously sub- Some oms In Oil in deep wells.

Cretaceous divided.

deep wells.

C"'l

Lower

Not exposed.

:>:..

Cretaceous (1)

t-o

Some oil.

en



"Formnt lons known to have produced oil or ~flS arc indicated by a sta r. The nomenclature, correlations, and known oil and gas-producing formations have been brou ght up to date by the United States Geological S.Ir\C Y.

;;

tShow of gas.

~

t Showing of oil.

o

'>1

c;")
~
::ll
:c;;:")

PETROLEUJI POS SIBILITI E S OP GEOR GI"!

PDATE VI

BASAL COKGLm IE RAT E OVE R BA ' XITE, EAST FA CE OF CARSW E LL
xnxs, N EAR ~Il'lKTYR E, ,n LKINSON COUNT Y.

B. PR OSP ECT OI L 'YELL, SA L \ i\'NAH OIL AND GAS COR I'O IL-\T ION, 7 :'I I LES \\'EST OF .'AVANN.-\I!- .JUL Y, 1!12U.

DEEP W ELLS OF TH E COASTA L PLAIN

93

SOME DEEP W ELLS OF TH E COAS 'rAL PLAIN

Th e general lithologic na ture of th e formations of the Coastal Pl ain, as f ar down in th e geologie column as near the top of the Eutaw form ation, is indi cat ed by the following well logs. These logs ar e either compiled from examinations of cuttings or are taken from United States Geological Survey Water-Supply P aper No. 341 or from bulleti ns of th e Georgia Survey.

WELL LO GS

L og of cit y a1'tcsia.n cell No . 2, AlballY, Ga.

T ertia ry : 35 . 34. 33. 32 .

R ed clny Li gh t-color ed clny

D ept h , f eet

_

0-20

_

2 0-23

Coarse sa n d (Vick sburg )

-------- --- ---- ------ --- 23 -25

L igh t-color ed cl ay an d co arse quartz s an d

_ 25-35

3 1. L im eston e ; Orbitoid e8 sp , at 1 5 0 f eet nn d from 1 9 0 to 20 0 f eeL _ 3 5- 200

30 . Gra y lim est one; O rbitoidea s p., echlnoi d, bryozoa, T erebrtttulina

la ch ry ma (Mor to n ) ; some sha le fr om 2 30 to 240 feeL

_ 200-280

2 9 . Grn y sa n d with com minu ted sh ells {0 8t rea )

_ 2 8 0-2 85

2 8 . Some s ha le , coars e sa n d, shel l, nn d sharks teeth at

_

311

2 7 . H ard layer ; Oatrea tli varica ta L ea

_ 31 8-32 0

2 6 . OatTen d it'aricata L ea nt 25 . Ost rea al abamens is L ea nt

_

330

_

34 0

21. Shale or marl, wa ter vein nt

_

350

23 . Oat r ea di t:a ri cafa Len and O."ft r ca alaba m e11 si 8 Lea at .,., B ed of li gn it e nL
2 1. B ed of lignite a t 20. Sand .

_

3 63

_

367

_

40 0

_ 40 0-47 5

19. Stiff, blue clay; echinoid s pi ne s , L am n a sp , (teet h ) 1 8. Stiff blue cla y
17. Ha rd gra y sands to n e

_ 470-475 _ 475-480 _ 4 85 -488

Upper Oreta ceou s :

Ripl ey forma tio n :

16 . 0 8tr ea 8p . and E xo gyra cost ala S a ) 1-

_ 500-51 0

15. P yrite nn d s ma ll oy s ters at., 14. Greensan ds nnd greenish mic aceou s sha les

_

52 0

_ 530- 540

1 3. Gray sa n d with bl a ck par tic les nt

_

6 00

12 . Water-bearing ho rizon, limestone. w ith pieces of hard gra)~ sa nd-

stone, be tw een 78 5 an d 7 9 0 f eeL

_ 6 9 0-790

11. H a rd ro ck

_ 79 0- 800

1 0 . Clny shales; white lim esto ne between 83 5 nn d 840

_ 800-850

9 . Limestone, s ha les , etc . At 88 0 i eet li mestone or ca lcareous san d,

also li gh t-g ray mica ceo us s a n d

_ 8 50 -8 90

8. Grayi sh san d, calcare ous, f ra gments, har d black pieces of pebbles;

Oat rea sp ., Anomia a rgc ntm"ia Morton, Gry])hrea 'V esicula ri8

L nm a r ck (youn g) nt 890 f eet . W a ter -benr i n g mi ca ceo u s s tone

betwe en 920 an d 9 30 feeL

_ 89 0-910

7 . Blue, mi ca ceou s clay at 9 50 f eet , thick-shelled oy st er, G ryphrea

sp , ] the sa me al so nt 1 08 0 feet; at 11 0 0 f eet I;rn y san d w ith

Ostrca. 8ub8pattll ata Forbes, E xo gy ra cost at a Sa y

_ 940-1100

94

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L og of city ar tesian well No . 2, ,ll bany, Ga.- continued.

6. S ti ff blu e clay, m ica ceou s sandstone; 0 8tr ea creta cea ]I[orton ( 0 __11 00-1200

5. Very sti ff blu o cla y, a t 12 55 feet , st reak s of sa n d a n d sh ells , a

sma ll fiow of water ; from 1240 to 1260, soft shi n y blue cla y __ 1200- 126 0

4 . Ma rl, gray sa n d, sandston e lumps

126 0-12 70

3. Gray and black sand , sa n dstone lumps

12 70-1 31 0

2. Bl ack, irr egu lar, w ater-worn p ebbles with hard crys talline fr ac-

ture ; coarse a n d fine qu artz sa n d, shells, d ec ayed wood; third

wa t er-bearing st ra tum ; 50 gallons p er minute

131 0-1315

1. W ell en ds in qu artz sa nd al- ______ __ ___ __ ____ ______ ________

132 0

Fossils from this well, identified by Dr. T. , V. Vaughan, in di cate Tertiary material down to 500 feet, with t he Ripley formation, of Upper Cret aceous age, from 500 feet to th e bottom. 'I'he Terti ary formations penetrated apparently includ e, in descending order, th e Ocala, Claiborne, Wilcox and Midway formations.

Log of oil prosp ect well at Cherok ee Hill, 6 miles no,'thlOcst of Savannah

Dark -gr ay san d w ith carbonaceous ma terial

D epth, t eet
.:._ __ ____ ___ _____ _ _____ __ _____ 21

JI[edi um. grai n ed g ra y sa n d with f ragments of sh eIL_ __ __ __ __ __ _____ _____ ______ 24 0

P o rous, g rn y, fossiliferous lime ston e: bryo zoa ab und nnt ______ __ ____ ____ ____ ___ _ 250 S ame a s 25 0____ ___ ___ ______ __________ _____ _________ ______________ ____ __ 260

Sa me as a bove , with some f1int __ ____ ___ __ _ _______ ___ ____ ____ ____ __ __ ____ ___ _ 27 0

Same as 250, sea ur chin f rngment s_ ___ ______ ____ ______ ___ ___ __________ ____ __ 2 80

Same as abov e, with some 1lint ____ __ ___ __ _ ____ ____ ___ _____ ________ ______ __ 3 00

Same as above, though dark er color_ ____ __ ______ __ _ ______ _______ ____ ___ ___ _ 3 5 0

L igh t gray, con sis ti n g alm ost entirely of bry ozoa fragmen ts ____ ____ ______ __ ____ __ 360

S ame as a bove ___ _____ ___ _ _____ ___ ________ ____ __ ____ __ ________ ___ ____ _ __ 3 70

S ame a s a bove

~ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

3 80

S ame as ab o\' e ___ ___ _____ ___ ____ ___ ___ ___ _ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ ____ __ _____ ___ __ 390

Sam e a s abo \e ______ ___ __ ___ __ ____ __ ___ ____ __ ____ ____ __ ____ _ ___ ___ _

400

Sam e as a bo\'e_____ __ ____ __ _ ____ _______ __ ___ __ _______ _ ____ __ __ __ ____ ____ 41 0

Same as above, but wh iter

425

Sam e as abov e, bu t whit er___ __ ___ ___ _ ___ ____ _____ ______ _______ ___ ____ ___ _ 4 30 Same as above, bu t whi ter ___ _____ __ __ ___ _ ___ ________ ___ _____ _ ____ ___ _____ 4 40

Sam e as above, but wh it er - ---- - ----- - - - - ------ ---- ------- - ----- ---- - Same as above, but wlilt er__ _______ ____ __ _ ____ ____ ___ ______ ____ ___ ___ ____ _
Sof t, porous, fossili! erous lim eston e ___ _____ ___ ________ _ __ ____ ___ __ _ __________ Sam e as 360___________ _______ _ _______ ______ _____________ ___ _______ _____
S am e as 4 65________________ ____ ___ ______ ___________ __ __________ ____ ____ SaIn e as 47 0 _____________ __ ___ __ ___ ___________ ______ ______ _____ _________

450 460
4 65 47 0 475 4 85

Lar gely bryozoa remains __ ______ ___ _ ___ __ ___ ___ _ _____ ____ ________ __ _ ___ __ _ 50 0
Da rk -gray lim eston e; nummuli tes a n d b ryo zoa ___ __ _ _____ _____ ____ ____ ___ ___ __ 510 Same as above __________________________________________________________ 520 S ame as above ___ __ __ ___ _____ __ __ _ ______ ______ ________ ____ _____ __ _______ 530 Sam e as above __ ____ ___ _ ___ __ ___ __ ____ ______ ___ ____ _________ ___ _____ ____ _ 54 0 Sam e as above - --- - __ ___ ___ __ __ ____ ___ ____ __ ______ ____ _____ ___ ___ __ __ _ __ 55 0

Po rous, gr ay lim eston e; nummuli tes abundan t

5 60

!;~~ ~~ m~E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ g~

DEEP WELL LOGS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN

95

L og of oil prospect well at Cherokee Hill , 6 miles 1I0,-thw est of Savall lla h-ro,~_

P orous limeston e ; n umm uli tes not so n umerous :Mostly cal careous sa n d ; bu t few tosst ts .,

Snme as above Same as above Sarno as abo ve

Sum e ns abo ve Same a s abo ve i more fossils

Same as above ; parti cles of limestone larger Gr a y fossi li ferous limestone Gray fossili ferous limestone Gray fo ssiliferous limesto ne
Gray fossili ferou s lim eston e

Gray fo ss ill fero us lime sto no

Gray fo ssili ferous limestone

-e

Gray fo ssiliferou s lim estono

D epth, t eet _ 6 10 _ 620
- - - - - - - - - 630 ...__----- - - - - 6 40
- - - - ----- 65 0 - ------ --- 660
_ 670 _ 680 _ 69 0 _ 700 _ 71 0 _ 720 _ 730
_ 740
_ 750

Whit e, f aid )' ha rd limesto n e; crinoid f ragments Sa me as last
" 'bit e. granula r lime sto ne ; bry ozoa, gastropods

_ 760 _ 770 _ 8 10

Yellowish white, f airl;r ha rd lim estone; numerous pectens, bryozoa , and other

f r3gment s

_ 820

S ame as lust, not so yellow Sam e as las t __
7

_ 83 0

_

84 0

Gr ay, rath er h a rd limeston e, wit h con side rable d a r k -g ray flin t ; bryozoa a n d lam elli -

bran chs in the limestone

_ 850

Whi te, hard limestone, fossili ferous

_ 860

' VWte, fai rl)' har d lime sto ne, wit h num erous f ragments of large shells and pieces of

bryozoa an d c rinoids, practically no flin t

_ 8 70

MosUr light to dark -gray flin t ; g ra y flint is som ewhat s an dy ; a little limestone w it h

usu al fo ssils

_ 880

Li ght and dark-gr ay, flin t-li ke cast, some pi eces alt ering to gra)- san dy materia l ;

pyrite f ragments

_ 890

Same as last

_ 900

Sam e as la st, with more of t he Hgh t -g r ny san d y m a t er tnl.,

_ 9 10

Liko last, with about half of it of lim estone ; cons iderable fine-grain ed sandstone _ 920

Pine-grain ed, g ra )~, sandy flin t an d dnrk -g ru y fli nt, a li ttle limestone Same as la st

_ 940 _ 950

Light-gray , YeT)' so ft, m a rl y lim estone ; no fo ssils preserv ed : piec es of pho sphate,

glauconite, a n d p oss ibly f ra g men ts of sha r k teet h

_ 96 0

S ame as last, more glauconite a n d phosphate Sa me as la st

_ _

9 70 980

P a le-g r een marl wit h cons iderable lime stone ; f ragmen ts of bry ozoa, crino ids, some

pyrite , an d a li ttl e fli n t (probably d r opped f r om above )

_ 990

Gray to green marl with some lim estone containing bryozoa, Inm elll hrn nc hs , an d other

fossil n rga n

ifcragmmnetntetrs

;

gr een

ma rl ha s

large.: amoun t of

glauconite

and

po s sib ly

som_e

10 00

P ale grayish-green marl, wit h no fossil s imp rin ts . Some gl auconite

ra me as la st

~

Sam e as la st, d a r ker in color

Sauto as la st Same as last ~ nm e as la st Same a s last

~- - - - - - - - ------ - - - --- -

.

.

Snme as last Snme as lnst Same as last
Same as last ______ ______ ___ ____ _____ ___ _ ___ _ __ ___ ______ _ ___ ___ _ S ame as Jast Sa me as la st

Sam e as la st

Same as last

..

_ _
_
_ _ ._ . _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1 01 0
10 30
1040 ] r,5 0
1060
1'1~ ;)
1090 11 00 111 0 11 30 1 14 0 11 50 11 60 11 70 11 80

96

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L og of oil pl'OSPCCt wcll at Cherokee Hill , 6 milcs nortluocst of Savamzalv-coll.

D epth, t eet

D rn-k-gra y to blue flin t with some sa u d y flint a n d a little m a rl; n o fos sil trace"-_ _ _ 119 0 S am e as la st ____ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ____ ____ _ _ ______ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ __ _ _ _ 12 0 0

Sa m e a s la st , with so me white s an d )' m a rL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 10

S am e a s la s t . The fli n t in this an d simila r sa m ples is prob a bl y in form of n odules

i r r egu la rl y d ist r ib uted th r ou gh a gra y sa n d y m arl, as f ragments appea r show-

in g a gra d ation f r om th e d a r k fli nt i n to t he sa n d y m a rl .,

_

Sam e a s la s t

_

Ab out h alC is d a rk fli n t a n d th e r est a gray sandy m arl.,

_

Same as 1260

_

S and, flin t, a n d a little li m e and m a rl; fo ssil f ragm ents in li me (in small pi eces) _

Same as last

_

:Mostly d a rk-gray f1inL

_

D a rk-g r a y flin t w it h so m e sa n d y m a r L

_

D a rkg r ay f1 in t

_

Sof t, g r3 )* to blui sh , li my marl: no fossil traces retain ed in samp le

_

Sam e as 131 0

_

Same as Inst

_

Same as 1330

_

S am e as las t

_

Dark-green , soft marl, s a n d y ; appears to be mo stly gla uconite S am e a s la st, a little flin L S am e a s la st

_

.:

_

_

1220 12 30 12 4 0 1250 12 60 12 70 12 80 1290 1 3 00 1 310 1 32 0 1330 1 340 1350 1 360 1370 1 380

Gray , ar enaceous, glau con iti c marl: sa n d fine, mai nly qu ar tz; echi noderm spines,

ost r a cod s, a n d elo ngated a n d coi le d types of Orystella rla . Heat gives bit u m i nous

od or e u d sligh t trnce of color le ss oiL

_

G r ay m arl s imil a r to 1 3 9 0. Nod osa r ia

_

Gr ay m a r l lik e 14 0 0 Gray m a r l li ke 140 0

--- _

1 39 0 1400 14 10 1420

Gray m a r l lik e 14 0 0, ex cep t lig ht er in color a n d sma lle r t r a ce of con den sed oiL Gr uy m arl li ke 14 0 0 , exce p t li gh t cr i n color, less gla u conit e, n o Cryst ell a r ia

_ 1430 _ 1440

Grn y marl similar to 1 :140 . No ostracods . H eat gi ves bitum in ous odor bu t no con d en s a ti on of oiL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ ____ _ 145 0

Gre enish g ray. pul verulen t, gla uc onitic marl, w ith about 35% gla uc onite ; gra i ns of limesto n e a n d q uartL__ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ 14 6 0

L i gh tg-lgaruacyo, niptue lverule n t, gla ucon it ic m a rl similar to 14 60, except only ab ou t 12 % 14 7 0

L ig ht-g r a y, pulveru len t, a re naceous ma rl ; about 50 % fine qu artz sa n d : lim estone

an d some gla uconite. Fossils not abu nd an t. H eat gi ves f aint bitumin ou s odor

Si mil ar t o 14 8 0

_

S imil ar to 14 80, w ith m o r e glauconite

_

L igh t -gr ny marl; grain s of quartz, gla uco nite, a n d li meston e : some shell f ragm ent s .

E chin oderm sp ines an d No dosaria abun dan t . Heut gi ves f aint bituminous odor

S im ila r to 1 51 0

_

S imil ar to 1 51 0

_

Gray marl, very li ttle sand : Nod osnr in an d echin ode rm spi nes. minous odor and t race of colorless oiL
Simila r to 1540 Similar to 1 540 Similar to 15 6 0 Simila r to 1 5 6 0
Similar to 1560 Simila r to 1 5 60 Simila r to 1 5 60

H eat

gives

bitu_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _

Gr ayd eanrgsailtlaiocneouosf mcoalrolr. lesNs o oifLossil s. H eat g ives bitu mi no us odor and t race of con_-

S im ila r to I G30

_

Simila r to 1 G3 0. E ch inod erm sp in es

_

Simila r to 16 60

_

Sim il a r to 1 6 6 0

_

1480 1490 15 00
1510 1 52 0 1530
1540 1550 1560 1570 1580 1590 1600 1 610
1 6 30 1650 1660 1670 1 680

DEEP WELL LOGS OF THE COASTAL PLA IN

97

Log of oi l prosp ect ioelt at Ch ero k ee Hill, 6 miles n,ort ht ocst of SavannUllr-e01h

D epth , [eet

S imil a r to 1 6 6 0 . S ma ll p y r i te cubes abuud anL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ 1 6 9 0

Gray marl cont aining p y r it es . Very f ew fossil s . H ea t gives bitumin ou s odo r an d trace of colorless OIL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ _ 1 700

Similar to 170 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ 1710

Sim ilar to 1 7 0 0 _ _ __ ____ _ ____ ___ _ _______ _ __ _ ___ __ _ _ ____ ____ __ __ _ _ ____ _ _ __ _ 17 2 0

S im ilar to 17 0 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ ___ _ _ __ __ ____ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ 17 30

S intil a r to 17 0 0 _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ 174 0

S imila r to 17 0 0

- ______ 1760

Similar to 17 0 0 _ __ _ _ ____ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ ______ _ __ ____ _ __ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 1 7 80

S imil ar to 17 0 0 _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ 1 8 0 0

Si mil a r to 17 0 0

--- ---- 1820

Si m il a r to 17 0 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _ ___ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _____ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Simila r to 170 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

S im il a r to 1 7 0 0 _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _

Similar to 17 0 0

'-__ ________ _____

1840 1860
1 8 80 1 9 00

Si mil a r to 1 7 0 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 92 0

Sim ila r to 1 7 0 0 ; B etemn itella am eri cana, R ipl ey

.. . __ .._ .. ...__ J 310

Similar to 17 0 0. Heat g ives f a i n t b itu m inous odo r b u t no con de nsa tio n of oi L _ _ _ 1950

Similar to 1950 _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _________ _ ___ ___ _ _ ___ _ __ _ _ ___ _ __ _ _ _____ _ __ ___ 1 97 0

S imilar to 1 9 5 0

_"_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ 1980

Ligh tf-ogsrsai yls sa n dst one, fine qu artz g rains cemen ted firmly by ca lcium carbonate . No

U ncon solidated w h i te sand, similar to 20 00 exc ept no cemen tation. No fossil s __ __ UncoNnosolifdoastseilds g ray sa nd, mi xtu re of fine quartz san d an d fine lim esto ne par ticle s.

Simila r to 2 02 0 __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ ______ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Gray marl. No fos sil s. H eat gi ves bituminous odor an d t race of colorle ss oil ____ S imil a r to 2 0 4 0 , exc ept on ly sli ght -tra ee of oiL__ _____ _ ____ _ __ _ _______ ____ _ ___

Si m ila r to 2 05 0 _ __ ____ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _______ _______ _______

Sim il ar to 2 04 0, exc ept no cond en sat ion of oil___ __________ _____ ____ __ __ _____ _

Si milar to 2 07 0

~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

S imil ar to 2 0 4 0 _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ___ __ _ _______ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ Simila r to 2 04 0 _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2000
2 01 0
2 0 20
2035 2040 2 05 0 2060 22 00 7900
21 00 2130

Th e firs t 250 feet of strata pene tr ated doub tl ess in clude P leis-

tocene sands and clays, the Duplin and Marks H ead marls, and the

Alum Bluff formation . 'I'h at portion of the column from 250 to about 1000 is th ough t to re pr esent, in part at least, the Glendon formatio n

and th e Ocala lim estone. A greater part of th e column below 1350 is appar ently of Upp er Cretaceous 'age, with definite Ripley shown by B elemniiella americana at 1940. 'I'he well apparently stops in th e Ripley formati on. Casing was set at 27, 107, 250, 1426, 1630, and

2126 feet. A little gas was r epor ted at 1000 feet and showing of oil at 1590, with saIt wat er at 2000.

L o[/ of oil pr os-pect w ell at Scotland, Telfai?' OfFlIl/lty

Qu ar tz sa n d a n d srn nll g r av el cemente d b y ye llow is h r ed clay ~

'-

Quart z sa n d a n d g ra veL

~

Mix tl?i-grnci.t eof sand and v ery da rk brownls h -grrry cla y with sm al l f r a gm e n ts o_f

D epth, teet
0 -10 10-20
20 - 30

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L og of oil pros pect well at Scotl and, T elf air COlmty-conti nued-

Qu ar tz sa n d an d fine gra vel cem ented by yellowi sh cla y

_

Fino , gra y, qu artz san d with somo rounded fr agm en ts of li ght-col ored clay _

Simil ar to abo ve

_

Si milar to above exc ept s a n d is cemented by d r ab-colo r ed cla y

_

V e ry fin e qu artz sand cem en ted by p al e-yello w clay

_

S imilar to 2 5 -5 5 feet

_

S ort , white, chalky li m eston e loca lly gra ding in to m a rL

_

F'ine gu ur-tz sa nd with few black grains and so me shell I ra gm en ts

_

G r a y, porus li m estone with shell f r agmenla

r:

_

Fine, calca reo us , qua rtz sa nd an d shell Ira gm en ts

_

Pale -yellow, soft, powd ered , po rous , fo ss iliferous li mcston o

_

Pragments of li mes tone, fli nt. and fos sils, includ ing orbitoids

_

Pale-yellow. soft, porou s lime ston e with orbitoids

_

Yellow, soft, porous li mes tone cons istin g largely of small b ry ozoa

_

Small yel low is h fragments of lim est on e a n d shells . Or bit oid s a n d b r yozoa

Similaabru tnodaanbtove--b-u-t- -l-a r-g-e-r--I-r a-g-m--e-n-ta-.-, -- - - - - ---- - --- - - - - - - ---- - - ----- -_-

Soft yell ow limestone

_

D epth , f eet 2 3-25 25 - 5 5 5 5-7 7 75-80
80- 100 10 0-1 38 1 38-140 138-180 18D-185 1 8 5-1 90 190- 350 350- 400 400-415 41 5-43 5
4 35 -4 40 440-445 4 40 -4 50

Th is well begins in the Alum Bl uff f or mat ion, which extends to about 180 f eet: Th e gr eate r p ar t of th e limestone fr om 180 feet t o the bott om is of Glendon age, but the upper pa r t may be Chattahoochee.

