Press Bulletin Series 
 
 F<<r the Oil and Gas Industry 
 
 S 
 
 14.GS: 
 IP 48 
 c. 3l 
 
 STATE OF ILLINOIS 
 
 DWIGHT H. GREEN, Governor 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION 
 
 FRANK G. THOMPSON. Director 
 
 DIVISION OF THE 
 
 STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
 
 M. M. LEIGHTON, Chief 
 URBANA 
 
 No. 48 
 
 ILLINOIS PETROLEUM 
 Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois 
 
 March 25, 1044 
 Release Date April 3. 
 
 SUBSURFACE STRUCTURE AND OIL POSSIBILITIES OF PARTS OF 
 CLAY, MARION, AND WAYNE COUNTIES 
 
 BY 
 William H. Easton 
 
 Introduction 
 
 The area included in this structural 
 study was chosen because preliminary 
 contouring revealed undrilled "highs" 
 that might produce oil. The top of the 
 Levias member of the Ste. Genevieve 
 formation was contoured because it is 
 stratigraphically near the possible pro- 
 ducing formations and because the struc- 
 tural features are not confused either by 
 unknown variations of Chester sedimen- 
 tation or by post-Mississippian erosion. 
 Post-Mississippian erosion in this area cut 
 down into shales within the Kinkaid for- 
 mation in many places and into the 
 massive limestone of the Menard forma- 
 tion in at least one place. 
 
 A structure map of the north half of 
 the area, including Ts. 2 and 3 N., Rs. 4 
 and 5 E., was prepared by Weller and 
 Bell 1 , who used the top of the Omega 
 limestone (Pennsylvanian) as their refer- 
 ence horizon. They named a closed 
 dome centering in sec. 23, T. 3 N., R. 5 
 E., the Xenia dome and showed an anti- 
 cline rising to the west with its axis ex- 
 tending through the center of sec. 9, T. 
 3 N., R. 4 E. A rising of structure south- 
 southeast of sec. 33, T. 3 N., R. 5 E., was 
 indicated. In the seven years since the 
 earlier report was published, enough wells 
 have been drilled into the Ste. Genevieve 
 formation to furnish adequate control for 
 a structural study based on that forma- 
 tion . 
 
 'Weller, J. M., and Bell. A. H. Geology and oil and 
 gas possibilities of parts of Marion and Clay counties: 
 Illinois Geol. Survey Rept. Inv. No. 40, fig. 4. 1936. 
 
 Structural Features 
 
 The principal structural feature of the 
 area is an anticline which is here desig- 
 nated the Siloam anticline (from Siloam 
 School in sec. 27, T. 3 N., R. N. E.), the 
 axis of which extends from northwest to 
 southeast across the mapped area. The 
 Xenia pool lies upon a small dome on this 
 anticline, here named the Paine dome 
 (from Paine School in sec. 5, T. 2 N., R. 
 5 E.), and located in parts of sees. 4, 5, 8, 
 and 9, T. 2 N., R. 5 E. 
 
 A subsidiary prong of the Siloam anti- 
 cline passes from north to south through 
 T. 2 N., R. 4 E., and is here named the 
 luka anticline (from the town of Iuka); 
 it appears to have closure, in which 
 case it may more properly be called a 
 dome. The small dome whose flanks lie 
 in sees. 24, 25, and 36, T. 3 N., R. 5 E., is 
 here named the Kenner dome (from 
 Kcnner pool). A closed "low" lies im- 
 mediately west of Kcnner dome. 
 
 The well (elevation 473 feet) in sec. 4, 
 T. 2 N., R. 4 E., encountered salt water 
 at the total depth of 1 780 feet. It is prob- 
 able that the water came from the De- 
 gonia sandstone. The top of the Levias 
 limestone is estimated to be 870 feet be- 
 low the top of the Degonia at the location 
 of that well, hence the top of the Levias is 
 calculated to be at 2650 feet. An "oil 
 sand" was logged from 1549 to 1553 feet 
 but this does not necessarily mean that 
 an oil show was encountered, because 
 drillers commonly describe sandstones as 
 "oil sands" if they resemble producing 
 
STRUCTURE AND OIL POSSIBILITIES 
 
 Fig. 1. Index map of the south part of Illinois showing the location of the area covered by this 
 report (see fig. 2). 
 
