MANGAONE OIL FIELDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 24 June 1913, Page 7

MANGAONE OIL FIELDS.

AN INTERESTING REPORT. Tlio following is the text of the report submitted to the directors of the Mangaone Oil Fields, Ltd., by M. R. Speight, M.Ss., F.G.S., M. Aust. of tho Canterbury Museum: —

"In accordance with instructions recefved from your secretary, I have visited your company's property at Tane, Eketahuna, in order to he in a. position to give an opinion as to the advisability of continuing the present bore beyond a depth of two thousand feet. During my stay, Mr Herman, chief of the drilling staff, gave me all information he could, and accompanied me for the major part of tho two days I spent m examining thfc locality. He showed me Bnmples of tho beds encountered »t various levels, and gave valuable and reliable data on the_ lie of the various geological formations in the vicinity. Although he is not a geologist. I found his observations remarkably accurate in all these cases where J was able to test them personally. . "From an examination of the samples from tho bore, it is evident that the beds encountered for a flepth of 1800 feet are almost entirely of papa of varying hardness, only two layers of sandy material being recorded, in one of which there were Blight traces of oil. i 'Gas has issued from the pipe in sufficient quantities to be burnt and give a steady flame, and the volume increases with the depth; owing to an accident to the bore, I was not able to confirm the statement from actual observation, but it has been verified to me by Mr White, a member t: *of your board. Tho presence of gas and traces of oil. are -distinctly; cncqurag,ingj. apd shoyv conclusively - that .tho. area is petroliferous, but its' actual.- capacity as a producer on a commercial scale can only be determined by . fivrtho.r boring. ' : . "During th? tune at my disposal I mado a.s careful an exanUnation of the. country in the vicinity as time and weather conditions allowed, pariticular notice being paid to that part lying to the east and south of the bore. ft is practically certain that the beds already encountered will continue to be the same in to a much greater depth. This could be predicted with certainty, but for a disturbance of the beds which 6ccurs about a mile c-ast of the bore, the effect of which, in the absence of the proper exposures, it is impossible to determine exactly. But allowing for all contingencies likely to occur, it is reasonably certain that the same class of beds will continue to the 2500 feet level, and may continue further, with a probable increase in the amount of sand as they are followed" down. There is a marked similarity in the character of these beds to those known to contain oil in the New Plymouth and Gisborno districts. "In view of the increasing amount of gas in the bore, and the occurrence of small quantities of petroleum in one of tho deeper sandstone layers, taken in conjunction with the nature of the beds themselves it would be in my opinion ft mistaken step, to abandon this bore at the present stage. It should be continned to tho lowest lixit possib! unless payable petroleum is encountered before this is reached. I think, however, it would _be advisable to reconsider this position after a further depth of -WO feet is readier, that is about the 2300 ft level, in -the light of additional evidence that may be forthcoming. There is, however. one circumstance which should be borne in mind, viz., underlying the. papa.is .au older formation winch is absolutely non. petroliferous and which is in evidence on the ridge between Kketahuna and the Mangaone: Valley. . This forms an irregular ; floor on which the papa beds rest, and sjiould it be met with in further boring, drilling operations should he at once discontinued at that «not. I do not. think, however, that this is> likely to appear b?fore the depth of 2500 feet is reached. 1 should also recommend that if possible a;:i> analysis of the gas from the bore should be made by a competent analyst. This miidit give one indication as to whether or not it is derived from n source of petroleum situated below.

"These peroral conclusions 1 gave to the moving hold at Mr White's house at the time of my vi.vit, mid wliat I aid tlicn I noiv conSra. I mn sorry tlmt llu l wontlior mid tlio shortness of the time at my disposal prevented m? going into tlio matter of tlio site for another bore as fully as the question really demands. I was, however, able to come to tlio conclusion that it should be situated in the Maniraone Valley, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Mr Godfrey's property. The most advantageous position could inot be arrived at exactly without several clays' examination of the locality. but one fact sliould be borne in mind in making a selection, viz., the underlying formation of older rock is very near the. line of mineral spring and gas vonts, and sufficient interval should be allowed, in order to keep as clear as possible from its influence, T am of the opinion, which 1111forttfftntely lacks p::sitivo confirmation, that this line is either associated with a fault running alontr th? western s'.de of the Mangaone alley nr that these springs haw followed up along th. 1 .junction of the papa beds and tile underlying older rock. In either case it would he well to put some distance between the site of the bore and th 1 line of spring. "I should like ta say. in conclusion, that I consider that the site for the first bore was selected with all due consideration to the conditions obtaining in the locality, while if another bor? were put down in the Manaaone Valley somewhere in the ; neighbourhood of the spot indicated, tlio western part would also be tested. Th? presence of the gas emanations and the salt -springs certainly . point to the presence of petrolaceons beds in that locality, and their possibilities could in all probability be estimated by a bore put down' to a depth of between 2000 and 30fW feet."

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