Log of oil prospect uel; at Fredel, 10 miles south of W aycross

Gra y qu a r tz sand w i th f ra gm en ts of white limesto n e a n d cla y

_

Si mil ar to above, w i th qu ar tz p eb bles

_

Similar to 100

_

Similar to 16 0

_

Si m ila r to 160

_

B la ck , phospha t ic , h a rd s andstone

_

Mi xtu re of coa rse quartz sa nd pebbl es an d arenaceous, ha rd, white lime ston e

f ragmen~ Hard, white,

d e-n-s-e- -l i-m- e-s-t-on-e--

----

---

-

------------------

---

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

_-

Hardp,arwtlhy itaea, cfaosstssilife rous, arenaceo u s li meston e, with abundance of shells_,

Sintila r to aboye

_

D en seec,hihnoardder, myeslploi nwe' sshbro wn,

cry st alline Iim esto n e,
~--- - --

with

Or ys tel larla

and_

Si mil ar to above

_

Whitme elinmtses taonnde wCirthystacblluanrdiaa n ce of O r bi toid es-lik e fo rms an d b ryozoa , sh ell f r a g_-

Dense brownish -ye llow limestone wi th . small or bit oi d al forms an d Cr ys tell a ri a

De nse, ye llow i sh-bro wn lim estone

_

Li gh t -yellow limeston e w ith or bit oid al forms, Orvstcll a rl a , a n d echi no d erm s pi ne s

D en se br own ish-yellow lim eston e with coile d fo raminifera resembling Ory st ell ur ia

Similar to 11 2 0

_

S imila r t o 1120, w ith abu n da n ce of or bit oid al fo rm s a n d Cr ystella r ia

_

S im ila r to a bove exce pt n o o rbitoids

_

S im ilar to 11 2 0, with bryozoa

_

Si milar to abo ve

_

Simila r to above

_

Gr ay limestone wi th o rbitoid s , b r yozoa, Cryst ell aria, a n d flint and she ll
fragmen ts ----------------7-------------------------------------

D ep th, fee t 100 160 1 85 225
26 1-290 2 9 0- 299
2 9 9-32 0 325
435 450
80 0 820
840 8 60 982-950 11 2 0 1158 1 3 1 4 - 1 3 37 1 380-1 34 0 1 351-1 3 57 1 357-1 3 6 3 1368-1369 13 69- 1382
1382-1390

DEEP WELL LOGS OF THE COAST AL PLAIN

99

Log of oil prospect uiell at Fredel, 10 miles south of Waycross-continued.

D . pth, t t

Soft white limest on e with bryozoa, Oryatell ari a, o rb itoids, an d echin ode rm spines 1 3 9 0-1 3 96

Same as nbove

- - - - - 139 6- 14 01

Snmo as nbovo

--- - - 10101-1408

Sarno 8 S above - - --- - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14081428 P ale-fyrealglomwenltismestone w ith bryozoa , echinoderm opines , Cryste llaria, and shell 14 2 314 3 0

Sa me a s above

- --- - - --- ------------- - - --___ _

So ft ,,:h it e limest on e wi th abundan ce of fo r ami ni fera , includ ing or bit oid s an d

Cryst ella ria, echinoderm spin es

_

Snme as ahove

--- - -

Sa me 35 above , with bryozoa

_

Same as above, w ith bryozoa

_

Snme as abov e, w ithout b ry ozoa

_

Same as abo ve, without bryozoa

_

Yellow lime ston e wi th indistinct for nmini fera

_

Sof t whi te Iimes to n e wi th orbi toid s, Or ys te llar'ia , and s im il a r coil ed fo rms _

Similar to abo..e

---

Simila r to ab ove

---

Simi lar to above

---

S imilar to above

- --

Similar to a bove

---

Si mila r to above

--_

Similar to above

---

Simi lar to abov e Similar to above Simila r to a bove Sim ilar to above S imilar to abo ve Similar to nbove Simil ar to a bo ve
Simila r to abov e. excep t no orbi toid s

_

---

:

_

_

_

_

_

_

Soft , white, chalky lim eston e wi th some in distinct organic fo rms

_

Similar to abov e, with nu merous Grystellarin-li ke fo rms

_

So it,spwinheitse limest on e wi th fo rami ni fe r a , in clu d in g Crystellari a an d ec hi n ode rm

1 4 4 0-1452
1 4 52 -1460
14 6 7-1475 147 5-14 8 2 1482 - 14 8 7
1 48 7-1495 1 4 9 5-1 5 01 1501-1512 1 51 2-1521 1521-15 3 8 1 54 6-1 55 2 15 52-1 5 65 1 565-1 58 2 1582- 1595 1 595-1 600 1 60 0- 1 60 7 1 607 -1 61 3 1 613-1616 1 6 2 4-1 6 3 C 1 630-1635 1 63 5-1641 1 6 4 1- 1 6 56 1 65 6- 1660 1 660-1665 1 6 65-167 2 1 67 2-1680
1 6 8 0-1 6 91

Si mil ar to above _______ ____ _____ __ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _______ __ ___ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ Si mila r to a bove ___ _ _ _____ _ ____ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _____ __ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ ____ __ _ S imil a r to above w ith shell f ra gm en ts _ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ Simil ar to above

1 6 91 - 1 7 00 1700-1706 1 7 0 6-171 1 1711-171 8

Simil ar to abo ve w it h orbitoidB-__ ___ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ _ __ ____ _ __ __ __ _____ __ __ _

Simila r to abo ve with orbi toid s __ _ ____ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ __ _ __ ___ _ __ ___ __

Sim il ar to abo.. e with crbitoids in abundance ____ ____ __ __ ________ __ _ _ ____

Si mil ar to abo ve w ith o rb itoids in ab u ndance ____ _________ __ __ _ _ ______ _ _ _

Similar to ab ov e with or bitoid s in nb u n danc e__ _ _ _ _ __ _ ____ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ __ ___ Sim il ar to a bove with orbitoi d s in a b u nd a n ce

S imil a r to above w it h o r bitoids in ahu n d a nce __ __ __ _ ___ _ __ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Si mil ar to above with or bit oid s in abun dance__ ________ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ ___ _ Sim ilar to abo..e w it h o r bit oids i n abun dance __ _ _ _ _ _ ______________ _ _ __ _ _ _

Similar to a bove with shell f ra gm en ts an d b r rozoa _____ __ ____ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ ____ Similar to abo ve __ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ ____ ___ _ __ _ _ ______ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ _ Sim il ar to abo..e w it h gJa uconite __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ____ __ _ __
Similar to above with glauconite and flinL ___________ __________________ __

Soft whit e lim es ton e wit h fli n t, sh ell fr a "",en ts , a n d indisti nct or g anic forms c .;

Soft ch a lky li mes ton e w ith fli n t, or bitoid s, Cryst ella r ia , an d ech inoderm spin es

Sim il ar to a bov e

:._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

1718-172 5
172 5-1730
17 30-173 5 1735-1748
174 8-1760 176 0-1 77 3
1 7 7 3-1782 1 7 82-1 7 90 1 7 9 0-1 8 00
1 8 0 0-1 81 0 1 8 10-1 81 8 1 8 1 8-1 82 5 1840-1845
1846-1852
1 8 5 2-18 59 1 8 5 9-1 8 65

Sim ila r to abo..e__ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ ________ _ _ _ ____ ______ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ S imil ar to a bo ..e w i th more flinL ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ______ _ _ ___ _ Similar to a bo\'"e__ __ _ _ ______ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____ __ __ __ _ _____ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ Simil a r to a bo..e

1 8 65-1 8 6 9 1 8 6 9-1 87 3 1 87 3-187 6 1880-1886

100

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L og of oil prospect well at Pr edel, 10 miles south of lVay,'ross-contillued.

Dept" , tee t

Gray, slightly argillaceous lim eston e w ith organisms above, an d so me flin t _

Similar to above w ith very li ttle flinL

_

Similar to above with very little flint

_

S imilar to above with very little ftin L

_

Similar to above with ve ry little flinL

_

Similar to above with yellow, flinty

_

S imilar to above

_

Similar to above

_

1 8 8 6-1 8 91 1 89 1-1900 19 00-1906 1906- 1912 1912-1919 1919-1925 1 9 2 5- 1 9 31 1 93 1- 1 93 8

P al e-yellow a n d gra y limesto ne with orbitoids, Orystcllaria, and echinoderm

s pin es

_ 1938-1944

S imil ar to abov e except li ght er in colo r

_ 1 9 4 -1--19 5 0

Similar to a bove excep t lighter in colo r

_ 1 9 55- 1 9 61

Similar to above ex cept few orb itoids only., ; _ _- ---- - - - - ----- --- ----- - - - - 1 9 6 1- 1 9 6 5

Similar to above except few orbitoid s only

_ 196 51971

Similar , except abundan ce of echinoderm stem s and b ryozo a Similar to above

_ 1 9711 9 79 _ 1979- 1 985

Pale-yellow limeston e w ith nbundance of foraminifera, in clud ing Orystellar!a,

bryozoa , and echinoderm spines

_ 1 9 8 5-1 990

Snme as nboyc

_ 1995- 2000

P ule -yellow lime ston e with Oryst ellurlu , bryo zoa, orbitoid s, Nodo saria, an d other

coil ed for aminifera

- --- - - ---

_

Similar, exc ept no Nodosaria

_

Similar, except no Xod osa ria

_

Simila r, exc ep t no Nodo sari a.

_

Similar , with Nodosaria

_

Si milar, wit h Nodosa r in

_

Simi lar, with Nodo saria and sponge s picules

_

Similar, with Nodo saria an d ab undant bryo zoa

_

Similar, w ith Nodo saria an d abundant b ry ozoa

_

Similar, with Nodos aria an d abun dant b ryozoa

_

Simil ar, wi th Nodo saria and a bunda nt brvozoa

_

Similar, with Nodosaria and abundan t bryozoa

_

Similar, w ith Nodo sar ia an d abun dant b ryoz oa

_

Simil ar , with Nodo sa ri a and ab undan t bryozoa

_

Simil ar, with Nod osaria and abundant bryozoa

_

2 000-2 0 09 2 0 0 9-2 01 7 201 7-2 026 2 0 2 6-2 0 4 0 2040- 2046 2046-2058 2055-2 063 2 063-2 0 76 2 071-2 0 8 1 2 081-2091 2 0 91-2098 2098-2107 21 07 -211 5
2115-212~
2122- 2130

Yellow lim es tone with abu nda nce of echino der m sp ines an d Nodo sari a

_ 21 30-21 31

G r ay soft lim es ton e, with orbitoids, bryo zoa , and echinoderm spines in abund-

anc e; some clay pr esen t

_ 21 35-211 0

Si milar, wit h some glauconite, Nodo sa ria , and white limestone f ragmen ts _ 2 140-2 1 45 Gray li mes tone wit h glau conite, bryozoa , echinoderm spines, an d No do sa ria _ _ 21 ,15-2t53

G r ny marl with gl auconite, Nod osar ia, Ory stellar ia , and other organic fo nn s __

G 1"::~" ca lca reous sand wi th she ll fr agm en ts, shark' s teeth, and g li1 :.t.:ouit'J"

H eat test gives distin ct odor of oil but no conde nsa tion

.__ .. ~_ .. __

Similar to a b ove

_

Fine, gra)"', calca reou s, qu artz sa n d wit h shark's teeth , sh ell f ragments, gl uu-

21 5 3-2160
2 2 8j -~29 0 ~ 2 q O - 2 2 !J 5

coni te, echin oderm sp i nes, and No dc snzin

.

."

Grey, fin e-grnin e-i. calc areous qu artz sa n d Simila r to ab ove with shell fr a gm ents-

._. _ . . __ ..

Similar to above with sh ell f ra gm en ts-

._ ~;J 7 7 -2 ~ 70
._ 2 1.j(.\-2462 _ 2 4 71-2 4 ~ n _ 24%-2510

G ray. sli ghtly calcar eou s, qu ar tz san d with limonitic stains, probably f rom bit

f ragm en ts - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Simila r to above w ith ec hinoderm spi n es

_

Si milar to abov e with ec hino derm spines

_

S imilar to above with gl au conite and Orystelln r i u-lik e for m s. Som ewha t less

sand tha n above. Contains traces o f oiL

_

Similar to abov e

_

F ine, gray. c~lcareous 9u artz sand with ech inod erm spines, ostracods , an d

Crystella ria. Contains traces of oiL

_

Si mila r to abo ve wit h No dosaria. Tr aces of oil ,

_

2 505- 2 5 50 2 550- 2 560 266 0-26 74
2 70 5- 2714 2714- 2 72 3
2 8 30-2 8 3 1 2 8 34- 2 870

DEEP WELL LOGS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN

101

Log of oil prospect uiell at Fredel, 10 mile s south of Way cross-continued,

F ine, gray, calc areou s, qu art z san d with No dosar ia, echinoderm sp ines, an d

gla uc on ite . Tr aces of oil

_

Slmil a r to above . T races or oiL

---- - --- - - - ----- --- - - - - - -

Similar to a bove. Ver)' slig ht trace of oiL

_

Very fine-graine d arg illaceous qu artz san d w ith g lauco nite ; some co ile d an d

s ome pe ar-shaped fossil forms . Sligh t trace of oiL

_

Similar to above . T ra ces of oiL

_

Si m ila r to above. V ery slig h t t ra ces of oiL

_

Dark-gray mar l with ver y li ttle fin e-g r ui n ed quartz sa nd ; py rit e crys tals and echinoderm spines. Sli gh t trace of bitumi no us matt er bu t no fre e oiL _

Depth, teet
2870-2900 29 00 -2910 2916-2940
2940-2952 2952-2 998
3000
3022

'I'hat part of the column from the surface down to 435 feet seems to include th e Miocene and later forma tions, 'I'he material at 435 is of Chattahooche e age. From 800 t o 2100 the beds probably r epresent the Glendon and the Ocala, but thickness seems excessive for these f ormations. 'I'here is nothing to show that t he Cretaceous is r eached, t hus indicating an excessive t hickness of Eocene and Oligocene. It is diffi cult to u nderstand the apparent thickn ess of f ormations encou nte re d in this well . Casi ng was set at 332, 436, 1306, and 2176 f eet. A showi ng of oil and gas was r eported at 1060 and salt water from 2000 to th e bot tom.

L og of oil prospect w ell 11 ca1' Doctm'towll, Wayn c County

Sa nd
Sand a n d yellow cia )' with some she llsSan d a n d lam i n a ted clay
Conglome r ate and m a rl. 'Vat er r ises to wi th in 20 feet of surface
Sand, grav el, an d lamin ated cln y Gr eeni sh- g r ay m ar l and ch alky lim estone with some p ebbles Qu ick san d and m arl
Layers of ha rd rock, marl, and cong lome rnte Marl with sa ndsto ne layer s an d some li mcs ton e Quick sand with l nyers of con glomerate Sof t lim eston e an d sa n d ston e with fli n t l ny er s 2 f eet thick Qu ic k sa n d Marl a n d so ft lim eston e
Qui ck sa nd cont aining a large s upply of water Qui cksan d Soft li m estone
Ha rd lim estone with lnyer s of sa n d Water-bearing limestone; qu icksand at 793 eet Gra y lim es tone and brown sandst one Sandstone
Lim estone Soft lim eston e

T_hi

ckn

ess, 20

t eet

_ 35

_

25

th e
_ 15 - 40

_ 50

_

45

_ 25

_ .10

_ 30

_ 28

_

40

_

15

_

7

_

50

_

2

_

44

_ 31 8

_ _

20 45

_

35

_

10

Depth, tee t 20 55 80
95 135 185 230 255 2 95 325 3 53 39 3 40 8 415 4 65 467 511 829 849 894 9 29 9 39

102

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Log of oil prospect ioell. 'l ear Doctor tow n, Wayn e Oounty-cont inu ed.

Sa lt w a te r a nd sand
H ard lim eston e
Li meston e in ha r d a n d soft lay er s
Lim eston e with some sand Lime s tone
Limestone with two she ll lay ers
Limest one with h ard layers
Lime ston e, T e r )'" hard
Limestone and sa nd Limes tone, mo stly ha r d Lim eston e H ard limestone Soft limestone lia rd lime sto ne
Soft lim estone Gray nnd brown san ds D ark -brown san d S and mixe d with pebbl es Light-colo red sand Glauconitic sa n d

Thicknc88

_

16 . 5

_

10 .5

_ 22

_ 17

_ 14

_ 17

_ 15

_ 13

_

6

_ 1 34

_ 18

_

33

_ _

59 18

_ 138

_ 17 0

_

84

_

26

_ _

12 139

Dept h, t eet
955 . 5
966
9 88 1005
1019
1036
1 0 51
10 64
1070 12 01 1222 1255 1314 1332 1470 1640 1 72 4 1750 1762 1 901

That portion of th e column fro m th e surface to 465 seems to repr esen t the Miocene and later formations . The main body of limeston e f r om 465 to 1470 is apparently of E ocene, Oligocene and possibly basal Miocene age. 'I'he bottom of the well is probably in the E ocene. Casing was set at 460, 540 and 1900 feet.

L og of oil prosp ect well of Middl e Gem'gia Oil and Gas Oompany, 12 miles west

of Hazelhurst, J eff Davis Oounty

D epth , t eet

Mi xture of qu artz sa n d an d )-~Ilowi sh cla y __ ___ __ _ ___ _ ____ ______ ____ __ ____

0-40

Fine-grained qu artz sa n d wi th some clay

50

White, thinly lami nated, a r e na ceo us. mica ceous clay

60

Fine qu art z sa n d , loos ely ' cemen ted by yellow ish clay re sembling fu llers ea r th

65

Similar to 65

75

Simil a r to !l5, excep t mo re clay____ ______ __ __ __ ______ __ ___ ___ ______ __ __

85

Sim il ar to above

100

S imil ar to 65

11 0

Similar to 1 00 ____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _________________ _______ ___________ Similar to 10 0 ______ ____ _ ____ ______ _ ___________ __ ______________ _____ Sim ilar to 65 ____ ____ ___ _ ____ ___ ___ _______ ____ _____ ______ __ __ _ ______

11 5 12 0 1 35-14 0

Gray aren a ceous clay re sembling f ullers ea rth ___ ___ _____ _____ __ ___ _ ____ __

Similar to 65 __ ___ ______ __ _ __ _____ _ _____ ____ _____ ___ _________ _ _____

Similar to 65, with so me graveL_______ ___ ____ __ __ ______ __ ____ __ _____ __

Fine quartz Similar to

UsanOd16a5n_d__b_u_f_f _c_l_a_y________________________________________________________________________________

140-165 165-17 5
1 75-182
182-18 5 18 5-2 15

Si mil ar to 65 __ _ ______ _ ___ _____ ________ _____ _____ ___ ______ __ _______ _ S imil a r to 14 0-1 65 __ ______ _____ __ __ ________ _____ __ _______ _________ __ Simil ar to 1 821 85 ____ ________ __ ____ __ ____ __ ______ ______ __ ________ __ Sim ilar to 1 82-1 85 ____ ___ ______ ___ _____ _____ ______ _________ _____ ___ _ Simila r to 140-1 65 _____ __ __ __ ______ __ ____ ___ ____ ___ _ ____ __ __ _______ _

215-220 22 0-225 225-236 228-235 236-2 50

DEEP WELL LOGS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN

103

L og of oil prosp ect scell. of Middle Georqio: Oil and Gas Company, 12 miles toest

of Ha zelhurst, J eff Davis Cotmty-<;ontinued.

D opth. f eet

Qua r tz sa n d and g r a vel w ith phos phate p ebbl es a n d limestone f r a gmen ts,

cemen ted by calc areo us bind er. No dosar ia

_

2 7 8- 2 8 2

P i ne -grni ned q u a rt z sa n d a n d p h os ph a te p ebbl es cem ented b y g ray, sli ghtly

ca lca reous clay

~- - - - - - - - - - -

.

Simi lar to 203 -298 , with m or e sa n d

_

293-298 2 9 8 -3 06

F in e qua r t z sa n d with phosphnte p ebb les, loosely cem en ted by b uff elny B u ff clay w ith ph c sp h atic sa n d
Phospha ti c sand

_ 306-309 _ 309-315 _ 319-322

Fine-g r ai n ed phosphatic sa n d , with clay f r agments , pieces of she lls , a n d ca l-

car eOllS ma terial

,

_

Sim ilar to 3 22 -332

_

322-332 332- 338

Dark-gray ca lc a r eou s clay, with she ll f ra gm en ts a n d phosphatic sand . sh ow s odor of pet role um a n d tr a ce of color les s oi L
P ho sph a tic q u a r tz sa n d
Similar to above, exc ept some clny an d calcareo us material pr esent

H eat te st _ _
_

338 -340 310-3 42 8 4 2- 3 46

Soft, irr egularly bed ded b uff-col or ed li mestone w ith ph os phatic s a n d and c1ny.

Hea t les t gives p et ro leu m od or and t race of oiL

_

S imil ar to a bove

_

Shellbianndderclny f ragment s, wi th ph osphati c qu artz sand cemente d by cal careou_s

Similar to 30 6-30 9

_

E in e-g r ained qu artz sand, wi th small fr ag men ts of shells , lim eston e, and flhit __

L55- 36 6 365 -386
3 86 - 4 0 0 400-405 405-407

F ra gm en ts of she ll, fli n t , and limesto n e, a n d phosphatic pe bb les, together wi th

fine, cal careou s, qu artz. sand

..:

_

,1;07-409

D a rk-g r a y ca lcareou s cl ay w it h she ll a n d li me f ra gm ents and som e qu artz sand,

Num erous foraminifer a, including Crystell llrin

.

_

H ard , gray, calcareous san ds tone an d oys ter shells

_

409-465 46 0

S of t, whi le li m eston e with f r a gm en t s of shells and p hosp h oti c qu nrtz sa n d _ 450 -480

V ery d ark -g ra y, sli gh tl y cal ca r eou s clay with sm all fr a gmen ts of shell s an d some

qu artz sa nd

_

Lt gh t-g rny qu ar tz sand with a few shell f ragmen ts

_

480-4 87 4 8 7-5 03

Sh ell a n d limes to n e f r a gm en ts a n d q uartz s a n d ceme n te d by ca lcareous binder;

also dark-gr ay calcareou s clay w ith she ll fr agm en ts

_

50 3-52 0

S hellbianndderlimes tone f ra= en ts a n d qu a r tz sa n d loosely ce me nted by calcureou_s

520-530

D ark -g r a y, slig htly calca reo us , a r enn ceous ela y wi th shell f r a gm en ts ; also fine

qu a r tz sa n d loosely cem ent ed ,...it h clay

_

Qu artz sand she ll f rag men t s, sm all pi ec es of limestone, and d a r k clay

_

Similar to above

_

Gra y ca lc areou s clay w ith f r ngments of sh ell a n d limesto n e

_

Fin e qu a rtz snnd with some gr ay clay

_

Similar to above

_

D ark-Gray, slig htly calcareous clay wi th flne qu artz sand

_

Sim ilar to a bove

_

Similar to above

_

Simi la r to above

_

Simil ar to above

_

Fine qu ar tz san d and calcareou s gr ay cla v , Ech inoderm spines nbundnnt _

Sof t. li gh t-bu ff, ar enaceou s li mes tone; echi node nn spines and Crys telln.ri n _

Similar to above

_

Soft, pure lim eston e ; ec h in oderm sp ines nnd Crystellu ria

_

Limestone with orb itoi ds, os trac ods, an d other indi sti nct forarninifer a

_

Simil ar to a bove

_

Simil ar to above

..

_

D n'rk-zr-ay clny con taining sa n d, lim eston e I ra gmen ts, and fossil s simtlnr to

abov e

_

Li gh t-yellow , soft, pur e lim es ton e with fossil s simila r to above

_

Similar to above

_

Sort white li mestone w ith echin oderm sp ines , Or ys te lla r ta , and other ind istinct

f ossil s

--..

..

..

_

530-5 50 56 5-580 5 85 - 5 9 0 590- 600 600 -620 610-615 620-630 630-645 64 5-650 650-6 65 665-675 685-690 690-700 700 -7 30 730- 74 0 740- 745 745 -7 55 755-7 65
7 6 5 -7 8 0 7 8 0 - 7 85 790-800
800 -825

104

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Log ot oil prospect well ot Middl e Georqia. Oil and Gas Company, 12 mil es west

ot Hue ethurst, J eff Dav is County-eont inmed.

D epth , feet

Soft, whit e, pure limestone with Nodosar ia and other small indi stinct fo rms __

Similar to a bove

_

82 5-830 830-850

P al e-yellow pu re lim estone with echino derm spines , orbitoids, and oth or indi s-

tin ct fonn s

~

_

850- 853

So ft , wh ite, pure lim estone ; echinoderm spine s, orbit oid s, ind istinct bryo zoa,

and other forms

_ 8 53-8 64

Simila r to above, orbitoids nbu n d a n t .,

_

86 4-8 7 0

Li gh t-yellow limeston e; crbitoids, bryo zoa and other ind istinct forms

.:. _ _ 87 0-875

Soft, white, pu re lim eston e; echino derm sp ines and orbitoids abu nda nt _

Sim ilar to a bove

_

Similar to a bove wi th gray clay

_

Similar to 8 8 5 -9 10

_

Similar to above

_

SoCt, pure , white lim estone with abun dan t orbitoids

_

Similar to a bove

_

885-910
910-920 92 0- 9 4 0 94 0-950 95 0-955 955-970
9 70 -9 8 0

Sof t, whi te, pu re lim eston e; ec hin ode rm sp ines and oth er in distinct fo ssil s _

S imilar to above , except yellow in color

_

98 0- 98 5 98 5-990

Soft, white, pu re lim estone ; echin oderm spines an d orbitoid s abundant

S imila r to above, wi th so me gr ay clay

.

Sim ilar to above

Soft, pur e, white limes tone with a b u n d a nc e of orbitoid s Similar (0 above

_ 990-1000 _ 1000- 1010 _ 1010-1 02 0
_ 1 0 20-'-10 27 _ 1050-1060

White, pure lim eston e with a b u n da nc e of Orbitoid s and s ome ecbinoderm spi n es 1 0 6 0-1 0 7 0

Simila r to a bov e

_ 1 07 0-1 0 80

L igh t-gr ay lim estone; orbitoid s and echino derm Iew bryozoa
Soft, white, pu re lim esto ne with fossils similar S im ila r ( 0 above

spines in to above

abundance,

with a _
_ _

1080-1090 1090-11 00 1100-1105

White ( 0 li ght-g r ay li m eston e fra gm en ts w it h fossil s simil a r (0 a bove and some

qu a rtz s and

_ 1105-1115

Ha rd , gra J.~, gl aucon itic sa n dstone, lo cally calca reous Un cement ed sand si milar to above Si mil ar to above
Calca r eous glaucon itic qu artz s a n d Si mile r- to nbo vc Simi la r to a bove
Similar to above wi th less glauconite White quartz sand Glauconite quartz sand
Light-gray, fin e-g rained qu artz s a n d
S im ila r to ab ove with sm all amount - of g ray clay Glau conitic qu artz san d
Mixture of fin-e-grained qu artz sa n d and calcareous gray clay D ar k-gray are na ce ous ma rl Simi lar to above L a r ge Oat Ten ap. S im ilar to 12 55 -13 00 S imil ar (0 a bove Simil ar to above

_ 1115-1120

_ 1115-11 30 _ 1130-1150

_ 1150-11 60 _ 1160-1170 _ 118 0-11 90

_ 11 90-1200 _ 1200-1203 _ 1 2 03-1 2 10 _ 121 0- 12 20

_ 122 0- 12 3 0

_ 12 30-1 240

_ 12 40 -1 2 51

_ 12 55 - 1257

_ 1 2 55-1300

_

1300

_ 130 0- 1 320

_ 1 320-13 30

_ 1330-1345

Mi xtu re of f rag ment s of lig ht-gr ay lim estone and gray aren aceou s marl Simila r to above

_ 1 345- 1 350 _ 1350- 1 360

Gray, slig htly argillaceous lim estone w ith f ragmen ts of echinoderm spines an d

ga stropods

_

E chin od er m s and pel ecyopods th ou gh t to be Cretac eous-

_

Similar to above

.:.

_

1 3 6 0-1 37 0 1 37 0-1 37 5 1 380-1390

Light-g ray qu a r tz s a n d w it h sm all fra gm ents of limestone and m a rl .,

_ 1390-1395

DEEP WEL L LO GS OF THE COASTAL PLA IN

105

Log of oil prospect well of Middle Georgia Oit and Gas Comp any, 12 m iles 1cest
of Ilaeelliurst, J eff Davi s Coun ty- continued.
D epth, t eet llu.tuofre foofssqilusartz sand, limestone f ragm ent s, and marl , with s.mall f ragm ent_s 1 3 95-14 00

Similar to above , wi th flint frn gments L ignite an d vory d ur k-grny clay

.- --

_ 14 11 -14 24

_

1425

V ery da rk-gray cla y. Heat t est t;ive s od or of p etr oleu m an d trace of oiL G ray cla y sa n d a nd oy st er sh ell s-

_ 14 2 5-142 8 _ 1428-1432

White qua r tz sand wit h I r a gm en ts of lim est on e ma rl a n d she ll s Simi la r to ab ove

_ 14 35-14 4 5 _ 14 4 6-144 8

Qu artz sand, sandst one, an d she ll f ra gmen ts, mainly oys ters Simila r to ab ove Simila r to ab ove
Simila r to a bo ve

_ 1448-1453
..:__ 1453-1460 _ 1465-1470 _ 1470-1485

Ver)~ da rk-gr ay, ar en aceous marl, with small f ragments of limestone . g ives o dor of petroleum an d trace of oil
Similar to 113 51445

H eat _ 1485-1510 _ 1 51 0-1 5 35

Da rk -gray , fine grained, calcareous, argillaceous sandsto ne

_ 1535-1540

Simil(aOrrettaoceoaubso)ve, with fo ssil plan t thou ght to be H c!lymenit es major_,

1550

S imila r to 1435-1415

_ 15 4 5-1 56 0

Si mi la r to 14 351 44 5

_ 1560- 15 70

Simil ar to 1 4 3514 4 5

_ 1580- 1590

Similar to 15 35 1540

_ 1 600 -1607

Similar to 15 351540

_ 1 607- 1 61 0

S imilar to above, with more c]n;r and few shell f ragm en ts Similar to above

_ 1615-1620 _ 1620- 1630

Arena ceou s dark-gray marl. with f ew shell frngmen ts Simila r to a bove Similar to above Similar to a bov e bu t da rker in colo r Similar to 15 351 540

_ 16 30- 164 0 _ 1640- 1660 _ 16 60-1670 _ 1 67 0- 1695 _ 16 90-17 00

Concr(eOtiroentaacreyousq)u artzitic sandston e an d siliceous lim cston e; young Exo oyra_ 1 700-17 35

D ark -gray, very ar enaceous trace of oil
Similar to abov e Shnilar to nbov c Si milar to ab ov e S imil ar to ab ove Similar to ab ove

m a rl.

H eat test give s odor of petroleum and

..

_

_

_

_

_ _

17 35 17 8 0-1 8 00 1 80 0-1 80 5 1 8 05-1 8 15 18 15-1825 1 8 30- 197 5

The formation penetrated is probably Alum Bluff, down to about 690 feet although th e thickness seems excessive for this formati on, and th e lower part of this 690 fe et may correspond to the Chattahoochee limeston e of oth er areas, as the exact r elation between the Chatta hoochee limestone and basa l Alum Bluff is not understood. The lime stones from 690 to 1115 are thought to in clude the Glend on and Oeala formations . The cutti ngs f rom 1370-1375, 1550 and 1700-1735 seem definit ely Upper Creta ceous in age. The Ripley apparently begins at about 1300, and th e bottom of the well is probably in th e lower part of th e Ripley.

106

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

SUMMARY
E xa mination of the deep well logs of t he Coastal Plain reveals a moderately uniform lit hologic sequence in the formations penetrated thro ugh out the province as a whole. There is r easonable evidence showing the lower part of t he Ripley, or ap proximate ly the t op of the Eutaw, as the lowest horizon reached, except in those wells close to the F all line.
Following is a generalized columnar secti on r epr esentati ve of the Coasta l Plain as a whole, exclusive of ar eas along its north ern and west ern edges. The thicknesses given are in part est imates only, an d not observed thicknesses. In general the f ormations thicken toward Brunswick, which is shown to be in a structural trough .

Generalieed. Oolumnar Se ctio n. of t he Coastal. Plain of Georg ia

F o rm ation

Thickness (Feet)

Ch a r a cte r of heds

Alum Bl uff

o to 3 50

S an d a n d ci a}", w ith ba sa l limestone and flin t lenses .

Chattah ooche e Gl e n d on Oca la

o to 1 30 0

White to yellow, fossiUferou s, soft limestone, with loc al flin t lay er s .

Cla iborn e
Wil co ~
Midway

o to 400

Sand, clay , an d mar l, wit h len ses of lim eston e .

I Riplev U n dif .
Euta,v U p per Cret . L ow e r ( 1) Cretaceou s

o to 2000

Gray, ar enaceou s m arl and fin e s an d, wi th
basal members of gra vel. cross-bed de d a rko sic sa n d, a n d clay len ses.

Cryst alli ne

STRUCTURAL CONDITIO NS IN THE COASTAL PLA IN

107

STRUCTURAL CONDI TIO NS IN

THE COAST.AL PLAIN OF GEORGIA

METHODS EMPLOYED IN DETERMINING STRUCTURES

The Coast al Plain of Georgia has been more or less arbitrarily ill vided in to three st r uct u ral areas or subdivisions, f or th e purpose of mor e r eadily handling the structural data. These areas ar e her e termed
areas No.1, No.2, and No.3. Area No. 1 al~proximately coincid es
with the ph ysiographic subdivision of the Coastal Plain known as the Fall-line hills belt. Area No.2 is approximately coincident with the Dougherty plain . Area No. 3 embraces the Altamah a upland, the Sou th ern lime-sink r.egion, t he Okefenokee pl ain, and t he Satilla coastal lowland. (S ee ma p I I.)
I n areas Nos. 1 and 2 the metho ds of determini ng the structural conditions ar e based primarily on a study of the general areal geology and top ography taken jointly. Stream data, direction and elevations are lik ewise used. Other f act ors of lesser importance have been used wher ever applicable. It is desirable t o discuss area No.2 separately because th e distribution of format~ ons, as shown on th e geologic map , su ggests folding, whereas it can be shown that th e distribution is due to a combination of lithology and top ography, and not to abnormal st r uctur e.
. Th e work in area No. 3 involved methods not applicable t o th e other two areas. In this area th e in terpretation of structure is based on data collected from well logs and out cr ops, general geology and topography, drain age conditions, and underground water conditions.
A separate discussion of each area follows :

STRUCTURAL AREA N o. 1
Structu ral area No. 1 comprises a belt, approximately 40 miles wide, lying immediately south of the Fall lin e and extending entirely acro ss the State from Augusta to Columbus. Throughout this area th e thic kness of sediments overlying the crystalli ne r ocks

108

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

varies from zero at the Fall lin e t o about 1500 feet along it s southern edg e. As th e sediments in the nor thern part of th e area are very thin and contain no oil or oil-forming matter in quantity, this part of the are a can be eliminated at once f rom consid eration as a possible source of production. Since t he beds are lenticular and un consolidated the determination of structural details is very difficult. The beds, as previ ously described, are main ly arkosic, micaceous, cr oss-bedded sands, and clays, with commercial deposits of kaolin and gravel, all free from matter capable of forming oil.
Rapi d lateral variation and the general unconsolidated nature of the deposits would generally prevent the detai led determination of str uetural cond itions, and even if such were possible they would be unwarranted by th e close p roximity of the area t o t he Fall li ne.

,;+- --tf--+- - - J - - --t---t--- .....-:I "'i"'-"-''''''-''''''''--+-?--...,--~'t<._-__1H

,,'! -- - -\!
Ma p n .-Structural a r ca of Coas t al P lain of Georgia

STRUCTURA L CON DI TIONS IN THE COASTA L PLA IN

109

Throughout the .southern part of this structural area the sediments are rather thin, but not so thin as to condemn entirely the ar ea with reference t o possibl e oil production. Th e presence of numerous streams flowing southeastward acr oss the belt f urnish excellent geologic and topogra phic data whi ch show th at the r eg ional dip is southeastward. 'I'he older beds disappear r egular ly below water and fai l to r eappeal' farth er downstream. 'I'he mon oclinal son theast dip shown in Map III is als o indicated by artesian water conditions.
Detail ed work has been done in some areas and some small inte rruptions in the monoclinal attitude have been obser ved, as nea l' Gr een's Cut, in Burke County. It is probabl e t hat the uneven settling of unconsolidated sediments on the irr egular surface of the crystaline floor, close beneath, might cause folding without dynamic movement, Sufficient work over area N o. 1 has been done to show the absen ce of folding of magnitude,

STRUCTURAL AREA No .2
'!'he re gional structural conditions of area No .2 may be generally described as mono clinal wit h a dip to the southeast. Th e lack of satisfactory key horiz ons-because of similarity of strata, rapid lateral variation, num erous unconformiti es, slumping, and the general u nconsolidated nature of most of the exposed beds -c-prohibits t he determination of local structural details throughout th e area. The general attitude of the formations, however, is re vealed by areal geology, topograph y, static head of gro und water , and the attit ude of a few r ecognizable br oad horizons in th e geologic column.
The Glendon fo rmation unconfor mably overlies the Ocala li mest one along Flin t R iver all the way from Faceville, in D ecatur County, to a point about 10 miles south of Oglethorpe. Throughout this distan ce th e contact is practi call y parallel to water level. Tho; Ocala d isappears below water n ear F aceville and does not r eapp eal' down stream. Thus th er e is evidently an absence of post-G lendon fol ds of an y consequ ence cross ing the Flin t betw een a point 12 mil es south of Oglethor pe, over a straight- line distance of about 110 miles.

110

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Also, the r egular manner in which the Ocala along the general line of the F lin t disap pear s beneath the Glendon and fails to r eappear southeastward points to a similar regular monoclinal attitude throug hout the Glendon outcr op over the 'F lint River belt lying gener all y just east of the river . And too, the regularity of static head of ground wat er, as indicated by flowing wells, tends to confirm the monoclinal attit ude of the beds.
Throughout th e irregular Glendon belt extending from Cordele to Fort Gain es, th e fac t that th e underl ying Claiborne and Ocala are exposed only along the main water courses points t o a n ormal mono-: elinal attitude of th e beds dipping gently southeastward. Artesian conditions tend to eonfirm this attitude over the southeast ern port ion of this area.
Th e area of Ocala out crop, roughly including a large part of Seminole, Early, Miller, Baker, Calhoun, Dougherty, an d Lee connties, and bordered on both t he northwest and southeast by Glendon areas, might, on casual inspection of the ar eal di stribution of formations, be consid ered indicative of a closed r egiona l uplift exposing an older f ormati on with younger beds on each side . Examination of the t opograph y of the area shown on map III, however , shows t hat the feature is topographic only and not structural, the Glendon simply having been eroded from above the Ocala, exp osing the latter at its normal elevation . 'I'he regular disappearance of the old er formations along the Chattahoochee Riv er beneath the younger formations as we pass down st ream, togeth er with the r egular artesian water cond itions along the main st reams, similarly indicate a normal r egion al dip t o the southeast. Failure of Claib or ne beds to appea r at the su rface thro ughout this Ocala a rea furnish additiona l evidence that the beds are monoclinal. This evidence is more weighty in the nor thwestern part of th e ar ea, where the Ocala is thin, th an throughout the southeast part, where gr eater movement would be r equ ir ed t o expose the Claiborne.
Throughout the portion of area No. 2 east of the Flint Riv er the

STRUCTUR~1L CONDITIONS IN THE COAST AL PLAIN

HI

t opography, areal geology, and artesian water all indicat e t he n orma l monoelinal attitude of beds dipping southeastward.
Alt itu des of the bottom of the Glendon, taken at a number of points, in di cat e a gener al southeastw ard dip of about 8 feet per mile.
Stream data throughout area No. 2 have been r egarded as probably ind icative of a r egional ant icli ne with axis along the Chat tahoochee Riv er, but with th e evidence now ava ilable no such structur al feature is thoug ht to exist. Some gentl e r egional Pleist ocene or later movement is shown by the t er ra ced r iver vall ey, and some slight irregularity of dip is obser ved, as at a point on the river opposite Gordon, Alabama, wher e t here is a slight local reversal of dip up str eam, bu t no f oldi ng of magnitude is in dicated, and th er e seems no evidence of a western reversal of the regiona l monoclinal dipping to the southeast.
Th e Flint r iver is ap parentl y confin ed to its present course by the Al um Bluff escarpment on the east, shown by the topogr ap hic map. The tri butaries of the F lint enter ing from the east flow up r egional dip and drain only the st eep west ern slope of the escar pment, and consequently ar e very short. Th e western t r ibutar ies of the Flint flow down r egional dip, but the easte rn Chattahoochee t r ibutaries north of t he mouth of th e F lint have an appreciable component in direction away from r egional southeast dip. Thus it is quit e natural th at the east ern Chattahoochee tributar ies, similar to the easter n Flint tributaries, should be shorter than the western tribut ar ies of the Flint.
It is likewise n orm al that topographic elevations along the crest of th e Alum Bluff escarpment should be hi gher th an th e south and cent ral portions of the Dougher ty plain on the west , wh ere er osion, assisted by solution and weathering of limeston e, has r emoved the younger form ations, thereby greatly lower ing the surface elevation.

112

GEOLOG ICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

STRUCTURAL AR~ No.3
'I'he structural area or unit designat ed area N o. 3 in clud es t he physiographic subdivisions of the Coastal Plain of Georgia known as the Altamaha upl and , the South ern li me-sink region, t he Okef enokee pl ain, and th e Sati lla coasta l lowland. This area is by far the largest of th e three structural areas, and includes approximately two -thirds of the Coastal Plain.
'I hroughou t practi call y the whole of area N o. 3 th e su rface outcrops ar e of the Alum Bluff, Charlton, Okefenokee, and Satilla formations. Along the inland limits of t he area, and in the sout h-central an d southwest er n corner of the Sta te, old er formations ar e exposed. It th us develops that over th e gr eat er p art of th e area the only outcrops that can be used for determining st ructural condi t ions belong to the formations above enumerated.
Because the Charlton, Okefenokee, and Satilla formations are unconsolidated, OCCUp;? small areas, and ar e superficial, they are unfit for determ ining exist ing structural cond iti ons.
Th e Alum Bluff form ation on first examination migh t app ear to furnish ou tcrops u pon which str uctural data might be collecte d . Over lar ge area s th e upp er portion of the Alum Bluff consists of very locally indurated beds of sand and clay. Attempts have been made to use such outcr ops, but a careful study of them has r evealed their unsuitability f or key r ocks. Wher e good exp osures of the in durated upper portion of th e formation can be studied along man y of th e larger streams, th e beds change laterally in lithologic charact er very rapidly, and nowh er e do either the indurated sands or clays r epr esent continuous beds, n or are th ey, ther efor e, of value as defini te hor izon markers . Added to this is the fact t hat the indura ted parts n early always r epr esent t he hi gher topograph ic areas, Th ey are high er because they are har d and weather less r apidly tha n softer beds. F rom all the data avai lable the wri ters are therefo re convinced that these r esistant portions have been ind ura ted subsequent to deposition, an d do n ot r epresent any definite hor izon or bed which

STRUCTUR AL CONDITIONS IN THE COA STAL PLA IN

113

can be used for determining exist ing structural conditions. Moreever, at no point with in t he Alum Bluff formation do any definit e horizons appear, either as outcro ps or from well logs, that can be definit ely r ecogniz ed and correlated from poin t to point.
In view of t he above facts the wri ters have selected as a key a horizon near t he base of the Alum Bluff for mation , which may be defined as the base of th e widespread greenish to bluish clay, eommonly ter med blu e mar l by drillers of the area . Th e base of this bl ue marl may not ma rk the exact base of th e Al um Bluff, but from all ava ilab le data it does apparently represent the begin ni n g of a wide spread an d unif orm condition of deposit ion over practically the whole of the ar ea, and thus appears to r epresent a trustwo rthy basis for determ ining r egional st ructura l cond it ions. More over, th is blue marl nearl y everywhere r ests u pon calcareous dep osits of a decidedly di ffe rent lith ologic character, its bas e th ereby being r eadily r ecognized in wells and at the exposed cont acts along the inl and an d southwestern lim its .of the area.
At or near the nor th ern, wester n, an d southw estern limits of the Alum Bluff area numerous exp osures of the key bed have been examined, and th r oughou t the r emainder of the area approxima tely 500 well logs have been colle eted from var ious sou r ces. Of th e surface exposures 24 of the best were select ed for use. I n places several exposures are close togeth er , and in such cases, where the data wer e in close agree me nt, only .one exposure is listed. Th e well logs wer e very carefully st udied and the value of each weighed on th e basis of th e chara cter of th e log, wheth er oral or written, and as to the genera l re liability of its source. Only the best logs wer e selected. So many of th e well data f rom neighborin g wells were found t o be in such close agr eement t hat composite logs f or t he immediate r egion are set forth , rath er tha n givin g ma ny logs for a small ar ea. Th e composite r ecords for areas ar e thus lis ted in this bulletin as single logs. On the basis of th ese composite data ta ken ; s single uni ts , t i gether with the individual logs finally selected, 54 well logs ar e given

114

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

for this area. 'I' his number undoubtedly appears to be small, bu t consid er ed from th e point. of their carefu l selectio n, their general reliability, the composite logs, an d numer ous' other logs which are in good agreement bu t which ar e not published, th e writers feel that th e number th us presented is sufficientto show t he r egional structur e of t he area. At no pla ce in area No. 3 are the ava ilable well data sufficient t o p ermit local structural details t o be accurately det ermin ed.
Th e method for ascer taining the str uctur al determination was to locate at each well an d at each outcrop th e alt itude of the key horizon as accur at ely as possible with r espect to sea level. For th e outcrops t his was done by t akin g t heir alti tudes. F or th e wells th e surface elevation of t he well was r ecorded and this figure, in conjunct ion with th e depth t o the key horizon, gave the r elat ion of the key to sea level. P oints of equa l altitude were th en connected by structure contour lines at intervals of 100 feet . In one case only was a fifty foot int erval used, an d that was for the r eason th at the data were su ch as to warrant th e drawin g of a 150' foot cont our in order to better illustrate st r uctural conditions. (See Map III. ) In some cases all the availab le data were so meagre tha t t he structure contours had to be drawn on th e basis of interpolation between somewhat wid ely separated points. It is believed, however, that th e limit of er ror is not so great as might a t first appear .
The structure cont our lines show th at for th e gre ater part of area No.3 th ere is a general monoclinal dip of the key horizon, the dips being south, southeast, east , and northeast, thus forming n early half of a broad, gentle circular structural basin whose general center appears to be in the Brunswick ar ea. The term circular is used only to express the curvature of th e st ructura l lin es, as no closure is known to exist east of t he coast line.
In this segment of structural basin the great est ir re gula r ity in the st ructure contours appears in the region r oughly outlined by a line drawn through the t owns of Douglas, Broxton, Osierfield, and Ocilla ,

ELEVA TION S IN COASTAL PLA IN

115 .

and may indicate local structural high. Detailed data to confirm this are lacking.
In the southwestern part of area No.3 the structure conto ur lines show a departure from their general direction over the rest ofthe area, and in Grady, 'I'homas, Colqu itt, Brooks, Cook, Lowndes, and Echols counties they show a change in structural conditions. By the direction of the contours a gentle southward-plunging structural arching is shown . This arch has a south-southeast direction and its approximate axis extends r oughly from the Plorida State line through the towns of Metcalf and 'I'homasville towards Camilla.
Extending fr om Valdosta east and southeast through the area betw een Statenville and Th elma is apparently a structural crest, the key horizon dipping northeast and southwest from it. Between this cr est and the arch to the west th ere is a gentle syncline. Both this synclin e and, the arch to the west of it, as well as the crest itself, may be a r eflection from th e known structural high of the Live Oak, Florida, region.
ELEVATIONS

On the following pages is given a list of the elevations used for determining the location of the structural contour lines as drawn on Map III. These elevations inclnde those determined from surface ex posures and from well logs.

CONTACT OUTCROP ELEVATIONS

E levations on surface exposures of contact of lHum Bluff gr ecn cIa]! with underlying Glend01l or (Iha ttahooohee formation

B noOKS Co.: 1. Devil's Hopper, 2 mi. NE. of Barwick
2, Haddock place. 8 'h mi. S .-SW. of Qu itman, on Mon ticello R d.

El.vation , tt
135 1 25

116

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

I

Blecations on surfa ce CXp 08111'CS of conta ct of ,1Iu III Bluff [l1'cen cla y with undc'rlyin[l Glcndoll or Ohat tahoochec form at iollr--co nti nucd.

C RI SP CO .:
3. Ro ck Ho u se, 3 .3 mi. E .-NE . of W enona

Ele vation , teet
347

DE OATUR C o. :

4. Powell lim e sin k, 8'h mi. ea st of B ainbridge, upp er Th oma svill e Rd.

165

5. Falling W ate r, 1 'h mi. w est of R ecovery, on R ail r oad, an d 12 'h mi. w est of

F a cevill e

120

DO OLY Co. :

6 . Fi ve a n d on e-ha lf mil es SE . of Vi en n a, on Roch elle Rd .

3 84

ECHOLS CO .:

7. Allap ah a River , 1 mi. below S ta tenville

90

G RADY Co.:

8 . Fo re st F alls , 8 mi. no r th of Whigh a lIL

190

9 . J am es Bl a ck sh ea r pla ce, 8 mi. sou th of Cairo , ea st ba nk of Ochl ock n ee Ri ver__15 0

L AURE N S CO . :

10 . Dublin , SE . p art of town

2 15

LOWNDES CO .:

11. On e hund red yu r ds below wa gon b ridge, 3 mi . below G. & F. trestle over

W it hlo cooch ee River

95

MITCH EL L CO . :

12. H ay good plac e, 5 mi. N.NW. of Sal es Cit y

26 0

1 3. Six mi. east of Camilla , on Mou lt ri e Rd . Foot of Alum Bluff escarpmen t ., 260

SCI:EVE N C o . :

1 4. Fi ve mil es NE. of Sylv ani a, on B rier Creek

90

TnOMAS C O. :

15. M. D . McKin non place, 5 mi. east of 'I'h omasv llle, % mi. sou th of Boston Rd .__ 180

1 6. Orig inal Pond, 11 mi . south of Thom asville, 4 mil es w est of Met caIL

175

17 . A. H. Hough place, 11 'h mi. SW . of Th oma svill e, on Springhill Rd.

170

T UI: N E R Co.:

18. On e mil e NE . of D akota

3 35

WILCOX CO . :

1 9 . L ime sin k , 9 mi. S.-SW. of Abbevill e, on Cen ter S ch ool Rd .

180

2 0 . Jo rd an' s Landing, Ocmulgee Ri ver, 6 mi . S E. of Abbevill e

:.. 17 3

21. F ive an d seven -tenths miles no r-th of R och elle, on H aw~i nsvill e Rd.

32 5

W ORT H CO. :

22 . T hr ee miles NW. of Bridgeboro, a t I ndi a n Cave, on Albany R d .

285

El eva t ions on surface ee posures of conta ct of Alum Bl ttff [lreen clay wit h undC1'ly ing B arn well formation

EMANU EL CO . :
2 3. Tw o a n d on e-half miles SW. of Midville, on E . Cro ss pl ace

Elevation , teet
181

J E X K I N S C O. :

24 . Four mil es no rth of Mill en, on Buckhead Creek, at mouth of Spring Mill

B r a n ch

15 5

No. I Depth.

t.oeatlon.

1I'ell d(tt(t uscd -in 1/la,fdng stru cturul. 1/lap

Drlllor.

Authority.

Bas is .

Surf. olev,

Dopth 10 key,

Elev. koy hor.

Qua lity of water.

Appling Co.

426 '

Baxley . . ... . 1 1Dr. Com __ _1 Oral.

_ 206 '

426 ' (1) - 220 '( 7) I Soft at - 208'

280 '

Bon Hill Co. Fit zgerald _

__.1W. n. MeGrew.. __.. __.1Driller

. .! Wrilwn .. _ _ 350 '

242 '

+ 108 '

Ha rd

~

_1 1 Borrlon Co.

240 '

Nashv ille, .. __

680 '

AllaJlaha .. . . .. _..

W. W.

,nt..

McGrew. MeGrew

--

__.

_

Dr!lIer. __ Driller __

_.

1Wril wn __. _ 250' Oral. . .. . _.. _ 293 '

I.:\. ... ::::::I 5
6

325 ' Brya:~n:!~C,bo;.ok~~.:~: :: :::

~: ~ory~~ ::::: : :::: : I _~ ~~'.~~~~~~:

g;~l: : :: ::~:: ::

15 ' 94 '

555 '

Bulloch Co. StUlC.,horo _

I n. I Il UDgrhilClSingSCpeoeinlty W.e.l_l. J. Connelly

... Written. ... _. _.

220'

200'

+ 50 '

Hard

230'

+63 '

Hard

310 '

- 295 '

Sulphurous

250 '

- 156 '

330 '

- 110 '

lia rd

.~.,
sz
UJ
..,t:::I
t'1 t'1 ::<l

390 '

port."L

.,

. B",E. Smith, __ 1 Oral. . __ 291'

360 '

Register.. . .. _. _... . G. E. Green__.. . _ Driller __. . _.

Oral. . .. . .. __ Ii i'

300'

- 6'

Hard

280 '

- 109 '

Hard

~
Z

Camden Co.

tl

10

Composite lor SE.

I of County,

, Fred Baumgard ner

._1Drillerc, ,

.1 Oral.

..

20 '

490 '

- li O'

Hard

"'l

11

ChF~I~t~~~ .. __. H. C. Russell..

1 W. M. Olli!. .! Oral..

__ 81 '

510 '

-129'

liard

o::::I ::::

Chatham Co.

12 210'

Savanna h

_. I._.

_

_.__ 1 T. M. Prettyman, 1 Written _

_

20 '

240'

-220 '

Hard

~
rrt'--1

13

ClinTchheClmoa. ..

. 1Frank Fletcher .. _. 1 Driller ... _... 1 Oral.. __. __.. __ 158'

18 '

+ 140 '

liard

oot"

UJ Coffoo CO.

14 520'

II mi. E. Douglas

Col. D'Stein weIL . 1 J. F. Woown.... .

.1 Driller __... . .. I Wrill cn.. __. _

250 '

280'

- 30 '

H a rd

15 396 '

91 mi. N.- -N.E.

Douglas, W. M. weIL. _. __._.

.H_a.r.d.e.n_.

1J

.

F.

WnOlen . .

, Driller. ..

.. 1Writt en. .._ 250 '

233 r

+ li'

Hard

1G 300/

i! mi. E. Douglas,

J ell Lewis well. . . .. . . J . F. Wooten

Driller . __... __.. __ Written . ....- 225 '

295 '

- iO'

Hard

11

. 260 r

4 mi. S. Broxton.

.

Elijah Lot weIL . _. _. __ B.!'. Mulone, ; _.. . _. _ Driller

.. . Oral. . .. .. __ 230 '

200 '

+30'

I-' I-'
.....:a

- - No. Depth.

Location.

W ell data used in making stmetu ra l map-( eontinued)

............

00

Driller.

Authority.

Basis,

Surf. elev,

Depth to key.

Elev. key hor.

Quality of water,

._ IS 272' CooAkdCeol.. _. __ ___ ____ __ -- --- . .. .... _..-. - ..- -- - J. B. Spencer______ OraL ____ ______ 246 '

172 r

+ 74 '

Ha rd

10

210 '

Dod e Co. lhauneey ...._. _..____a

Rob\. Murray . ________

Driller. ___ ____ _____

Writt en_______

300 '

IS4 '

+ 116'

Hard

20 206l' 4 mCi.oNns.oEliadsattmedanS__c_ho_o_l_,_ J. F. Wooten ________... Driller______ ___ __ Written______ __ 360'

21

40S'

6 0Ii. S.W. Eastman, R. F. Burch Sr. well.

J. F. Wooten___________

Driller _____ _____..

Written________

350 '

22 23

_._ --_ 115'

S Wm.

mi. W. Eastman, McRae well______

J. F. Wootc. ___________

Driller ________ __ ___

Writt en ________

40'

11 mi. S. Cochran____ -_.._...

....---_ ........- . T. M. Prettyman___ _ Written____ ____

3 10 ' 315 '

135 '

+ 225 '

140'

+ 2 10 '

S7 r

+223 '

15'

+300 '

lI ard
lIa rd
lIard Hurd

o~
ot-<
c<:;;')

;...

24

400'

Effingham Co. Guyton, W. T. wells __ _ _ _ a ___ a _. ___ ....... .... ...... _ _

S. W. MeC.lli e__ ____

Oral. _____ ____

SO'

200' (7) -120 ' (7) Sulphurous

t-<
CJ)

c:::

Evans Co.

~

25

546\ ' gardC_la__xt_o_n_, _N_._H__._T__h_a_g_-_ HuDgrhillinSgpCecoi.a.l.t.y___W___el_l_ U. S. G. S.__________ Written__ _____ _

187 '

310'(7) -123 ' (7)

""':: t>l "<:

Glynn Co.

26 27

. . -----.

Bporsuitnes_w_i_c_k_..a.r.e_a, __c_o__m_-_

Baungardner.Wade Perry, Liuniman, _. ___... _... .

Drillers___________.

460'

---_ --_ - Everett City___ ____ __ -. - ..--

.... .. ...... .... .... - a_ " _ . _ _ .. .. _ _ ____ .... _ .

OWrarilt,te_n_.&.:O__ra_l_.._

10 ' 16 '

28 20

512' 330 '

. s. Irwin Co.

Ocilla, Oskamp well.. Oslerficld.._______ __

il~ Y: 1i;j;;;: : : : : : : : : : :

W. MeC.lli e_.... Driller. _______.. ..

_ _



O~;C

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

327 t 350'

500 '

-400' H.rd Sulphurous

440 '(7) - 424 ' (7) lI ard Sulphurous

300 '(7) 330 '

+27 '( 7) Hard

+ 20 '

li ard

o
'">:l
<;')
fj
-~
<;')
;...

J eff Davl. Co,

30 31

S28' 1075 '

.. 8 mi. S.W. Hazel
hur~~~\.P{V rr~;e\v~~lr~t-

- - ..- . ..--_............... - ......_...

L. F.Hinson____.. __

Oral, ________..

LiIIi.n B. No. 2______ ___ _. ..--_ ....-. - . ....- ............. - . T. M. Prettyman____ Writt en________

256 ' 225 '

400 '

- 14-1 '

350'

- 125'

32

. _--- ---

Laurens Co. CadwellTwo

wells ___ ___

-

.

..--_..-_............

.. ~.

-

.

..

_.

Mayer _____________ 0",1.. __ . _. ___

335 '

195 '

+ 140 '

Hard

W cll da ta u scd in making struct ura i mup- (cont inucd)

Surf.

Depth

Elev.

Quality

-N-o. Depth.

l ocation.

Driller.

Authority.

Basis.

elev.

to key. key hor.

of water.

liberty Co.

33 34

400' 540'

Fleming area. com-

posite _. __' _' Allenhurst. _. _

" _. . _

__ .

'

i

i ~~ h~

'S~cf;liy'

,v~ii

'

Drill Co.. ..__ _..

~ - ---_. - - . - _. --_ .. . - -_. ------ - - - -_. . --------- --_. . ---_. . Written__. . .

22 ' DO'

300 '

-33S ' Hard

410 '

-380' lia rd

~

liberty Co.

35 438'

St. Catherine Jsland, , W. J. Floyd . _. __ Driller. . . . . . _ Written_. ....

10'

30

- 500'

Riceboro area, composite. . . - . . --.- . . _. .. - - - - - - ---- - - - - - - __e . - - _. __ . . _ .

Oral. _. . _.

15 r

432 '

-422 '

Hard

375 '

-300 '

Hard

t--<
:

l owndes Co.

~

37 500' Valdosta oren com-

positc., .. .. J . A. Durst. G. C. Reynold"W . It. McGrew.

Drillers . _. _., . . OraL . . _._.

215 '

38 ____a_ e . Hahira _ John Collin, __ _.. Driller . .. Oral, , ... 230'

00'

+ 125'

lia rd

125 t

+ 105'

~
t>:l t:::l

Mcintosh Co.

39 420 ' 40 425' 41 471 '

Eu!oni F. L. Perry._ _ ._ V. R. Mcl ntosh. . . . Oral, .

Jones. ... . Meridian. _. ,.

Perry &:Duko _ . . Fulton .
Perry &: Dukc. ; ___.. _. -------.--- -- .- .-. - .

OraL _.. OraL ...

15 r
20' 20'

420 '

-405 '

Hard Sulphureus

415'

-395 '

Hard Sulphurous

471 '

-451' Hard Sulphurous

~
~

Plereo Co.

42

0751r

Offerman, So. Pino Lumber Co.. . . .... . ....

Hughes Specialty Well Drilling Co.. _. _ Drillers.

Writt en _

106 '

420 '

- 314'

~'"

en

Serevon Co. 43 100 '+ Roekyford composite, Don Aycock . . .. Driller """ "'" Oral, . 124 '

85 '

+39 '

Hard

~
~

Tellnlr Co.

U

222'

Helena, Coen Colo Co. well. , . . . J. F. Wooten Driller. . _ _. " '" Written

242 t

45 40;;r ScotlandTelfair Oil Co. _ ----- - -.-.- . -----. - - - --- T. M. Prettyman. Written. . 130'

46

2941'

Lumber City Max McRae welL_ __ Robt. Murray. . .. DriUer. _ . . . . Written. _. _ .

146 t

210 '

+ 32'

Hard

180 '

- 50 '

liard

273

-127' liard

C-c:"s:':l
::0
~
t--<

Tift Co.

~

47 283'

Tifton town welL lI~~liingS~~~~I~: ~~~. Driller_. __ Written . 370'

212 r

+ 158'

Hard

'"tl

48

280'

Oycloneta, W. A. Greer __ _

B. F. Malone _

Driller . .

Oral, _.. _. . _

410'

190'

+220

li ard

49

500'+

Toombs Co. Vidalia Composite

Robt.

Murray,

J.

r ,'

Wooten _. ,_

Drillers. _. . _._ .

Written .

310'

434'

-124 ' Hard

......

::0

-N-o. Depth.

t.eeatlon,

....

W ell data us cd in 1111lking structum l map--(colltillll cd) .

"o"

Driller.

Authority.

Basis.

Surf. elev.

Depth to key.

Elev. key hor.

Quality of water

Ware Co.

50 691 '

Waycross city well, ___ IJ. D. Pinn. .. . . . . S. W. MeCallie______ Writte n__.. . ... 140 '

415 '

- 275'

51 3tJ.l5'

Fredel, Wayer038 Oil

& Gas Co.... .. _________ . _- - . - - -- -- -. - - -. - - __e. T. M. Prettyman.. __ Written. __. .. .. 130 '

435 '

-305 '

Wayno Co.

c;')

52

1901 r

Doctortown, Oil Prospeet well, .. _____ .. .. __

-.- .. .. .

-. ..

_.

-.

.

__ .. . ..

C. A. Glbson .. .. _ Written. _______

OS'

53 560 '

tit. Pleasant, So.

Stale. Pine Products Co.. . Hughes Specialty Wcll

Drilling Co.. . .. .. .. .. J. R. Connelly___.. . Written________ 55 '

Worth Co.

46S' 476 '

-370 ' -421 '

~
ot-<
c;')
Q

54

20 r

_. _. Willingham__ . ..... . . --- . --- - - - -- ---- --- - 1'. ~1. Prettyman_. _. Written__.... _. 315 '

10'

+305 '

t-<

tf)


~
"<:
o
">:l

c;')
~
::>:l
;c;;;':)

WELL LOGS USED IN MAK ING STR UCTURAL MAP

121

LOGS OF WELLS USED IN DETERlIlI},TJNG STRUC TURE CONTOUR LINES

A p PLING CO . :

Peet ;

1. B axl ey:

Blue m arl an d sa n d_ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _______ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ _____ 0- 208

Sh ell a n d sa n d alte rnati ng

208-426

Limestone

426- 1

B EX H I LL CO.:
2. F itzgerald, parti al log oC Ci ty W ater Wo rks w ell : Yell ow clny R ed cla y
W at er-bea ri ug sa n dst one, conr se Whi te cla y wi th sa n d White m arl Coarse sand sto ne. W a ter" 'hite m a rl a n d san d stone layer s Sticky b ro wn m arl Lim eston e SoCt cl ay Whi te m a rl P orous limeston e
H ard li mest one F lin ty limes ton e

0- 10 10- 16
16-20 2 0- .i 5 45-65
65 -70 70-115 11 5-1 8 3
18 3-2 25 225-230
2 30-2 42 242-2 60
2 60-280 280- -

B ERRIEN Co. : 3. Nnsh ville, city w ell : R ed cla y Red snndstone Wh it e m n rl Whlte snnd White m n rl
S t r eak s so Ct rock and white m nrl B rown limes ton e, alterna ting h nrd nnd 80Ct Two feet ca vi ty a n d w ater a t

0-20 2 0 -55 55-85 85 - 100 1 00-1 30
1 3 0 -2 0 0 2 00-240 24 0-

4 . Allapeba, Mill w ell : Mainly sa n d

Limestone

~

0-230 230-680

BRYA N CO .:
5 . KSealnl edr, town well: Mud and g r a vel G r eenish m arl (cl ay an d sa n d ) Sh al e ro ck S and, shale ro ck, a n d h ard m a rL Lim eston e, w ater-bearing

0-20 20-50 5 0- 7 0 70-72 7 2-31 0 310 -325

6 . P embrok e, g enerali zed: Sand a n d clny
Lim estone, wa ter -bearing
B ULLOClI Co. :
7. S tatesboro, town w ell No.2: SoCt yellow s and a n d cla y altern ati ng L ight-colo r ed h ard sa n ds ton e Li ght-colored sof t sa n d Li ght-colored m a r l a n d sand

0 - 2 50 250-
_ 0- 40 _ 40-70 _ 70-80 _ 80-100

122

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L og of we lls use d i ll determining st nwtural lin.eS-C01ltinllcd

Li gh t-colored ch alk)' m a terial Light-colored to u gh ro ck

F eet.
1oo-12o 120- 140

L ight-colored so rt sa n d

140-1 60

Tou gh light-colo red ro ck a n d sa n d in lay ers Li ght-colo r ed b a rd ro ck

1 6 0- 2 2 0 220-240

Tougb Iight-color ed r ock a n d sand i n Iaye r a.. Soft chalky ma teria l
Hard white r ock

24 0-2 80 2 80-3 30
3 30- 36 0

Medi u m -ha rd, w h it e sand a n d r ock in lay ers.,

360 -400

Med ium-hard, da rk- brown she ll r ock , w ater -bearmg

4 00 -460

L ight-b r own sh ell rock, interbe dde d sh ell lay er s, w ater-b ea rmg

460-555

8 . Portal, B . E. Smith w ell : Sa nd a n d clay Limes ton e

0-300

~

300-390

9 . Register : Sand an d clay Blue marl

0- 12 0

~

14 0-2 80

H ard white rock, altern ating w it h w nt er -bearln g sa n d

2 80 -3 60

CAMDEN oo..

10 . South ea stern qu a rter of Coun ty, gener ali zed :

S an d and blue marL _ _______ _ ________ ___________ __ _ _______ __ _ 0-480

L im estone

480-

/)IIARLTOX CO. :
11. Folkstone, to wn well: Sand a nd blue marl W ater-benrmg borizon at
CHAT HAM CO . :
12 . Sav ann ah, city w ell, generali zed : S and, clay and m arl Soft porous limestone

0-510 51 0-
0-240 240- I

Or.rxort CO .: 13. STahnedlma :
Lim estone, wa ter -bearing

CO FFEE CO . :

11. D ouglas, O'St ein well, 1 mi. NE . of town, generalized :

R ed to whit e san d an d clay

-'

B lue shale a n d sa n d

H ard white and yellow rock R ed clay

W hite to ye llow li mestone So ft w hit e sh a le

Whi te to yell ow lime sto ne , h ard a n d soft alternati ng

1 5. W . M. Ha r de n , 9 ., mi. N .-NE . of Douglas, gen er ali zed : R ed to gray clay and san d Sof t blue sha le Soft white sa n d . A little w at er White to yellow limestone, b ard a n d sofl-
16 . Jeff Lewi s, 7 % mi. ea st of D ou glas, generali zed:
G ray to re d sand a nd cla y H a rd and so f t blu e sh a le

_ 0-18
_ 18- I
12-65 65-14 1 141-153 1 5 3-1 65 1 6 5 -2 00 20 0- 2 80 280-52 0
3- 118 118-228 228-233 23 3-396
8-190 190-2 95

WELL LOGS USED IN MAKING STRUCTURA L MAP

123

Log of we lls us ed in determining stntctural lines--con tinued

Sof t ye llow ro ck (li mesto ne Y)

P eet: 295-300

17. Eli jah L ot, 4 mi. so u th of B ro xton (Douglas Rd.) : San d a nd clay
Li m est on e .

0-200 200-260

COOK CO. : 1 8. Ad el, town w ell (pa r tia l r ecord) : Sandy soil R ed clay White sa n d
B l ue cloy wit h sandst on e boulders Fin e white sa n d
L im estone with thin layers of flin t ; --- - --- --w a t er -bearin g at 22 9.

0-2 2-12 12-22
22 -147 14 7-172
172-272

DOD OE C O. :
1 9 . Chaun cey , W a r eho u se & Mf g. Oc., generalize d : So nd and cla y

0-146

Blue sh a le a n d sa n d ----- --- - ----- - -------- ------------ S of t limeston e wi th sm oll amou nt of cloy - - - - - ---

146- 184 184-210

20 . Con soli doted Scho ol, 4 mi. n o rth of E ostm on , gen eralized: R ed to d a rk sa n d ond clay Gr oy and blu e sa n d a n d sha le
White to y ellow lim eston e, h a rd and sof t - - - - - - - - - -

0-55 55 -135
1 3 5-20 6

21. R . F . Burch, Sr., 6 mi. SW. of E a stm an , gen era liz ed : Cia )' a n d sa n d , white, red an d ye llow
Bl u e cloy and sh ale --- - - - - - - - - - - - - , - - - - - - - - --- H ard yellow lim estone ------- - - - - - ------- ---- - - - -

0- 100 100-140 140-408

22. Wm. McRae, 8 roi. west or Enstman , gen erali zed : R ed an d whit e clay an d sand

Blue sha le

-'

Yellow lim estone

_ 0-59 _ 59 -8 7 _ 8 7- 115

2 3 . 'V. P . Hold er, 11 mi. sou th of Coch ran, on E a stman Rd . (dug w ell) :

Sand a n d clay

0-1 5

Limestone

1 5-4 0

E FFINOIlA~[ Co. : 21. Guyton, Clay R ock

J . T . W ell s :

Ro ck i n beds. Sharks teeth and she lls Qu icksand

0-200
2 0 o-2 0 1 ~
20 1 ~ -396 396-400

EVANS CO . :

25 . Claxton, N . H. Thaggard , gen eralized: Sand, marl an d ro ck H ard w hite r ock Fine white sand

U- 3 10 310 -3 50 350-365

Hard brownish lime ston e with n ummulites an d orbito ids, inc lu ding s p , d. O. st ell ata. Outtings 36 5370 appear definitely Ocala. Top of Chattahoochee p robably nt 3 10 , gh-i ng 55 feet of Oli gocen e__ 365-3 70

124

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

L og of uiells l/scd in dct ermining stntetllml lin cs-eontinll cd

GLYNN Co . :
26 . Br unsw ick area , composite : S a nd , clay and ma r l Limestone

Fe et.
- - ---- - --- --- 0- 500 500-

2 7. Everett City, gen er a lized : Sand and marl Limest one

0-440 440-160

IRWIN CO. : 2 8. Ocill a, Ensign Oskamp Co. : Sand' and clay S of t r ock Sand Ro ck
Very h a r d ro ck
Porous lim estone with cavities 4 feet de ep

0-60

~ _ _ ___ _____ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

60 - 76 76-105

105-300

30 0- 312

312-512

29. Osi erfield : R ed sa n ds tone and cla y Rock Sand
Bl ue clay, w ith some lim eston e Ma in body of limestone at

0- 10 0 10 0-1 6 0 160- 230
230-33 0 330.

J E F F DAVIS CO.: 30 . Oil p ro spectin g well 8 mi. SW. of Hazelhurst : Surfa ce clay a n d sa n d So ft cla y and sand
Blue clay and sand
Ha r d rock (limeston e ), shells a] top
Principally limesto no B la ck sa n dstone

0-25 25 - 2 2 5 22 5-400 100-415 41 5- 81 5 8 1 5-828

3 1. L ill ia n B . No.2, 12 m i. west of H aze lh urst ( p a r ti al log) , gen erali zed:

Sand and cia )'

0- 350

L ime stone

35 0-400

Clay, limestone, sa n d, a n d m arl Limest one

400- 700 700- 1 14 0

32 . Cadw ell, two wells, composit e : Sand , cla y and rock Limeston e

0-2 00 200-

L rn ERTY CO. :
33 . F leming area , composite of numerous wells : Sand, clay and flint Limestone

0-360 360-

34 . Allenhu rst, Bye rs-Allen Lumber Co., gen erali zed: Clay, san d an d ro ck L imestone a n d sh ell

0-440 440 -546

3 5. SSatn. dCatherine I sland :
Coarse sa n d w ith gra vel an d s hell s Sand
Green ish m a rl Gr ay ish m arl

0- 38
38 - 4 1 41-230
2 30-31 0 3 10-3 85

WELL LOGS USED IN MA KING STR UCTURAL MAP

125

L og of l OCUS us ed: ill det crm ining st rll ctllral lines-continued

M a r l an d la yer s of soft rock . F irst flow at 39 8 M arl and Iayers of r ock. F low a t 13 2

F eet. 385-398 39 8-438

36 . Ric eboro area , compo site, gen eralized : Cla y, sa n d a n d ro ck :Main lime st one

0-375 37 5- !

LOWNDES C O. :
3 7. Vn ldo sta area , com posi te, gene ralize d: Y ell ow sa n d , c1a ~' a n d blu e m arl W hile to r ellow, h a rd an d soft limestone
38 . H ahi ra, town w ell, gen erali zed : Sa nd , clay a n d blue m arl White limeston e

_ 0-90 _ 90-500
0-1 25 125- !

:M CIXTO SII CO.:
39 . E u lon ia : Sa nd a nd re d cla r S a nd an d cla r Hard flin t Iay er Blue marl L im eston e

0-40 40 -3 00
30 0- 3 0 1 'h
301 'h-420 420- !

40. Jones: Clay, san d, an d blue marl
L im est one

0-415 415-425

S top ped in limeston e .

41. ) feridian: Cla~', s a n d . and blu e m a rl
L im esto ne at 471.

0-471

PIER CE C O. :

42. Offerman, Southern Pi ne Lum ber Co., generali zed : Sand, li gh t cla y a n d blue marl

0- 4 2 0

Medium to hard, w hite and y ellow limeston e with some coarse g ray

sa n d

4 2 0-675'h

SCREVEY Co . : 4 3. R ocky F ord, composi te : San d an d ela r
Li mestone, hard w ater
T ELFAIR Co. : 44. H elen a , Coca Cola B ottling W o rks : Sandy loam Red cla y , streaks of pipe clay Sluff~', sandy shale, streaks of pipe clay Soft sa n d y sh ale, fo ssil s Sandstone Soft sandy shale Soft sh ale Ha rd s andston e White sandy cl ay Ha rd blue sh ale V e ry hard flin t lime ro ck Medium-hard limestone

_ 0-85 _ 85 - !
0- 7 7- 27 27-101 1 01-124 124-128 12 8-160 1 60-165 1 6 5-1 68 168-180 180- 20 0 200-2 10 2 10-222

126

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Log of iocll s used in determillillg stn w tllral lincs-colltilllled

45. S cotl a nd , T elf air Oil Co., gen eralize d : Sand Limestone -----

Fee" 0-180 180-465

46. Lumber Cit y, M. L . McR ae: Sand

Clay

Sand

R ed cla y

Blue sha lo

S hell ro ck Blue shale

Hard ro ck

B lue shale

-'.

Ha rd r ock

V oin Ro ck

V ein

P oro us roc k

0-5 5-22 22-32
32-37 37-173 17 3-175 % 175 % - 198 % 19 8 % - 199 % 199 %-269 % 2 69 % -2 73 %
27 3 % -274 274- 2 76
27 6-27 6 %
276 % - 2 94 'f.z

TIFT CO.:

4 7. Tifton, town well,' ge ne ralize d : Whito sand a n d cla y, some flint Light-gra y, a r gill a ceou s, calca r eou s sand Quartz sa n d and cal ca r eou s sa n d

0-1 35 135-150 1 5 0-2 12

Wh it o sa n d y lim eston e (proba bly Cha ttahooch ee, acco r di n g to U . S. G. S.) 212-278

F li n t

27 8-2 83

4B. Oyclonotn , W . S. Gr eer : Cla y and r ock R ock a n d sa nd Solid lime stone

0-150 15 0-190 190-2 80

Too~rns CO. :
49 . Vid ali a, I ce Co., composit e of two wells, generalize d : Alt erna te cla y a n d sa n d Ro ck. sand a n d blue cla y Ro ck limo

0-168 16 8-434 434-511

Note : Almo st exact agreeme nt betw een tw o wel ls drill ed by different men se ve ral years apa rt .

WARE CO. :
50 . Waycross City well, ge n er alize d : 'Whit e san d a n d r ed to white clay Marl, blu e clay , a n d sand allernatin g Sh ells a n d sbell marl
Highly fo ssilif erous limestone ; Tampa hori zon at :Mainly lim estone, some sa n d and cla y

0-185 185- 380 380-415
415. 4 1 5 -6 91

51. Frede l, 'Wa y cross Oil & Oas Co. generalize d : S and a n d some cla y
Limestone with some flint Sand
L im estone Marl
S and with some cla y

0-4 35 4 35-855 8 55-1278
1278-2115 2115-2163
2163-3045

WELL LOGS USED IN MAKING STRUCTURAL MAP

127

Log of wells uscd in dctermilli11g structural lilles-eontillued

WAY><E Co.:
52. D octortown, oil pro specti ng w ell, gen eraliz ed: Sand wi th some clay Limeston e, flin t a n d marl Limestono S and with some cla y

Feet
0-320 320-465 465-1462 1462-1901

5 3. M t. Plea san t, South orn P in e Products Co., ge ne ra lize d : Gr ay sand a nd cla y
Sandy clay, s an d, an d ca lcareous san d White san dy limestone, w ate r in lo wer 20 fe et

0-115
115-476 476-5 60

WORT H Co . :

54. SWanildlingham , du g well on n orth side of R. R ., 100 yrds, east of Station :0-10

Limesto n e

10- i

GE},"'ERAL STRUCTURAL EVIDENCE

Evidence in suppor t of the r egional structure of area No.3 is afforded by areal geology togeth er with the general topographic conditions. (See Map III.) Nowhere do the underlying formations reappear at the surface after th ey have once disappeared down dip. Moreover, the most southeast erly exposures of the older formations have at every point been found to show no evidence of having been raised above their normal regional position.
Further evidence of more qu estionable value is found in the general courses of th e streams, most of which flow down dip. The most notable departure from th is is afforded by the direction of flow of the Ocmulgee River west of Hazelhurst, where it swings to the east and northeast for about 30 mil es. The local prominence in this area of the indurated portion of the Alum Bluff formation may, in large part at least, account for this change of direction of the river course. It is also possibl e that the headwaters of th e present Ocmul gee were captured by the western tributaries of the Oconee-Altamahn River, the character of the Alum Bluff locally aiding this. The waters of the present Ocmulgee may very well have flowed southward through the W ithlacoochee or Alapaha rivers before their capture .
Another departure from the normal stream direction is shown by the course of the St. Mary's River. This r iver in part drains the -

128

GEOLOGICA L SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Okefeno kee Swamp, the natural drainag e of which is pa r tl y to th e A tla ntie Oeean on t he east and p ar tl y to the Gulf of Mexico to the southwest. Because of topographic and st ructural highs south of the Okefenokee Swamp in F lorida there is n o drain age direetl y south. Th e
drainage of the Okefenokee to the east, however, has been in terrupte d by 'frail Ridge, wh ich probably rep resents an old barrier beach, rath er than a structural high. The presence of thi s barri er would th erefore turn th e drainage of the Okefenokee t o th e south until some p oint (here marked by the eastwa rd di re ctio n of the St. Marys ) was reached where the stream could cut across or go around this barrier. E ast of the present northward-flowing part of the St . ~rary's the land is higher and blocks drainage directly east , turn ing the river northward to the point opposite F olkston e, where its normal direction is resum ed.
An examination of the str uctur al map sh ows that although the St. ~ral"J~'s River is locally turn ed f rom its normal directi on by topographic barriers its genera l course is down reg ional dip.
Along the ma jor st reams throughou t at least the inlan d thi r d of ar ea No . 3 any p ost-Alum Bl uff uplift of on ly r elat ively slight magnit ude would have brough t t o the su rface the formations below the Al um B luff. A t 110 plac e have any such exp osures been recog nized. Their recog nition would, moreover, be easy, for they are lim estone, and contrast shar ply in lithology with t he clays and sands of th e Alum Bluff form at ion.
The presence of flowing wells along the larger str eams and over such a lar ge p ar t of t he southeastern third of the area constitutes additi onal evidence agai nst the ex istence of folds or upl ifts of magnitude, younger tha n the beginning of t he de position of the blu e elay of th e Alum Bluff format ion.
The key hori zon selected for determini ng the r egional str uctu re sh ows only movem ents subsequent t o the depositi on .of the ba sal bl ue clay of th e Alum Bluff formation. W her e this Al um Bl uff clay r ests conform ably up on older fo rmations older st ructural condition s would

P E T R OLE UM POSSI BILITI ES OF GEORG I ,l

PLATE V II

A. OCAL.-\ LnIE STONE, BL U FF OF KTTCHAFOONE E CR ELK , -; MILES ABOVE ALBANY.

B. OCALA LDIEST ONE I N CUT O~ G. S. & F . R. R , -t ~IILE S NORTH OF GROVANIA , HOUSTON COUNT Y.

OIL SEEPS IN GEORGIA

129

be shown, bu t the exte nt of such conformabl e r elationships is too littl e known to be of mu ch practical value. There may have been folds ant edating the deposition of the blue clay s which were planed off and later covere d an d comple te ly buried by younger beds. No bu r ied st r uctures of this ty pe are known in Georgi a, bu t th eir presence might possibly be shown by carefully compiled logs of wells dr illed in th e future.
OIL SE E PS I N GE ORGIA

Seeps hav e been r eported from time to time in various pa rts of the Coastal P lain of Georgia. Usua lly the supposed oil has been shown to be a film of iron oxi de, but in some case s the ma t erial ha s been definit ely shown t o be genuine crude petroleum. These genuine seeps h ave been the chief source of in t er est in the promotion of petroleum inv estigations .
Seeps of petroleum have been noted 5 to 15 miles south of Augusta, near t he Sav annah River, nea r Louisvill e, Wrigh tsvill e, H awkins vill e, Scotl and, an d San dersville, and at othe r places. Among the most n otewor thy of th ese ar e the seeps near Scotlan d, 'Wrightsvill e, and Hawkinsville. A br ief descr iption of each is here given.
S cotland seep.-The oil seepage nea r Scotlan d, Telfair County, is on the H . G. Sample farm, about a mile south of the t own . Th e oil occurs as a film on small sp r ings in swampy gr ound. Th e surfa ce mat erial belongs to the Alum Bl uff forma tion. 'I'his seep has been care fully stu died and a r ep ort has been published by this Survey. An an alysis of the oil is as foll ows :
Analysis of oil f rom S cotlan d oil seep.

Sp eci fic gra \"ity at 1 5 C.

Di s tilla te to Distillat e t o D istillat e Dis tilla t e Distillat e Residue above

150 2(x) 250 30 0 -

15 0 C 200 0 250 0 300 0 325 0 325 0

( (302 (3 92 (482 (572 (

30 2 F ) 39 2 F) 48 2 F ) 572 F) 617 F ) 617 F )

The r esidue gave the r eacti on for asphalt.

0 .84 8 5
1.4% 3. 0% 20.0% 4 3.0 % 15 .0% 17 .1 %

130

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Wrightsville seep. -The oil seep near W r ightsville, Johnson County, is on the Ed. Sp ell farm, 4 mil es west-northwest of town . The oil occurs as globules and th ick films on a small spring issui ng from th e Glendon formation. This seep yields more oil th an any oth er in the State. Two analyses of th e oil are given below.

Analy sis of oil sample N o.1

S pecifi c Gravity at 15

D istill a te Di stilla te Di stillate Di still ate Distillate D istill a te

5 0 - 75 C 125 -150 C 150 - 175 C 175 - 200 C 20 0 - 225 C 22 5 - 250 C

0 .8 70. Total

B aurne 31

0 .7 % 1. 5 % 4. 2 % 9. 3 % 1 7.4 % 34.7%
67.8%

Analysis of oil sample No. 2

Sp ecifi c gravity at 15

Di st ill at e Di stillat e Di stillate Di still ate D istillat e Di st illate ab ove

130 -150 C 1 50 - 2 0 0 0 20 0 - 25 0 0 250 - 300 C 300 - 350 C
35 0 C

0 .8 75 .

( 2 fo6 - 3 02 F)

(302 - 3 92 F)

(39 2 - 4 82 F)

( 4;;2 - 572 F )

( 5 72 - 66 2 F)

(

662 1')

B aume 29 ..

2%
1 3.. %
15 %
12.. %
10 % 47 %

Paraffin in fraction above 3500

Ha wkinsville secp.-Two oil seeps occur near th e town of H awkinsvill e, Pulaski Coun ty. One is on the Fitzroyal farm, 12 miles west
of town, and the other is on the R. A. Seales pla ce, lh mile east of
the ri ver at Hawkinsvill e. At both places the oil occurs as thick globules on springs which issue from swampy ground in the Glendon formation. Both appear genu ine. No ana lysis of th e oil from either pl ace is available.
Intcrpr etation.-The int er pret ation of oil seeps is commonly a difficult ta sk. That th ey represent th e p r esence of some oil is obvious, but th ey do not normally give any very good id ea as to th e quantity and seldom are of value in determining th e location of th e sour ce.

GENERAL STRUCTURE COAS T PLAIN

131

Th e seeps of Geor gia, so far as t he writers have been abl e t o deter mine, are not associated with any str uctur es f avorable for accumulat ion. Mor eover, in no case is there any evid ence of faulting or fractu ri ng which would furnish passag eways of escape from dep th. Al so, in pract icall y every case imp erv ious clay beds are near the surfac e and would tend to stop mig ra tion of th e oil from depth. In view of t hese conditions the wr iters are of the opini on th at the seeps do n ot come f rom qu antity supply at depth.

GENERALIZED STRUCTURE OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GEORGIA AND ADJACENT AREAS
Figure 12 shows some general r egional structural condit ions betwe en Georg ia, Florida, and South Carolina. 'I' he lines show th e gener al strike of Cenozoic f ormations and do not r epresent definit e elevations of any particular key horizon. 'I'he stri ke lines throughou t Georgia are generalized from the Geologic Ma p III. Strike lines of th e F lorida ar ea ar e generalized and sli ghtly modified from the

ALA.
_ _ _ _ _- , . c.O l. U M &U50
')
/
(
i
-. '- ' -"- ---\.

s .c.

_ _ _ _i
F ig. ll.- Gcnerali zed st ruct u re of Coastal Pla in of Georgia and adjacent areas .

132

GEOLOG ICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Twelfth Annual Repor t of the Florida Geological Survey. 'I'h e single dashed line projected into South Carol ina connects the calculated sea level of the top of the Ba r nwell for mation of easte r n Georgia with appr oximate sea level of the top of t he Cooper marl of South Carolina. 'l'hese two horizons are th ought to be approximately the sam e.

CONCLUSIONS ON THE STRUCTURAL C01'."'DITIO NS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF GE ORGIA
'I'he structure of the Coastal P lain of Georgia as a whol e appears to be simp le. For the most part it is gently monoclinal. Throughout p ractica lly th e whole of the t ime whi ch has elap sed since th e beginn ing of Up per Cre taceous t ime, or ear lier , it has not been sub jected to intense or violen t disturban ces, but its movements have ap parently been br oad, region al oscillations, with r ecurrent ad vances and r etreats of th e seas.
It is, of course, possibl e that beneath the youn ger formati ons, and especially beneath the Miocene st ra ta, fold s or fa ults of ma gni tude may exist bu t are now buried, but certainly no evid ence of such pa st movements is ava ila ble from the pr esent known data.
'I'he str uct ure of t he Coastal Plain of Georgia cannot be considered as especially fav orable f or th e accumulation of oil. One or two slight irregularities, as previously described, appear to be present, but the work done has fai led to disclose any local structures of much promise.
Throughout practi cally th e whole of area No. 3 the writers feel t hat wit h the data that are at present availabl e no more detailed work than has been done is possible, for key horizons of an y va lue are lacking at the su rface and any key horizon must be determin ed from well r ecor ds. Ad diti onal wells with accurate logs may in t he fu tu r e thro w ad ded light on th e r egional structure, but it is ext re mely doubtful if the local details of th e st r uct ura l cond itions of the area as a whole will ever be definitely det ermined.

PETROLE UM POSS IBILIT IES IN COASTAL PLAIN

133

Over most of area No.2 the work done is as detailed as the available data permit, with th e r esults as previously stated. A lack of key beds and mu ch local slumping hav e r estricted the work very large ly to a j oint in t erpretation of areal geology an d topography . Reli able well logs, on whi ch subsurface key hor izons might be accur ate ly 10eated, are t oo few to be of muc h r eal va lue .
Over a small pa rt of area No. 2, and over a considerable part of area No. 1, more detailed work can be done . However, th e work don e was sufficiently detailed to disclose any structures of consid erab le magnitude. Mor eover, in a large p art of area No. 1 proximity to t he old er ystalline area north of th e Fall line, with the consequent thinness of the sedimentary strata, and th e lith ologic char acter of th e beds make more detailed work unwarranted.
Different interpretations of th e well logs of ar ea No.3 and of the data in th e r emainder of th e Coastal P lain ma y somewhat modify th e structural conditions shown herein, but th e writers believe that such modifications would only slightly affect r egional conditions and would fail to throw additi onal light upon the presence or absence of local structures of magnitude.

PE'l'ROLEUl\I PO SSIBILl'l'lE S
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF OIL IN THE COASTAL PLAIN
A matter of vital importance in r egard to commercial prod uction of oil is the pres ence, in the formations, of material that could f urnish oil in qu antity. A summary statement of known conditions r elative to a possible sou rce of oil in Georgia is therefore giv en, as f ollows :
Cret aceous locks.-'l'he Cretaceous rocks of Georgia are known to consist, at th eir outcrops and where encoun tere d in wells, of sand, clay, gravel, some very impure limestone, and some sandy calca r eous marls. 'I'he lower p or tion of the Cr etaceous wherever seen consists mainly of coarse sand, gr avel, and clay of such character that they could not possibly serve as a source of oil. Th e upper part of the Cretaceous consist s generally of ligh t to dark-gray sands, clay s, and

134

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

marl s, both at outcrops and where encountered in wells. Laboratory tests hav e shown t races of oil f r om some of the material encountere d, bu t noth ing of quantity has been found.
Midway, W ilcox and Claiborne format ions.- T he ro cks of the Midway, Wilcox, and Claib orne formations make up a series of light t o dark-colored sands, clays, and marls, with a few lenses of hard gray limest one. Labo ratory tests have shown slight t races of oil fro m well cut t ings of 'some of these formations.
Ocala, Barnuiell, Glendon, a1lcZ Chattahoochee [ormations .s-Yu r ocks of t hese f ormati ons, wherever encountered in wells, consist almost wholly of white to yellow lim eston es with local flint beds. Numerous t ests have fai led to show even traces of oil-forming matter in any of th ese' formations.
A lum Bluff f ormation .-The Alum Bluff for mation consist s of re d to whit e sands and r ed to white to bluish and gre enish clays. Laborat ory tes ts have shown oil in some of the ma terial.
Sumrnary.-The formati ons in Georg ia, as now known, are not very promising sources of petroleum in commerc ial quantities. It is of course true that the formatio ns may change lithologically in areas yet untested, and may there be more favo rab le as an oil source, though from the fe w fai rly deep tes t wells this is not to be expected. Over all bu t the inland limits of the Coastal P lain of Georgia no formations older th an the lower part of the Ri pl ey ha ve yet been penetr at ed, an d it is therefore p ossible that the u nderl ying Eut aw or older for mations, if present , may be p etrolif'erous . It is also even possibl e th at beneath the Tertiary an d Cre t aceous in t he southeastern part of the Coastal P lain of Georgia p etroliferous Paleozoic strata may exist, but this is only a possibil ity. If such for mations wer e present t hey would probably be too deep t o be r eached by t he drill, and th eir value would lie in being a source from which migra ti on of oil to higher horizons could ta ke place.
Th e presence of oil seeps in the Coastal Plain ap pears to offer lit-

OIL POSSIBILITIES NOR TH OF FALL LINE

135

ti e hope of commercial product ion, because the dat a fail t o ind icate that the oil comes f rom quanti ty supply at depth .
The known character of t he rocks of the Coastal Plain of Georgia, the not iceable lack of dark shales, organic marls or limestones, or any r eally petroliferous rocks, would t herefore appear not to offer much h ope f or commercial produ ction of petr oleum .

PETROLEUM POSSIBILITIES NORTH OF THE FALL LINE
The portion of Geor gia lying n orth of the F all line embr aces an area of appr oximately 22,000 square miles, the grea ter part of which is includ ed in the P iedmont Pl ateau. ']'hrcc other physiogra phic divis ions are also represented in the northern portion of Georgia. These ar e the Ap palac hian Mou nt ai ns, the A pp alachian Vall ey, an d the Cumb erland P lateau. Of the se the Appalachian Mountai ns are of greatest ar eal ext ent. The Appalachian Valley and the Cumb erland P lateau togeth er are repr esented in the ten northwest counti es of t he S t a t e.
Piedmon t Plateau ami the A ppalachian J1oltlltai ns.-Both the P iedmont Pla teau region and the App alachian Moun tains I II Georgia are composed of very old sedimentary rocks and of ign eous rocks, which have r epeated ly been sub jected t o in tense folding and squ eezing, so that t oday their stru cture is very complex, and arc all highly crystalline. They are entirely negligible as a possible source of commercial production of petroleum. No rocks of their age and degree of met amorphism have eyer p roduced petrol eum in quantity. So high ly have th e f ormations of the Piedmont P lat eau and the Ap palachain Moun ta ins in Georgia been metamorphosed that any possible oil or oil-forming material which the rocks of these areas may ever have contained has long ago passed beyond th e hope of recovery as li quid petroleum. .
Appalachian V alley and th e Cumberland Plateau.-The ten north west counties of Georgia lie within the areas of the Appala chian Valley and the Cumberland Plateau. Th e r ocks of these regions are

136

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

mainly Paleozoic in age, and range from pre-Cambrian, through Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian.
Th e Appalachian Valley includes all of the t en northwest counti es, with the excep tion of Dade County and a small part of Walker and Cha ttooga eoun ties. 'I'he rocks ar e limestones, sandst ones, and shales, or their metamorphic equi val ents. Though n ot folded as much as th e rocks of the Piedmont P lat eau , th e formations of the Appalaehian Vall ey area ha ve neverth eless been sub jected to intense d ef ormation.
The petroleum possibilities of th e Appalac hian Vall ey are very slight, beeause of two major unfavor able conditions. The first of these is the in tense degree to which the f ormation s ha ve been folded. No exact figures on the fixed car bon r ati os are available, but t he faets t hat at a f ew plaees graphite is present, th at the shales have at many places been metamorphosed t o slates , that the limest ones ar e in lar ge p ar t either highly erystalline or have been converted to marbles, and that fa rther west , wher e' the f olding is somewhat less intense, the amount of fixed car bon in the coals has passed the 75 p er cent ratio, give good evidence that any p etroleum or p etroleum-forming material that may ever have been p resent would have been converted into gas and fixed car bon an d would n o longer be r ecoverable as liqui d oil. It is more probable th at small amounts of na tu ral gas might be encountered, th ough t he possibilities of this ar e of very mino r impor ta nce.
The second ma jor condition operating against th e Ap pala chian Va lley r egion of Georg ia being an ar ea of p etrol eum producti on is its structure , Both anticlinal and syncl ina l f olds are present, bu t so deep has been th e erosion in the area that in nearly ever y ease the upper p ortions of the an ticlin es h ave been r emoved and the r ocks th at might normally ha ve been r egarded as hop eful pr odu cers are no longer present , and only very old, n on-p etroliferou s ro cks r emain. Today the synelines occupy the t op ographically hi gh areas.

OIL POSSIBILITIES NORTH OF FALL LINE

137

Because of small areal distr ibution and their degr ee of metamorphism, t hese rocks cannot r easonably be expected to contain oil in qu anti ty.
Th e Cumberl and Plateau r egion of Geor gia is embraced in Lookout , Sand and Pigeon mountains. Stratigraphicall y it is simila r to t he A ppalaehain Vall ey, though the rocks expose d a re mainly of Car boniferous age. 'I'he r egion has not been sub jected to quite such intense folding as has the Appalachain Valley, bu t nevertheless the pressnres that have been exerted on th e r ocks have caused th e coal in the r egion to pass beyond the 75 p er cent fixed carbon r atio.
Structurally the region is also simi lar to the Appalacha in Vall ey, though in the Cumb erland Plateau ar ea nearly the whole is syn clinal, t he synclin es being th e top ographically high areas, and the very small . vall eys are on deeply eroded, sharp anti clines.
Th e high fixed carbon r atios of th e coals of th e regions, th e synclinal structure of most of the ar ea, t he sharpn ess of the anticlines and their deeply er oded cr ests , and t he crystalline character of most of th e r ocks are u nfavora ble t o commer cial pr oduction in the Cumberland Pla teau area.
Some of th e form ations in th e P aleozoic area of northwest Geor gia are elsewher e oil bear ing. This is true of the Chattanooga shale, of Devonian age, the equi valent of whi ch y ields oil in Kentucky. But in all produ ctiv e areas the r ocks have been subjected t o f ar less folding an d metam orphism tha n in nor thwest Georgia.
S1l1nmal"]j.- The writers believe th e petroleum p ossibilities of Georgia north of th e F all line 'are as follows : (1) Th e Pi edmont Pl at eau and the App alach ian l\Iount ain regions are impossibl e areas ; (2) t he Appalachian Valley is a possible are a f or small oil or gas produ ction, bu t highly impr obable; (3 ) th e Cumberland Plateau r egion is the most p ossible for small gas or oil production, but neverth eless is highl y improbable.

138

GEOLOGICAL SURV EY OF GEORGIA

OIL PRO SPECT WELLS NORTH OF THE FALL LINE
'l'hree moderately deep oil-prospect wells have been drilled in Georgia north of the F all line . One of these was drilled 7 mil es south of the town of Mad ison, the county seat of Morgan County, and the oth er two were drilled nea r the city of Rome.
Morgan County lVell.- rl'he oil-prospect well of Morgan Coun ty was drilled on the Dr. A . O. Willson plantation,7 miles south of Mad ison. 'I'he work was begun in 1908 and continued at inter vals for mor e than three years. The hole was eventually abandoned, at a depth of 1,105 feet. From the beginning the prospect for oil was hop eless, the well being located in th e crystalline ar ea of the Piedmont Plateau r egion.
R ome Petroleum. and I ron Company 's W~ll No. I.-The Rome P etr oleum and Iron Company's oil-pr ospect well No.1 was located about 4 % miles northwest of Rome. The drilling was done during 1902 and 1903, and a depth of about 1200 feet was attained. The well was commenced in the Floyd shale, of Mississippian age. The dr illin g was p robably stopped in the lower part of th e Rockwood for mation, of Silurian age . The f ormations thus encountered wer e Floyd shale and Fort Payne chert (Mississippian) and the Rockwood (Silu r ian ) formation. It is doubtful if any Chattanooga black shale (D evonian ) was encountered in th e h ole. No p roducti on of oil or gas was obtained .
Rome Petroleum and Iron Company's Well N o. 2.-This second t est well was located about 8 miles west of Rome . It was drilled during 1902 and 1903, and attained a depth of 1,850 feet. The well was apparently begun in the F loyd shale, and penetrated t he Fo~t Payne chert, the Rockwood for mation, an d possibly stopped in the Chickamauga limestone, of Ordovician age. No production of oil or gas ,vas obtained.
The two wells in the Rome area were located in possible but highly imp robable areas, due t o the degree of metamor phism of the for mations and to t heir genera l lithologic character .

CONCLUSIONS ON OIL POSSIBILITIES OF GEORGIA

139

GE NERAL CON CLUSIO NS ON P E TR OLEUM POSSIBILITIES OF GEORGIA
Coastal Plain.-A r eview of the dat a r elative to t he Coastal Plain of Georgia, as set f or th in the forego ing pages of this bulletin, shows a lack of any structur es t ha t would be expected to cause accumulation of petroleum in commerc ial qua ntities. 'I'he lithology of the r ocks likewise offers little pr ospect of petrolifer ous horizons. Buried str uctures and petrolifer ous formations may exist, but from all th e ava ilable data the writers are not very hopeful of commercial production of petroleum in th e Coasta l Plain of Georg ia, and feel that any consid erable degr ee of optimism is unwarranted.
In view of the fa ct that prospecti ng will probably be done III Georgi a in the future, the wri t ers feel tha t r egionally t he ar eas described below offer r elatively the most hop e for drilling. Th e structural map (Map III.) shows t ha t slight stru ctural hi ghs exist, and there is th e possibility that these structures may in crease in magnitude with depth. Th e most hopeful are as follows, in order of imp ortanc e : (1) Along the slight structural ar ch shown in the Thomasville area; (2) a long t he apparent crest extending f rom Cam illa thr oug h Valdosta and th ence east, southeast through th e ar ea between Statenville and Thelma; (3) th e area rou ghly embr aced by a line drawn through the towns of Douglas, Broxton, Osierfield, and Ocilla; (4) along the gentle arching shown by a nose with axis approximately along a straight line extending from Claxton through Metter and passing about 12 miles east of Swainsboro.
Nort h. of the Falllin e.-As previously stated, that p or tion of Georgia lying north of th e Fall line offers scant hope for commercial production of petroleum. Th e character of the r ocks and their degr ee of metamorphism in the regions of the P iedmont Plateau an d Appalachian Mountains make these areas impossible ones. Th e Appalachian Va lley and the Cumbe rland Plateau ~reas offer more hope, although the general lithologic character of t he rocks , their high de-

140

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

gr ee of metamorphism, an d the deep er osion of t he r egions make these por tions of the State possible, but hi ghl y imp r obable, ar eas of commercial pr oduct ion.

AP PENDIX A
SOME GE N ERAL CONSIDERATIONS RELA TIVE TO THE P RODUCTION OF OIL AND GA S
Oil leases.- T he ri ght t o drill for oil and gas on any prop er ty IS usually acquired by 'an oil and gas lease, at a specified price per acr e. In addit ion to t hi s lease price the lessee u sually pays a smalle r amoun t p er acr e every year duri ng wh ich the lease is operative. 'I' his additional p ayment is known as r ental. A small f r action, commonly one eighth, of any oil and gas produ ced goes to th e owner of the lan d. This is called r oyalty. L eases ar e u sually for a sp ecified t erm of year s the lessee generally agreeing to begin drilling within a few months after th e signing of the lease and continue drilling with due diligence. This guarantee is usually secured by forfeit mon ey pl aced in some bank. I n some instances t he land is purchased in fee simp le.
Cost of drilli11g oil wells.- T he cost of drillin g a well varies within the very wide limit s of a f ew hundred dollars to $100,000 or more . These wid e limits are generally du e to variati on in one or more of th e foll owing governing fa ctors : depth of well, nature of r ocks encounter ed, cost of casing, cost of labor , proximity to tra ns portation and t o drilling serv ices an d equipment , and numerous drilling difficult ies encountered.
Spacing of wells.-The proper economic spacing of oil wells should be such as to give the max imum total r ecovery from a given area with the least number of wells. Num erous geologic fact ors , su ch as continuous porosity of th e produ cing sand, vis cosity of th o oil, etc., enter into th e p r oblem, calli ng for differ ent spacin g in differ ent are as. Th e avera ge proper distance betw een we~ls is probably about 600 feet . It is unfor tunat e, but true, tha t in many hi ghly p r odu ctive ar eas th e wells are to o close together .

SOME GENERAL CONSIDER ATIONS

141

Petroleum Geologists .- 'l'he location of oil and gas t ests should be based on t he prin cipl es that govern the ori gin and accumulation of petroleum and natural gas . '1.'0 correctly interpret these geological data is th e work of the petroleum geologist, and no t the work of a driller or a layman. I n most cases a driller is not a trained geologist, and is th er efore not fitted to determine geological conditions, except perhaps in some particular area with which he is very familiar, by r eason of having don e much drilling there.
All persons who are interested in th e p ossible development of any area, with the view to locating oil or gas, ar e therefore strongly ad vised to procure th e ser vices of a comp etent petroleum geologist . The nam es of compe tent and reliable men can normally be obta ined from the United States Geological Survey, 'at Washington, D . C., or from any State geological survey, or from un iversities that maintain departments of geology.
L ike every oth er profession, petrol eum geology has its "quacks, " an d th ese should be guar ded against. Very commonly these" qu acks" receive local r eputations as exper ts, due very often to th eir being so called by local newspapers .
'I' he maintainanee of geological departments by most of the lar ge oil companies shou ld be amp le proof of the value of t he services of a petroleum geologist.
L aws governing drilling f or oil.-E-ach oil pr oducing State has it s own laws governing the drilling for oil and gas. These laws ar e primarily designed for th e protection of rights, the conservation of natura l r esources, an d to secure industrial economy. Some of th e main p oints covere d by these laws are: Th e spacing of wells, t he proper handling of water encountered, to prevent flooding of produ cing sands, an d the wasteful escape of gas and oil.
The following bill whi ch passed the Geor gia Senat e, Aug ust 6, 1920, but f ailed to pass the H ouse on accoun t of th e congestion of business the last days of t he session, is a modern and up to date bill, and will prob ably be enacted by the present legislature:

142

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

P ROP OSED BILL GOVERNING THE CONSTRUCTIO N OF OIL AND GAS WELLS. ETC.. I N GEORGIA
Secti on 1. B e it enact ed by th e Gen eral: Assem bly of the state of Geologia and it is enacted by t he 'same, That before commencing the ' work of drilling an oil or gas well in this st ate th e owner or oper ator of such well must file with th e State Geologist a written notice of in tent ion to commen ce drilling. Such notice shall also contain the followin g inf ormat ion : (1) Statement of locati on and elevation above sea level of the floor of the proposed derrick and drill r ig j (2) the number or oth er design ation by whi ch such well shall ~e known, whi ch number or designation shall not be changed after filing the n oti ce pr ovided for in this section without the written consent of the State Geologist being obta in ed th er eof; (3) th e owner's or ope rator's estimate of the de pth of the point at whi ch water will be shut off, together wit h the meth od by whi ch such shut off is intended to be made and the size and weigh t of casing to be used; (4 ) the owner 's or operator's estimate of th e depth at which oil or gas produ cing san d or formation will be encountered.
Afte r the complet ion of any well the provisions of thi s section shall also apply, as far as may be, to the deepening or r edrilling of any well or any oper ation involving the plugging of any well or any operations permanently altering in any manner the casing of any well j and provided fur th er , that the number or designa t ion by which any well heretofore drilled has been kn own shall not be changed .
a without f irst obtain ing written cons ent of the State Geologist .
Sect ion 2. B e it [urt lier enacte d, it sha ll be the duty of the owner or operator of any well r eferred to in this act, t o keep a care ful and accurate log of th e dr ill ing of su ch well, su ch log to show the character and depth of the formation passed t hrough or encountered in the drill ing of such well, and p articul arly t o show t he locati on and depth of the water bearin g strata, together with the char acter of the water encountered f rom t ime t o t ime (so fa r ascer tained ) an d t o show at what point such water was shut off, if at all , and if not, to

PROPOSED BILL

143

so stat e in such log, and show compl etely th e amoun ts, kinds, and size of casing used, and show t he depth and cha r act er of th e same, and whether all wat er overlying and un derl ying such oil bearing strata was successf ully an d permanently shut off so as to p revent the per colat ion or p enetrati on into suc h oil bearing strata ; such log with samples of well borin gs taken at st ate d int erv als of not more than 10 fee t unless waiv ed by the State Geologist and shall be kept in t he local office of t he owner or oper at or, an d shall be sub j ect, during business hours, to the inspection of t he State Geologist or any of his assistants, except in t he case of a p r osp ect well which shall include all wells in unpr oven te rritories. Up on th e completion of any well, or upo n the suspension of operation upon any well, for a period of six months if it be a prospect well, or for 30 days, if it be in proven territory, a copy of said log shall be filed withi n 10 days after such compl etion, or aft er the exp ir ation of said 3D-day per iods, wit h the State Geologist , an d a like copy shall be filed upon the completion of any additio nal work in th e deepening of any such well.
Section 3. B e it [urilier enacted, that th e dis tance of wells shall n ot be closer to proper ty lin es than 200 f eet while the r egulated distance of wells on individua l proper t ies shall be so spaced as to extract the oil at the least possible cost, but no well shall be nea re r a producing or dr illing well than 200 feet.
Section 4. B e it f urther enact ed, 'I'hat it shall be unlawful for any owner or operator having possession or control of any na tural gas or oil well, to allow or permit the flow of gas or oil from any su ch well, to escape into the open air , without being confined within such well or proper pipes, or oth er safe r ecep ta cle, for a p eri od longer than two (2) days, next after ga~ or oil sha ll have been st ruck in such well, and thereafter all such gas or oil shall be safely and securely conf ined in such wells, pip es or oth er safe and proper r ecepta cles ; pro vided that this law shall not apply to any well t ha t is being operated for th e produ ction of oil and in which the oil produ ced has a hi gher salable valu e in the field than has the gas so lost .

144

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA.

Secti on 5. B e it further enacted, That whenever any well shall have been sun k f or the purpose of obt aining natural gas or oil or explori ng f or the same, and sh all be abandoned or cease to be operat ed for u tilizing the flow or gas or oil therefrom it shall be the du ty of any persons, f irm or corpor at ion having t he custody or cont r ol of such well at th e t ime of such abandon ment or cessat ion of use, an d also of the owner or owners of the lan d wherein such well is situated, to properly and securely stop and plug the same as follows : If such well has not been "shot" th er e sha ll be placed in th e bottom of t he hole thereo f a plug of well-seasoned pine wood, t he diam et er of which sha ll be within one-ha lf inch as gr eat as the hole of such well, to exte n d at least three feet above th e salt water level, wher e salt wat er has been st r uck, such p lug sha ll extend at least three fee t f rom the bottom of the well. In both eases such wooden plugs shall be thoroughly r ammed down and ma de tight by the use of drilling tools. After such ramming and ti ghtening the hole of such well shall be f illed on t op of such plug with f inely broken ston e or san d, whi ch shall be well r ammed at a point at least four feet above the gas or oil bearing r ock; on to p of this stone or sand there shall be pla ced another wooden plug at least five f eet long with di ameter as aforesaid , which shall be thoroughl y ra mmed an d tightened . In case such well has been " shot" the bot tom of the hole thereof shall be f illed with a proper and sufficient mixture of sand, stone and dry cement , so as t o for m a concrete up to a poin t at least eight feet above the top of the gas or oil bearing rock or ro cks, and on top of this filling shall be pla ced a wooden . plug at least six fe et long, with diameter as aforesaid . The casing from th e well shall then be pulled or withdrawn ther efrom, and immediat ely t here after a east ir on ball , eight inches in diameter , shall be drop ped in the well, and securely rammed into the shal e by th e driller or owner of the well, after whi ch n ot less than one cubic yard of sand pumping or drilli ng taken from th e well shall be put on top of said iron ball.
Section 6. B e it [urther enacted, That the r ight of eminen t domain may exist and be exercised, for public use, by and in behalf

PROPOSED BILL

145

of any p erson, firm or corpor atio n fo r the constr uct ion and operation of pi pe lines for t he transportat ion of oil or gas, wh er e in the op ini on of the State Geologist ther e is a sufficien t supply of oil or gas to warrant the constr uction of pipe lin es, and subjec t to existing laws and r ules and r egul ati ons to be provided by the R ail r oad Commission of 'I'he State of Geor gia whereby methods of constr uction sha ll be fix ed and r at es f or transpor tation of oil and gas shall be established.
Section 7. B e it fu rt her enacted, That the legal form of oil and gas lease for this state shall be as follows :

AGR EEl\illNT, Mad e an d entere d in to the

day of

.



19 by and between

.

of

.

hereinafter called lessor (whe ther one or more) and

.

. . . .. . . . . . . .. .. ... . .. . . .. . .. . . . of

.

herein after called lessee.

'Witnesseth : That t he sai d lessor, for and in conside ra t ion of



D ollars cash in hand and paid,

r eceip t of which is her eby ackn owledged, and of the covenants and

agreements her eunder contained on the part of lessee to be p ai d,

kept and p erformed, ha

granted, d emised, leased an d

let and by these presen ts do

grant, demise, lease and

let unt o the said lessee for t he sole and only purpose of mining and

operating for oil and gas and of la ying of pip e-lin es, and of building

tanks, powers, stations and str uct ures t hereon to produce, save and

take care of sa id products, all that certain tract of land situate d in

the county of

State of Geor gia, des-

cri bed as follows, to-wit :

.

:

:

and containing

a cr es ,

more or less.

. . . . .. .. ..

It is agreed that this leas e shall remain in force for a t erm of . .



year s from this date, and as long thereafter as oil

146

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

or gas, or either of t hem, is produced from said land by lessee.

I n cons ideration of th e premises t he said lessee covenants and

agr ees :

1st. To deliver to the credit of lessor, free of cost , in the pipe

lin e to which they may connect their wells, th e equal one-eighth

part of all oil produeed an d saved from the leased premises.

2nd. To pay the lessor

dollars each

yea r , in advance, for the gas from each well wher e gas only is

found , whil e the same is being used off the premises, and lessor t o

have gas free of cost fr om any such well for all stov es an d all in -

side lights in the principl e dwelling houses on said land during the

same t ime by making

0W11 connection wit h the well

at.

' .' 0W11 r isk or ex pense.

3rd. '1.'0 pay lessor for gas pr odu ced from any oil well and used

off t he prem ises at the r ate of

D ollars p er

year , f or the time du ring which such gas sha ll be us ed, said pay-

ments to be made each three months in advance.

If no well be commenced on said lan d on or bef ore the

.

day of.

19. '" .this lease shall t erminate as to

both parties, unl ess th e lessee on or before that date shall payor

t end er to the lessor, or to the lessor 's credit in th e

.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bank at . . . . . . . .. .... . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . or

its successors, which shall continue as the deposit ory, regardless of

changes in the ownership of said land, the sum of

.

. . . . . . Dolla rs, whi ch shall oper ate as rental and cover th e privil ege

of deferring the commencement of a well for

.

months from said date. In like ma nn er and upon like payments or

t end ers t he commencement of a well may be furthe r deferr ed for

like p eri ods in the same number of months successively. And it is

Ullders~ood and agreed th at the consid eration first re cited her ein, the

down payment, covers not only the priv ilege granted to the dat e when

said f irst r ental is payable as aforesaid, but also the lessee's option

of extend ing that pe riod as aforesaid, and any and all other rights

conferre d .

PROPOSED BILL

147

Should the first well drilled on th e above described land be a dry hole, then, and in that event, if a second well is not commenced on said land within twelve months from the expiration of the last rental p eriod for whi ch rental has been paid, this lease shall terminate as to both parties, unless the lessee on or before the expiration of said twelve mon ths shall resume the payment of r entals in th e same amount and in the saI?-c manner as hereinbefore provided. And it is agreed that upon the resumption of the paym ent of r entals, as above p rovided, that the last preceding paragraph hereof governing

the payment of rentals and the effect thereof, shall continue in force

j ust as though th ere had been no interruption in the rental payments.

If said lessor owns a less interest in th e above described. land

th an the entir e and undivided fee simple estate th erein, then the

r oyalties and rentals herein provided for shall be paid the lessor only

in the proportion which

interest bears to the

whole and undivided fee.

L essee shall have the ri ght to us e, free of cost, gas, oil and water

produ ced on said land for all operations th er eon except water from

wells of lessor .

When re qu ested by lessor, lessee shall bury their pipe line below

plow dep th .

No well shall be drilled nearer than 200 f eet to th e hous e or barn

now on said premises without the written consent of lessor.

Le ssee shall pay for damages caused by all op er at ions to growing

crops on said land.

L essee shall have the ri ght at any time t o r emove all machinery

and f ixtu r es on said premises, including the right to draw and r.emove

casing.

If the estate of either party here to is assigned-and the privilege

of assi gning in whole or in part is expressly allowed-the covenants hereof shall extend to th eir heirs, executors, administrators, succes-

sors . or assigns, but no change in the ownership of the land or assign-

118

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

ment or r entals or royalties sha ll be binding on th e lessee until alter the lessee has been furnished with a wr itten t ransfer or assignment or a true copy th ereof ; and it is h ereby agr eed that in the event this lease shall be assigned as t o a part or as to parts of the above described lands and t he assignee or assignees of such part or pa rts shall fail or make defa ult in the p ayment of the proportionate part of the r entals due from him or th em, such default shall n ot operate to defeat or affect this lease in so far as it covers a part or parts of said lands upon which the said lessee or any assignee thereof shall make due payment of said r ental.
Lessor her eby war ra nts and agrees to defend t he t itle to t he lands he rein described, and agrees th at the lessee shall have the r ight at any. time to r edeem for lessor, by payment, any mortgages, t axes or other liens on the above describ ed lands, in the event of default of p aym ent by lessor , and be subr ogated to t he rights of th e holder hereof.

WITl\TESS . . . . . . . . . ..... .. day of

hand

seal, this the 19 .

Witnesses :

Section 8. B e it furth er enacted, That any owner or operat or of oil or gas wells in th e State of Georgia violating t he provisions of this A ct , shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be f ined any sum not exceeding five hun dred dolla rs ($500.00) or shall be impr isoned for a period not exceeding three months, in t he discretion of the court.
Section 9. B e it [urilier enacted, That all laws an d pa rts of laws in confl ict with t his act are h ereby repealed.

PETROLE UJf POSSWfUTf ES OF GB ORG U

I'Iul T E vt u

A. II . G. SAMP LE 'S OIL SEEP KO . 1, SCOTTJ_U m, TELF"\ 1R COUNT Y.

B. H . G. SAlJ P LE'S OIL S EE P NO . 2, SCOT LAND, TELFAlR COUNT Y.

ALTITUDES IN THE COASTAL PLAIN

149

AP P E NDIX B.
ALTITUDE S IN THE COASTAL P LAIN OF GE ORGIA
Thro ughout t he Coastal Pl ain of Georgia numerous elevat ions have been established at va ri ous points by the United States Geological Survey, Un ited States Army Engineers, and the engi neerin g departments of va rious railroads. Using t hese elevations as a base the Geological Survey of Georgia has established the elevat ions of numerous other points by r epeat ed checkings wit h aneroid barometers or by th e joint use of a barograph and an eroid barom eters . The limit of er ror of the elevations thus established is probably less t han 10 feet .
E LEVAT IONS IN GE OR GIA COASTAL P LAIN.

T OW N Aaron Abbeville (Court House)
low water A chord Acr ee, Dougherty Co. Adams Park Adel Adrain , Emanuel Co .

Alban y, F lint R iver bridge
Allapaha A lexand er Alexand e r vllle Allen h urst Allentown Alma Amb r os e, Coffee Co.

Level

Americus

AndersonvlIle

Ang u lIl a

Au thori ty U . S. G. S . An eroid U . S. A. Eng. U . S. G. S . A. C. L . U. S. G. S. G . S. & F . R ou gh E st. An eroid
A . C. L . Aneroid A. C. L. U. S. G. S. A . C. L . U . S . G. S. M. D . & S. An eroid Aneroid C. o f G.
U . S . G . S.

Elevation, F eet 26 0 255
169.33 274 205 25 9 246 290
127 175 293 28 3 153
60 4111
195 280 360 394
10

Arc ol a A r g y le Ar ling ton Arm ena

G. S. & F .

U . S . G. S .

125

A. C. L .

161

Rough Est.

275

S. A. L .

270

150

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Altitudes in coastal plain-continu ed.

T OW N Ash burn A t k fnson Atta pulgus Augusta, low water
Un ion Sta. Au t r e y v il !e A vo nda le B acon t o n Bainbrid ge
wn ter lev el

Au thority G . S. & F . U . S. G . S. G . F . & A. U. S. G. S. Cl t y Eng- . " neroid G . S . & F. A. C. L .
G. F . & A.

Bank sto n B artow
B ascom Bath, Richmond Co. B ax ley Ba x te r Beach ton Belai r B ellville B e r zeli a B lackshear Blad en Blakel y B la nfo rd B lan to n B loo m ingdale Bona ire B oston Bo s twi ck (Pasc h a l) B ou log ne, F la . Box S prin g s B raganza B rentwood B r ew er (T usculu m P . O.) Broad h u r s t Brookfield B rook le t Br ookly n Brox to n Br inson Brow ntow n Brunsw ic k
C ity Hall

Sou . Ry. (J . o f G . An eroid
U. S. G. S .
Rough Est. U. S. G. S.
Anero id G a . R. R. U. S . G . S. G a . R. R. A . (J . L.
S . G. S . Rough E st.
U. S . G . S . G . S. & F
C. of Ga. G. S . & F . A C. L. C. of Ga .
II. S . G. s .
A. C. L. U. S. G. S.
A. C. L. U. S. G . S. S . A. L . A neroid A . (J . L . U. S. G. S. Sou . Ry. U . S . G. S .

El evati on, Feet 450 68 17 5 109 143 315 360 1 60 110 68
359 237 235 11 8
4 00 206 117 2 60 295 185 488
10-6
16 275
79 172
24 354 194 669
59 364 14 4 167 122
56 332 159
~9 1
265 104 70 13 11

ALTITU DES IN TIl E COAST AL PLAIN

T OW N Bu ena Vi sta B u llards B ur r ou ghs Bushn ell Butler B v r-om vf lle B y ro n Cadw ell Cai r o Cam nk Camero n Camilla Oanoo chee Car ling Ca rrs S la tion C e c il Ce ylon Ch a ll, e r Ch a u ney Ch ula Claxton Clifton C li m a x Clyo

Co le y Co llins Co lon Co lq u itt Columb u s
Co r de le Cox Cr esen t Cox. So u . R~. Cu l ve r t on Cuse t ta Cush ing vi lie Cuthber t Cu t le r Cuylor Oyclon et n

river level

Authority Rough E st. U. S . G . S.
A . o. L .
Rou gh Est. C. of Ga. A. B . & A. C. of Ga . A n e roid A. C. L . Ga. R. R. U. S. G. S . A. C. L. S. & S. U. S. G. S.
G . S. & F . U. S. G. S. Aneroid U. S. G. S. G . S. & F. U. S. G. S . C. of Ga. A. C. L . U. S. G. S.
Brinson R . R .
C. of Ga.
U. S . G . S . S ou. R y , S. A . L. G. S. & F. R ou gh E st. U . S. G . S.
U. S . G . S. R ough E st. U. S . G . S. Ga. R. R. U . S. G. S .
C. of Ga.
C. of Ga. G. S. & F. S. A. L. G. S. & F .

151
E leva tion, Feet 690 26 9 19 26 0 650
365 1 515 345 237 578 102 1 67 372 40 3 5 00 250 18 330 300 395 187
72
303 23 8 13 7 175
17
446 78
37 ? 410

152

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

T OWN

Dat s y

Dak ota

Dales Mill

Dar ien

Dames Ferry

D asher

Davis

Da visboro

Daw son

Da ys Gap

De a r in g

Den m a r k

Devereux

Dewitt

Dix ie

Dock Junction

Doctor to w n

_ _ __ _ _--'s:::ta tl o,~n'__

l ow-w a t er le v el

Doer un.

Doles

Donald

Donald sonville

Dooli ng

D o u gl a s

f)o u bl er u n

Do v e r

Dry Branch

Dublin, ri v er l evel

Du b oi s D u d le y

b ridg e

Dunba r t on

Ou pon t

East A lb a n y

Ea sno an

Eden Egypt

Eldorad o

Elk o
Ellabe:::I~l e::-

E ll a v ill e

E m m alane

E m pi r e

Enig ma

Esqu lli n e

Au thori ty U . S. G . S . G. S. & F . A. C. L . Rough E st. U . S. G . S. G. S . & F . A. C. L . C. of Ga.
Sou. Ry. Ga . R. R. U. S . G . S .
Bu tts Map A. C .L . U. S . G . S. U. S. G . S . (B. ]\f. ) ~ U .~S.~A~ . = En~ g. U. S. A. Eng. An ero id
.,
U. S. G. S. A. C . L . A. B. &A . Aneroid A. B . & A . U. S . G . S . M. D. &, S. U. S . A. Eng. Hand l evel So u. Ry, M. D. &, S. U. S. G. S. A. C. L . A. C. L. U. S . G . S. C. of Ga. U. S. G. S . G. S & F
--.:S:~. =A-. -L~. Aneroid U. S. G. S.
A. C. L. U . S. G . S .

ElevatioB, Fe:! 177 410 1 36 15 34 6 185 238 30 2 35 2 333 464 1 82 57 7 175 130
:_:_7:_4:_
28.72 425 260 83 1 39 270 255 3631 10 3 3 681
160 .6 201 391
325 1 251 180 18 6 357 34 133 340 443
----:9~S I 555 207 382 309 300

ALTITUDES IN THE COASTAL PLAIN

_ll ti tudcs in coastal plain-- contimted.

T OW N
E u f a u la , A~ a"-.=--Evere t t Cl ty~ Everet t Station ,
C rawfor d Co . Evere tt Statio n,
F li n t R iver R. R . B r . E xeter Exle y F' a ceville Fargo Fe n d lg F it zge r a ld Fitzpa trick

Au t h ority --=O-.,-o,,,f-....:G....a....:.... --U=.:.c....S::,.,-G= . ...S.:::.,--
C. of Ga.
A. C. L . S. A. L.
A. C. L .
G . S. & F . U. S. G. S . A n ero id 1If. D . & S .
A . C. L .

low water
For t Mudge Fo r t V a ll e y
Gar d l
Georgetown low water Gillionv ille
Gt e n coe Glen m or e G lenv ille G lenwood G odwlnv llle G o rdo n
Graves G rays G ree ns C U.:..t;;. Gree nvl11e Gresston

U. S. G. S. A. C. L . Aneroi d
C. of Ga. A. C. L. C. o f G a.
xr. D. & S.
U. S. G. S. G. & F . U. S. G. S. C. o f Ga. A n eroi d U. S . G. S .
A. C. L . U. S . G . S . An ero id U . S . G. S.
C. o f Ga. A. C. L .
U. S. G. S . Sou. R y. U . S. G . S . C. of Ga. A. C. L .
-=U.:.--=S=.--G-=.-=S=.---

153
El evation, F eet ..:2..:1.:.1::..1:. 1:..6:: 362 3 37 94 63 2 96 116 84
163 134 522
62
189 2 45
20 1 51 17 5 1 95 312 348
350 23 2 .._27 6 44 7 40 1

154

GEOLOG~CA L SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Altitudes in coastai pla in- cont inu ed.

T OW N Grimsha w Ori s w ol d GrOV311in Grov eland Grovetown Guy to n Haga n Hahira

Authority U. S . G. S . C. of Ga. G. S. & F . U . S. G . S. Ga . R. R. U. S. G. S.
G. S. & F . U. S. G. S. U. S . G . S. A. C . L.

H a) 'low Hazelhur st Helena Hephizab ah H e r n do n H ickox Ht g'g s to n . H igh Point H illton ia Hi nes v l1le

low-water level

Gn. R. R. Aneroid C. of Ga. A. & B. Rwy. Weather Bu reau U. S. A. E ng. G. S. & F. U. S. G. S.
\Veathe r Burea u C. of Ga . U. S. G. S. An e r oi d U . S . G. S .

A . C. L . U. S. G. S. O. of Ga . G. S. & F . U . S. G. S.

I rwin ton
.Ia k in .leffe rson vill e

G. S. & F . U. S. G . S.
A . C. L .
U. S. G. S. A . C. L. A. C. L . A. C. L . :\I. D. & S .

Elevation , F eet 180 44 7 444 158 495
65
448 140 526

A LT IT UDES IN THE COA STAL PL AIN

"llt itlldcs in coastal pla in-continued.

T OWN Jennie J ennings. F la. Jeru sal em .I es up .J o h n s on .John son vflle, J eff D a vis Co. J ohn ston Juni per s i . K a th leen
Ki bbee Kil d a r e. E ffin gha m Co. K imbr ough K ing sland K i r kl an d K it t rels Knox vi lle Lake Park L am bert La n Ie r Law ton Lear y L ee P ope L eesbu rg L ela L eli a ton Leland
Lenox L et f or d L ew Is ton L id a Lily L in colnt on Long street Long P ond. H a nc ock Co. Lo ren zo L ouisvill e Lud owici L ula ton Lumber City
lo\\"-\\"a t er le v el

Au thority U . S. G. S . G. S . & F. U. S. G . S . U. S. G. S. C. of G . Sou . Ry, A. C. L. U . S. G. S.
c. S. & F .
US. G. S. An ero id U. S . G . S . U . S . G . S. U. S. G . S. A. C. L. An eroid .J. 1<:. T h o m a s G. S. & F . U. S . G . S . U . S . G. S . U. S. G. S. D. L. ' Va r dro p e r Aneroid Aneroid A. C. L . Aneroid U. S . G . S . G. S. & F . U. S. G. S. C. of Ga. U. S. G. S. A . B. & A . U . S. G. S.
A. C. L . U. S. G. S . U. S. G. S. U . S. A . E n g .

Ly on s

S . A . L.

155
Elevatlo n, Feet 18 5 150 17 100 254 240 71 422 330 28 0 322 12 9 558 34 236 350 640 16 0 92 ,0 219 210 522
2-82 14 6 245
HI 300
62 38 5
95 364 500 302
66 10 0 337
71 82 14 6 84.7 515 173 254

156

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

"llt it udes in coast al plain- con t inu ed.

TOWN

McB ea n S tation

.\l eCle n n y , Fla.

Mc Cormick

Mc D o n a l d

McGregor

McGri ff

:\l c1n tosh

M c Ln t yre

McKinnon

McRae M a c on , U n i on Station

near Sou. Ry, Sta.

low - w ater le vel

1\1flco n Junction

M a.n a as a s

!IIa nson

M arshall v lIl e

Marlow

Ma ttox

Ma tt h ews

Ma yday

.\ l a y fiel d

:\leigs

Meinhard

Meld rim

Me l r os e

Men des :\l etcalf

Mid vill e

Milan Mill ed gevill e

low-water l evel

1I1illen :\lill h av en

Millwood

Mineola

!\l isle r

Mo doc

M oniac

Monteit h

Mon tezuma

Montezuma, Flint Riv er lo w-w ater

Mon trose ]\forga n

Authority C . S. G . S . S. A. L . U . S. G . S . A. C . L. An eroid U. S. G. S. U . S. G. S .
G . S. & F. U . S . G . S. U . S. A . E n g .
c. of Ga.
S. A. L . U. S . G. S .
n. -o f Ga .
U . S. G. S . U. S. G. S.
G. S. & F . Ga . R. R. A . C. L. S. A . L . C. of G a. G . S. & F . U. S. G. S. A . C. L . C. of Ga . Aneroid U. S. G. S. U. S. A. E ng. U . S. G . S.
A. C. L. G. S. & F . U . S . G . S. U . S . G. S.
A. C. L. C . of Ga. Anero id M. D . & S. W eather B ur ea u

El evation, Feet 1 38 125 53 5 167 328 259 20 270 65 230 334 311
279.02 350 217 60 500 72 70 394 140
417.5 341 19 28 154 17 9 1 70 186 310 32 6
241.29 160 11 0 160
117 16 300
265 3911
337

ALTITUDES IN THE COASTAL PLAIN

A lt i tud es in cOllstal plain- contilHled.

TOWK Morris Mount P leasant Mount Ve r no n Moultrie lIlunnerlyn M iscogee M y ers, Effingham Co . Nahu nta Nashville Naylor N eedmore Nes bitt Newington N ewton . water level N ew e ll N i c h o Us No rman Park
Norwood Oc illa Oc h J1lee Ochlock nee Oc hwalk ee . low-water Oc on e e R . Oconee Od u rn Offerman Og ee ch ee Ogl ethorpe Ohoopee Okmulgee
Old Sardis Oliv er Olney
Omaha, station Orange Bluff Osi erfiled Ousley Paramore H ill, s t a ti on P a r k w o od Pa rksville Parrott Paschal (Bostw ick) Patterson Pearson Pelham

Au thority
e. o f Ga.
U. S. G. S. Hi g-hway Eng. An e roid U . S. G . S. U. S. G. S. S . A. L . U . S. G. S. Aneroid
A. C. L .
U. S. G. S.
A n e r o id U. S . G . S. A ner oi d
Ga. R. R. A ner oid U . S. G. S. A. C. L. U . S. A. E ng. C. of Ga. U. S. G . S. A . C. L. U. S . G. S . C. of Ga. S. A . L .
S Oli . n v.
U. S. G . S .
R ou gh E st. U. S. G . S . An eroid A. C. L. U. S. G . S.
S. A. L. C. of Ga. A. C. L . U . S. G. S.

157
Elevation , F eet 242 55 23 0 340
45 66 265 192 67 14 5 143
1 95 380
273 263 11 4. 4 223 155 106 180
63 240 10 350 14 8 235
25 35 2 482
6 69
104 20 3 355

158

GEOL OGI CAL SU RVE Y OF GEORGIA

A lt i t ud es in cOastal pIa ill - coli tinued.

T OW N P embroke P enda r v is P e nn ick P e r k ins P er ry P eterson Pikes Peak. station P inegrov e Pi nehu rst P ineora P ine V iew P tsco la , Brook s Co . P lain s P lum B ranch Poole r Porta l Poulan Pow ersville P ren t is:::s=--P retoria P u laski Quitman Racepond Rahn s Raybon Rebecca R ecovery R egiste r R eid Reidsv ille R enfr oes Reynolds Riceboro R ich H f Il , C res t R ich land R ichwood R in c on River Jun ction. F la. Roberta R o b e rts S tation RochE>lle R ock y For d Rode ricl< Rorrer-s

Authority U S. G. S.
Ane roid U. S. G. S. M. D. & S. U . S . G . S. G. S. & F . U. S . G . S. A neroid W ea.t h e r' Burea u A neroid U. S . G . S .
O. o f G a . U. S. G. S. A. C. L . C. of Ga.
..S:::o.:u=.:.....R...:y==.---
U. S . G . S .
A. C. L. A. C . L . I . S. G. S.
A. B. & A . A. C. L. D . S. G . S .
Est ima te S. A. L. C. of Ga. Rough E s t. An eroid S. A. L. G. S. & F. S. A. L. L. & N. Aneroid Ga. R. R. An eroid D . S. G. S.
C. of Ga .

4 90
-=-:..:.
6011 433 75 84 124

A L T ITU DES IN THE COA S TA L PL AIN

Altit ud es in coast al plain- continI/cd.

TOW N Sa ffold

Authority A. C. L .

l e v e l Chattahooc h e e R. St. C lai r S t. Georg-e S t. M llr )'8

Rough E st. U . S . G. S.

Sales City San d e r-svttl e Sa p Sti li Sa rdis Satilla Satma. river level Little Sa till a Sa vannnh

A n er oi d An eroi d U. S. G. S. U . S. G. S. A . C. L .

S ca r boro S chl a t te r v flle Scotla nd Screven S e ba s t o p ol Shawnee

U . S. G. S. A. C. L . U. S. G. S. A. C. L . C. of Ga . U. S. G . S . U S. G . S.

S h ell B lu ff L a n d i n g , low wat e r h i ghes t po in t
Shell m a n
Slover Sm ithvill e S ofl , e e S o p erto n S o u t h o\'er J u nct io n S pa r ks S parta S prin g fie ld Sta tenville Statesboro Sta p leton S terlin g Stillm ore Still w ell. Effingham Co. Still s on Stoek ton S ul phu r S p r i n g s Sumne r Su nhlll

U . S. A . E ng.
G . S. & F. U. S. A. Ene.
U . S . G . S. C. of Ga . G. S. & F . An er oid A. C. L . G. S. & F. Ga. R. R. U. S. G. S. A. C . L. U S. G. S. U. S. G. S. U. S. G. S. Ane ro id S A. L. 1 S . G. S.
A. C. L .
U . S. G . S .
A . C. L.
C. of Ga. :

159
E levati on._Fee~ 10 5 65 38 7 78 445 18 96 71 133 142
30 8 20 80
69 105 187 300

160

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

A ltitu de in coastal plain- conti1l1lCd.

TOWN Su r r ency Swainsboro Swift Creek Syca m ore S ylvania S yl v es t er 'I'a l b ot to n Tar boro

Authority U. S . G . S . Aneroid ~L D . & S.
G. S. & F . U . S . G. S .
A. C. L .
U . S. G. S.

T a rTJrtow n
T ennille T halman T h el m a T homas T h oma sville T h om son T i fto u T iv ol a T oom s boro T owns T roy Trudie Tusculum ( Brewer )

A ne ro id C. of Ga. U . S . G . S. G . S. & F . C. of Ga. A . C . L. Ga. R. R. A. C. L . G. S. & F. U . S . G. S.

Tyty Unadllla U nd i ne Upatoi Uptonvllle Uvalda Valam bros a V a ldos ta V a l on a. M cIntosh Co. Vida lla Vidette Vienna " 'adley Wa inwri ght (Upt onville S ta . ) Walden W alth ourville W a r-esb oro W a rren ton Warth en W a v er-l y Way cross W a ynes boro Wayne s vill e " 'ays

A. C. L. G . S. [I., F . U. S. G. S.
U . S . G . S. Anero id ~l. D. & S.
A . C. L . w eather Bureau
A neroid U . S . G. S . G. S. & F. C. of Ga . U. S . G. S . C. o f G a. A . C . L.
Ga . R. R. Aneroid U. S . G. S. A. C. L. U . S . G. S .
A. C. L .

Elevation, Feet 187 318
324 1 415 238
3701 726 12 310 469 20 158 285 250 503
370 300 236 12 8 520
56 122 332 411 155 418
85 185 2581 215
10 300 350 350 234 85 390
95 121 500 490
20 140 261
50 18

ALTITUDES IN THE COASTAL PLAIN

A l ti tud es in coast al pla ill- continu ed.

T OWN " ' e ll s t o n W e no n a \ Ve st Gree n \ Vestla k e Weston West over \ Vh ea t on , Applin g Co . W hig-h am
" ' hiteoa k Will et s
w un e
Willis (G a llemore) W il cox " ' Ill a cooch ee " ' ili n g-h am Wtnch es t e r " ' ood b ln e Wor th " 'ra y

Authori ty G. S. & F .
Aner oid U . S. G . S. S. A . L . U . S . G. S.
A. C. L. U . S . G. S .
M. D. & S. S ou . R ). A . C. L .
C. of Ga . U . S. G. S. G . S. & F . Rough Es t. U . S . G. S. Aneroid A neroi d

161
E levati on, Feet 315 348
528 14 2 2 01 26 5
1:7 3!141
11 6 247 319 463
14 415 200
~3 5
56 7

T h e a b b re v iations u s ed are.
A . B. & A.-A tl a nta, 'B ir m i n g h a m & A tl anti c R ailroad. A. C. L.- Atla nt ic Coast Li ne Rail road . C. of Ga.-Central of G eor g ia R ailroad. Gu . R. R. -G e org la Rail r oa d. G. & F .-Geo r g ia a n d F lor ida R ailroad . G. F. & A .- Ge or g ia. Fl orida & Al a b ama R ailroad . G. S . & F.-Geo r~ia S ou t h e rn & F lo rida Railroad. L. & N .-Lou isville & N a s h vill e R ailroad 1\[. D. & S. -1\fa con . D u bli n & Sav annah Rail r oad. S. A . L .- Seaboa r d A i r Line Rail r oad. S. & S.- Sava n n ah & S outh ern Railroad. S ou. Ry.-Southern Ra il way . U . S . A. En ~. -Unlt ed S tate s Arm y E n g i n e ers. U . S. G . S.- U n lt e d States G eolog ica l S urv e y.

162

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

RIVER ALTI TUDE S IN GEORGI A COASTAL P LAI N
( D ista n ce by air li ne. )
El evations of 1101'lIIal wa ter surjace of A Itallla ha R i ver

Mouth of P enholc wny Ore ek Do ctortown
Mou th of Ohoopee Ri ve r Mou th of Cobbs Ore ek
Junction Oconee an d Ocmulgee

ri vers

U . S. A. Eng. U . S . A. Eng.
U. S. A. Eng. U. S. A. Eng.
U. S. A. Eng.

Feet above sea lev el 24 29 50 69 83

Eteoations of 1I0rllla l wa ter su rja ce of Ohat tah oochee R iv er

Feet above sea lev el

Flint Ri ver, junction with Cha t ta h oochee R iver

U. S. A. Eng.

45 .0

Mou th of Sow hatchee Creek Mou th of Cohe lee Cr eek Mou th of Colomok ee Creek Fo rt Gaines
Mou th of P utnula Creek Georgetown

U . S. A. Eng. U. S. A. Eng. U. S. A. Eng. U. S. A. E ng.
U. S . A. Eng. U. S. A. Eng.

65 .3 76. 0 90 .8 06 .7 10 5.5 11 8 .0

Mou th of H a n n uhatch ee Cree k

Mou th of Hich it ee Cr eek

Mou th of Upatoi Ore ek

Oolumb us Wha rL

.

U. S. A. E ng. U. S. A. Eng. U . S. A. Eng. U . S. A. E n g.

14 2 .7 1 5 2 .0 174 .5 185 .5

El eva t iolls of 110r1llal Jeater s uriace of Flin t R iv e?'

P lint-Ohatt nh oochee B ainbrid ge Newton Albany
Mont e:tuma Fall li n e

Ri ver

jun cti on

Calc ula te d G. F. & A. Calc ula te d
A.C.L.
An eroid Ga . Bull. 1\0 . 16, P 20

Feet above .ea level
52 68 05 127 265 32 7

El euatitms of iwnn al wa ter surjace of Ocmulqee Riv er

Junction Ocon ee and Ocmulgee riv e ra Lumber City B a r rows BlufL
On e mile below Coffee ' Ben Hill Cou nt y line Ben Hill -Wilcox Coun ty lin e Abb eville
Mou th of Mosquito Creek Mouth of Limeston e Cree k Hawkinsville Ma con

U. S. A. Eng. U. S. A. E ng . U . S. A. E n g.
U. S . A. E ng . U . S. A. E ng. U . S . A. E ng.
U. S. A. Eng. U. S. A. Eng . U. S. A. Eng. U . S . A. Eng.

Feet above sea level 83 85 126
1 31 1 51 169
103
106 200 2 79

Blecations of 1W1"IIWI wa te?' s urj uce of Oconee R iv er

Junction Ocon ee and Ocmul gee Mouth Ochwalk ee Ore ek Mouth Pues Oree k Dublin
Mouth B uff a lo Cre ek Milledge\"ille

ri ve rs

U. S. A. E n g. U. S . A. E ng . U. S. A. Eng. U. S. A. Eng.
U. S. A. Eng. U. S . A. Eng.

Feet above s ea level 83
11 0 155 161
193 241

RIVER ALTITUDES IN COASTAL PLAINS

163

Elevation s 0/ nonnal l eat el' su r / ace 0/ Oy eecll ee R iv el'

Con es B r-id ge, o ppo site P i rreo ra

Point 1 milo above 'I'a ylo r-ts Lnndi ng, l 1h mil es below poin t d u o eas t of B ro ok le t .,

Mou th ~Iill Or., d u e ea st o~ Leland __ . _.

P oint 1 mil e a bov e mouth Uo;eeeh ee Ore ek .

~Iou th Bu ck Cr eek

__ . .. . __ .

P oint opposite Do ver

_.

Lon e Bri dge , opposit e Og ocche e .,



.

Po in t du e sou th of R ock )' Fo r d Po int 1 mil o below S cn r boro

.. ._..

Po in t d ue So u th west of Paramore H ill S te _ .

P oint 1 ., m iles a bnve Millen brid ge

. _.

Midville

U. S . G.S .
U. S. G.S . U. S . G. S . U . S . G. S . U . S . G. S .. U . S . G. S . U. S. G. S. U. S . G. S . U . S . G. S. U. S. G. S. U. S . G. S . U. S. G. S.

F . et nb o e. Bea level 40
50 60 70 80 90 100 11 0 12 0 130 140 168

Hl ccu tion 0/ Iwrll1ul lv a l er su rjucc 0/ SI . J/arys R i vCI'

P oin t 7 m iles no r th of St . Geo rg e At St . Geo r ge .

P oin t :::! ~ mil es due no rth of point on ri ver du e eas t. of S tok es ville

P oin t 2 ~ mil es sou the ast of S tok es vllle a t poi nt where river turns north

P oint 6 ., m iles nort h of Gle n SI. ~I a rr I-'In.

P oin t 4 ., miles south of 1II0 nia c

.

Po int 1 ., mil es so u t h of ~I oni a c

Po i nt 1 milo north of Mon ia c

U . S. G. S. . _. . U . S. G. S.
__ G. S . G. S.
U. S. G. S. U. S. G. S. U. S. G. S. U. S . G. S . U . S . G. S.

Fe et a bol'~ 8Ca. l ev el 10 21
30
40 50 80 90 10 0

Elcuation s 0/ nonll al lea IeI' SIII"fUCC 0/ Bacanna li R iner

E ben ezer Cr eok Sist er s Fer ry, opposite
B ri er Creok B r ier Cree k es ti ma te d

CI)o .

U . S . A. Eng. U. S. A. E ng. O. S . A. E ng.
U. S . G. S.

Cohe ns B luff Ldg., S . C. 4 mil es a bove mou th B r ier Creek Bla ck Creek L andin g

B u r ton ' s Fe rry, d u e ea s t of :.li llh a ven

P oint 2 mil es below B u r ke-S cre ven line .

~

B u r k e-Sc r even County li n e, esti m at ed

U. S . G. S . U . S . A. E ng.
C . S. G. S. U. S. G. S. U. S. G. S.

S teel Cr eek Ld g., S . C. 6 m il es a bo ve Burke-Screven li n e S hell Bl uff Ldg., est ima te d.,
Shell B luff Ldg.

U. S . G. S . U . S . G. ::S.
U . S. A. E ng.

Mou th of MeB enn Creck, eslimnted .

Mo u th of MeB enn Cr eek

~

L ittle Sp i r it Creek

Au gus ta , estimat ed

Au gust"

U . S . G. S. U. S . A. Eng.
U. S. G. S. U . S . G. S. U . S . A. Eng.

P oint 1 ., m iles abo ve S . A. L. Crossing n enr CI)"o

U. S. G. S.

H u dson' s Ferry, 2 m iles a bove S cr even -E ffi n gh am li n e

U. S . G. S.

Po or Robin L a n dg., d u e enst of po int 3 % mil es sou th of Sylvan ia __U. S. G. S.

Feet nbo t"
Bea l evel 14 20 46
50 43 60 70 74 80 92 87 95 87 1 00 J 09 l Oa
20 30 40

164

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA

Blcoa t ions of 110r'!IUI icater su rfa ce of Sa til la R iver

Po int 2 m iles ab ove W ay n e Camden County line P oi nt betw een L u lu ton an d Atk i nson at A. C. L . bridge T r udi e
Point opposit e W a)cr oss. at A. C. L . Crossing

U. S. G. S. U . S. G. S. U. S. G. S. U . S. G. S.

Feet aboce sea level
10 10
31 71.8

Satill ..

Elevati ons of n O/"mal Ka ter s ur f ace of Li t t le Satilla P ork

F eet abov~ sea level

A. C. L .

71

Min eola

E'l evatiolls of 1I 0rmal 1ca t er s urjace of l l' i t hlacooehec R iv er

Feet aboce

sea level

0 . S. &, F.

1 24

INDEX

P age A

Accumulations of oil Altamahn upland Alte ration of ro cks Alt i t uGdeeosrgi ian th e Coa stal

Pla in

_ _

3845 63

_

1 5

of 1 4 9 -1 61

Alum B lu ff formation Appendix A. Append ix B .

8384 140 -1 4 8 149 -1 64

App al a chian mountains Appuluchla n va lley

6970 70

A rte si an w ell "'0. 2, Alb any, log oL _ 9 394

B

Barnwell fo rma tio n, s tra ta Ba se definition oL
B e rry, E . W ., cit ed B lowou ts

_ _

80 22

1, 74 , 75, 76

_

55

a

Culorifi c v alu e of oils Ceno zoic e ra Ohamberlain , cited

_ 2324

_

16

_

1

Char lton fo rmation

_

86

Chattahoochee for matio n

_ 8 1 82

Chemic al composit ion of petroleum _

24

Cla ib orn e gro up of san ds an d cla ys __

78

Clas sifications of oil s

_

24

Olnss itlcu tions of rocks

_ 5-10

Clays, Cailbornc g r oup.,

_

78

Olays, " 'il cox Ior m ution

_ 77 7 8

Close d monoclin nl st r at a

_ 41 ..13

Coal serie s and petrol eum s erie s , com..

pnr-ison of

_

32

Coal , relations betw een pet roleu m and

natural gas

_

29

Conditions essential to the form ati on of

oil in comm ercial qu antities __ _ _ 3 3 -48

Con stru cti on of oil an d g a s, w ells, in

Georgia , p roposed bill

142-148

Conver sion of oil

3638

Cooke, C. W ., cited

12 7 6 7 8 7 9 -8 1

Cor r ela t ion ta ble of Prin cipal Gulf

Cons t form ations

_ 9 0 -92

Cretace ous sy st em Cum be rla n d Pl ut eau

_ 7 3 -7 6

_

71

Coast al Plain, g en e ral fea tu res of _ 5 9-64

Co a s tal Plain of Geo rgia, g eolo gy oL _ 72 -89

Coas tal Pl ain of Georgi a and adja cent

a reas, gen e rali zed stru cture of __ 131 -132

Coa stal Plain of Georgia, a ltitu de s in _14 9 1 6 1

Coas tal Pla in of Georgi a, r iver

a lt it u d es

1 62 16 1

Colu m bi a Grou p, Ok ef enokee fo rm ution Colu mbia Group of Pl ei st ocene se ries Columbia G rou p, S ntilln f o rm nt lc u c .;

Comp ar ison of petroleum series an d

coal s er ies

_

Con cltousr)io' ns, summary of geologic 'hi s-

8789 8 7-90 89 -90
32
1 6 -1 7

Con clusions on stru ctu ral con ditions of

t he Coa st al Plu l n of Geo rgia

1 32 1 3 3

D

D uy , D av id T. , cite d

1, 19, 20

D eep w ells o f the Con stnl P la i n D efinition s of terms

93, 1 05 17, 18

Deposits of J nck son a ge

7 8- 8 0

Distilla tion f ractions of oiL _ _ __ _ _ __ _

24

D ivi nin g rods, doodle bu gs , w igg le

stic ks , etc .

53

Di vi sions of Georgin , physicgra phicc .,

58

D oodle bug Do ugh e rty plain Duplin Marl

P age 53 62 85

E

Ea rth movemen ts

3, 4

E le va t io ns , f ullacy of

55

E le vati ons on surface ex po sures

11 5 -11 6

l;;mmons, \ V. H ., ci ted_ _ _ ___ ___ _____ 1, 34

E oce n e seri es

7 6 -80

Ero sion a nd depositi on

2, 3

E ut a w form atio n strata o f_ _ _ __ _ _ __ _

74

Ex pa nslon o f oil s

23

Fa cto rs , no n -structu ral

49-5 1

P all olifn et,h epetroleum pos s ibili ties north 135-13 8

F a ll line hills

_

61

F a ll line, oil prospect w ells n or th of t he 1 3 8

F ulla ey of Gas, blowouts

_

55

F ulluc y o f vege tat ion

_

55

Fu lla cy o f topograph y

_

53

Falla cy of mi g rati on of oiL

_

5 1

P nlla cie s relativ e to petroleum and

n atu ral ga s , popul a r

_ 5356

Fuvorub le structures for oil

_ 4 0 4 5

Featur es of Ge orgia , phyaing r n phic F lash po int of oils

_ _

58 71 23

Folded strata , in str um ental

_ .10 , 4 1

F o rm nti on s of Const a l P lain of Geor -

gi a, geolo gi c

_

72

Forma tions, regional dip of

_

90

F o rces ca u sing the movem en t of oiL _

39

F ut u re supp ly of p e troleu m

_ 20, 21

G

Gas blowou ts, Iulla cy o f

_ 55

Geol ogi cal d is t r ib u ti on of p e t r oleum _ _

19

Ge ologi c tim e ta ble

_

12

Ge ology of th e Coast al Plain of Geo rgi a 72 -89

Geolog ic fo rmation

_

81

Geol0G'i'eicorfgoiramation of Coa st al P la i n o_f

72

Geologi c hi s to ry, s u m ma r y of

_ 1316

Geographic dist ri buti on of pet roleum

20

Geo rgia P e t rol eum Oil Com pliny _

56

Gener al con clu sio ns on P etroleum

po ssibili ti es of Geo r gia

1 3 914 0

Gen e ral con sid erations relati ve to the

p ro d uc ti on of oil lind g as-

140142

Gen e ral f eatu r es of Co as tal Pillin __ _ _ 59 64

Gen eral geol ogi cal p rin cipl es

2-1 7

Gen ertiaoln s princi pl es of oil nc cu m ulu_

38

Gen eral relations betw een petro leum ,

coal and natural ga s

26

General str uctu ral evi denc e

12 7-129

Gene ral s urface appea rance

53

Generali ze d s t ruc t u re of t he Coa sta l

aPrleaains of Georgi a lin d adj acent1 31 1 32

H

H agel', D orsey cited

_

H inso1>nll nO)"il, Gas a n d D evelopm en t Corn_-

H isto rica l notes on petroleum.i., _

Hi sto ry of Oil p ro spe ct ing in Georg ia

Hist ory, au mm u r 'y of geolog ic

_

H untley, cite d

_

1
57 1 8 1 9 50 -58 1 3-1 6
1

INDEX

I
Indications of oil s t r uc t u r a L Inorganic th eory of oiL Lntrodu ctory

P age _ 51-53 _ 3334 _ I, 2

J

Ja ck son Ag e, d ep osit s oL _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ 7 9-8 0

J oh n son and Hun tl ey , cit ed

1, 19, 37

L

L ens-sh aped po rou s beds oL __ _ _ _ _ _ 43 14

Li fe ta0b11le earth an d Geologi ca'l- tim_e

Lime-s ink region, Southe rn

_

Lo cation of oil an d gus tes t well s _

l.ag o f ci ty a rtesian w ell Xo. 2, Albnn v, Gu.

10-13 64
4 95 :1
9394

L og of oil pros pect w ell a t Scotland,

T elf a i r Cou nt y

97 98

L og of oil prospect w ell at F r ed el, 10

mil es so ut h of W ay cross - - - - - - - - 98-1 01 Lo g of oil p r os pe ct w ell of middle Ga .
Oil and Gus Company, 13 m i. we st

of H a zlehurs t, J eff D avi s co u nty 10 2-10 5

L og oil p rosp e ct w ell near D octo rt own,

W ayn e Cou n ty

10 1-1 02

L og of p ro sp ect we ll at Cherokee Hill, 6 mi . N. W . of Savan na IL _ __ _ _ _ _ 94 -97

Lo gs o f well s used in determining s tr uc -

ture contour lin es

121127

Lower Cretaceo us ( 1) undiffe r entiat ed ,

stra ta

_

Lowland, sati lla coa sta l

_

Lu ca s, A . F., cit ed

_

74 66-68
56

~

~Iabery, O. F ., cited Marks H ead Marl

--

_ _

84,

24 85

)leB ean fo rmat ion sa n ds , cluys, o f _

~1 c C alli e S. W . cited

_

78 58

Mesozoi c era

_ 15, 16

~ eth od s em ployed in d ete r m in i n g

st ruct ures

_ 107

~Iidd l e Georgia Oil and Ga s Comp a n y

57

~ idwa)" fo rm uti on, sa nds an d cla ys of 7 6-77

Mig ratIoll of oil , I ullu cy o f

_

54

Mincrul con tents of ro ck s

_

68

:Mioce n e se ries , strat a

_ 8 2-8 7

Mio cenc deposit s, un cla ssifi ed

_

86

Mountain s, Appulachiu u ~[u rray, Ro bert cit ed

_ _

69 -70 2

N

N atu ral Ga s, rela tio ns between petro-

leum and co aL

_

30

Newberry, J. S., cited

_

34

Non-etructuru l factors of oiL

_ 49 51

o

Ocala limestone

_ 79, 80

Oil and Gus te st wells, loca tion

_ 49 -5 3

Oil , ac cum ulation

_ 38 -45

Oils , calorific va lue

_ 23 , 2 .1

Oil s, clas sificati ons

_

~4

Oil , conversl on

_

36 -3 8

Oils , dis till ation fraction s

_

24

Oil, fa vorable s truct ures

_ 10 -45

Oil fo rces cau sing th e movement

_

39

Oil prosp ect i ng in Georg ia, hi st ory_ _ 5 6 -5 8

Oil plirnoespect well s north of the Full 1 38

Oil , reten tio n Oil seeps in Georgia

-15 -49 1 2 9 1 31

Oil , source Ok ef enokee pl ain
Ok efcGnrookuepe form ation of
Oligocene ser ies, s trata Org ani c t he ory of oiL Orto n , E d wa r d, cite d Oth er struc t ures of s t rata

3P3-a3g6e 65, 66

Columbi_a
_ _ _ _

8 7 -8 9 80 -82 33 -34
34
44

P

P ale ozoi c era

_

15

P a raffin ser ies, some common memb e rs

27

P et rol eum, ch emical composit io n _

24

Petroleum, color

_

22

P et ro leum, future supply

_ 20, 21

P etrol eum, geo log ica l dis tribution _

19

P et roleum , geog ra phi c di st ribution _

20

P etrol eum, hi st or ical notes

_ 1 8 , 19

P etroflaelulamci easn d natura l ga s, pop ular 53 56

Pe troleum and natural g us , general

cons i derat ions

16 -17

P et roleum, od or

_

22

Pet roleum, pbysicnl propert)" _ _ _ _ __ _ _ 21 -2-1

P et roFl eauUmlinpeossibilities nort h of th e13 5-13 8

P et rol eum po ssi bili ties in Coast al pl ain _13 8 -139

Petrol eum possib ilitie s of Geo rgia,

g eneral con cl us ions

13 9 -140

Petroleum, relations be tween coal and

n atu ral gus

_

26

P etroleum ser ies and coa l se ries , com-

p a r i son

32

Petroleum, s pecific gr av ity_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 1-22

Petroleu m, u ses

18

P et ro leum vi sco sity of

23

Pbysi og -rnp h ie divisions of Gec r gi n.,.,

58

PPhi eydsmi oogn-rtuphPileatfeeaautu res of Geo r gia __ _ _ 6858, 7691

P irsson, L . V ", cited __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ 1, 8

Pl a in, Okef enokee

65 -6 6

Plain, Do u gh e r ty

62

Pl ateau , Piedm ont Plat eau, Cu mbe rla n d

6 8, 6 9 71

P lei stocen e se ries

87

Pli ocen e (l) se r ies

86

P opula r fall aci es relati ve to petrol eum

a n d n a tu ral ga s

5 356

P orosity of rocks

38

Po ssiPb lleainsources of oil i n the Cons ta l1 3 3 -1 3 5

Pre-Ar ch ean ti me

13, 14

P r opo sed bill governing th e constit u tGioenorgofia oil and ga s well s, etc " in142 -14 8

Prospect weU at Che r okee Hill, 6

m i. X. W. of Sav annah

9 4-9 7

Pros pec t w ell at Scotl and, T elfair

county, log of oil

97 -98

Prospect wel l at P redel, 10 m i . south

of Waycross, log oL

98 -10 1

Prosp ect w ell near D octo rtown, ' Vay nc

cou nty, log oL

101-1 02

P rospect well of middle Geo rgi a, oil a nd Gas Oompa ny, 12 mi. w est of oHfa zelhurst, Jeff Davis count)", log 10 2-105

P rot erozoi c era

14., 1 5

Q Qu at ern ar)' system

8 7-90

R

Regional di p of form at ion s

90

R elations between petroleum, coal an d

na tu ral gas

26

INDEX

R etention of oil

45 -4 9

R iple y f ormation stra ta oL __ _ __ _ _ _ _

75

R i verplaailnt itudes in Geo rg ia coas tal1 62 -1 64

Roc ks, char act er of

9

Ho cks, che mical composit io n of __ _ _ _ _

8

Ro cks, imp ervious ca pp ing

39

Ro cks, min eral conte nts of

68

Hom e petroleu m a n d I ron Compa n yc.; Rocks, porosity of Roc ks , tex ture of

. 58 38
8, 9

R ock s, types oL __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ 5 , 6

S

Sa n ds of elays, Wilcox fo rmati on Sall sb ury, cited

77 , 78 1

Satilla form ati on of Colu m bia S a till a Coasta l low la n d Seeps i n Ge orgia, oiL
S hea re r, H . K _, cite d Shu chert, cited

Grou p , 89 -90 66-68
12 9 -131
I , 78, 79 1

SSoo mureced eocfp owilell s of t he Coa sta l P la i n 933-31-3056

Sources o f oil in t he Coastal P lain __1 3 3 -1 3 5

So uthe rn lime-si nk reg io ll ____ ______

64

S tep henso n, L . W ., cite d Strata , fold ed

7 3, 7 1, 75 40 41

S trata , lens -sh ap ed porous bed s oL _ Str ata , ot her s tr u ctu re s Strata , closed m ono cli n nl
S tra tati,atleodw er cretaceous ( 1) und ifferen -

4 3-44 44
4 1-4 3
74

Strata , Ripley fonnation

75

St ra t a , Uppe r Cretaceous ( 1) undi ffer-

entinte d

7 5 7 6

S trat a , Eu taw fo rm a tion

74

St r ucotfuraGleocrogniad it ion s in Coa st a l P la in 10 7 -12 9

S tru ctural con dition s of th e coasta l

plain of Georgia , conc lusions 1 32 -1 3 3

S tru ct u ra l area No . 1 of coa s tal pla i n _10 7-109

Structuru l a rea No. 2 of coastal pl a i n _1 09 -111

S tr uctura l area No . 3 of coastal p la in _1l2-115

Steph en son , L . 'V ., cite d

1, 2, 8.1, 85

S t ruct ure of t he Coa stal Plain o f Geor -

igziead and a djacent areas, ge ne ra l-1 3 1-132

S tru ctu re contour li nes, logs of w ell s

u sed i n d et e r mining

121 -127

S tru ct ural eviden ce, g en eral

127-12 9

Structures of oil , fa vo rable

40-45

Structu rnl ind ica ti on s of oiL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 51 -5 :3

S tr uctu rn l m a p, well da t a u sed fo r _ _1l7-12 0

S truc tures, su m ma r y

45

Sum mPalariyn of d eep we ll logs of coasta l 10 6

Su mmm-y of geo logic histor;y___ __ __ _ 1 3-I G

Summa T)" of re la tion a betw een p et ro -

S umm a ry of st ructures

45

T

T abl e, geo log ic time Terti ar y syste m

_

12

_ 7 6 -8 6

Term s , defin itions of

_ 17, 18

Te st we lls , oil an d gas locntion Texture of rocks T hom, W . T _ Jr., cited
Three Cr eeks Oil Company

_ 4 9 , 53

_ 8, 9

_

2

_

57

Th eo ry of oil, in or ga nic a nd orga nic __

T ime t ab le, geologi c

_

T op ng r aphy, f alla cy of

_

'I'yp es of r ock s

_

33 -34 12 53
5, 6

U

U n classified Miocene d eposits

86

U ndicflfaeyresn, teitact.ed Clnri bo r ne deposi ts ,

79

UppesrtraCtraetaceou s ( I) un di ffer en ti a ted , 7 5, 7 6

V
Va Be)', Ap pal a ch ia n Vau g han, T . 'V ., cite d Veatch , Otto, cited V eg et ntion , fn llucy oL Vicksburg Group

_

70

_ 1, 94

1 , 8 4, 85

_

54

_

.8 0

W

W ay cr oss Oil a n d Ga s COlllpa ny_ _ _ _ _ _

57

W el l mdaapta used in m nki ng s tr uct ur al 117-12 0

W iggle Sticks

53

W ilcox formatio n

7 7, 7 8

Woolen , J . F . cited

2