CLAY, MARION, AND WAYNE COUNTIES 
 
 sandstones in other respects. These re- 
 marks are included here to correct and to 
 correlate the driller's log as previously 
 published. 2 
 
 The structural interpretation for the 
 area near the wells in sees. 4 and 6, T. 2 
 N., R. 4 E., could vary between two 
 reasonable extremes. On the one hand, 
 contours can be drawn to continue the 
 anticline northward without closure by 
 connecting the neighboring -2150 con- 
 tours. On the other hand, the -2175 con- 
 tour could be closed off around the north 
 end of the dome, which would result in 
 closer spacing of the contours to the 
 north. The interpretation used by the 
 writer is midwa / between the two ex- 
 extremes, utilizing one closed contour. 
 Existence of the Iuka anticline, however, 
 can be demonstrated independently of the 
 interpretation used for the well in sec. 4 
 by using other wells for control. 
 
 Oil Possibilities 
 
 Future drilling in the area may result 
 in the extension of the Xenia pool in sees. 
 4, 5, 8, and 9, T. 2 N., R. 5 E., by a few 
 new wells but additional drilling there 
 does not seem advisable under present 
 well-spacing restrictions. :i The well in 
 sec. 5 tested the Devonian unsuccessfully. 
 A summary of depths to key horizons for 
 this well follows the text. 
 
 According to present data, the high 
 portion of the luka anticline (hachured 
 area on fig. 2) appears favorable for oil 
 exploration. The crest of the structure 
 seems to be located in the vSW. x /i SW. 34 
 sec. 16, T. 2 N., R. 4 E. If test drilling 
 is done, wells should test the Ste. Gene- 
 vieve formation, the top of which proba- 
 bly lies about 2130 feet below sea -level 
 on the high part of the structure. This 
 estimate is based upon correlations be- 
 tween the well in sec. 20 and the well in 
 sec. 22. 
 
 A favorable region, even though no 
 closure is indicated by present data, is 
 the hachured area including portions of 
 sees. 14, 15, 22, and 23, T. 2 N., R. 5 E. 
 The dip along the axis of the Si loam 
 anticline there is only about one-seventh 
 of a degree, an amount at variance with 
 
 s Blatchley. R. S. Oil resources of Illinois with special 
 reference to the area outside of the Southeastern fields: 
 Illinois State Geol. Survey Bull. 16, p. 79, 1910. 
 
 :l Manuscript prepared in February 1941. 
 
 the dip of about three-fourths of a degree 
 off the top of the Paine dome. The well 
 in sec. 24 had shows of oil in the Bethel 
 and Aux Vases sandstones and in the Ste. 
 Genevieve formation, a feature which is 
 encouraging for prospects of obtaining 
 production up the dip from that well. 
 There is ample room in the hachured area 
 for a closed high as large as or larger than 
 that on which Xenia pool is located. A 
 well in the vicinity of the corner of sees. 
 14, 15, 22, and 23, T. 2 N., R. 5 E., would 
 determine whether closure exists. If 
 there is closure, the top of the Ste. Gene- 
 vieve should be encountered not more 
 than about 2325 feet below sea-level. 
 Special attention should be given to 
 possibilities of commercial production 
 from the Bethel and Aux Vases sandstones 
 in any well drilled in the area. 
 
 Although shows of oil have been en- 
 countered in other wells in the townships, 
 further drilling is not warranted from 
 present indications. 
 
 Depths to key horizons in the Northern Ordnance, 
 Inc.—J. Sapp well No. 1, sec. 5, T. 2 N., R. 5 
 E , Clay County, Illinois 
 
 Calculated from the electric log and checked by 
 study of samples by Mr. S. Folk of the State 
 Geological Survey. 
 
 Depth 
 
 Mississippian system (feet) 
 
 Chester series 
 
 Top Upper Kinkaid limestone 1818 
 
 " Lower Kinkaid limestone 1917 
 
 " Menard limestone 2118 
 
 " Vienna limestone 2241 
 
 " Tar Springs sandstone 2248 
 
 " Glen Dean limestone 2347 
 
 Base Glen Dean limestone 2356 
 
 Top Golconda limestone 2428 
 
 Basal Golconda limestone 
 
 ("Barlow") 2525 
 
 Base Basal Golconda limestone 2538 
 
 Top Cypress sandstone 2586 
 
 " Bethel sandstone 2718 
 
 " Renault limestone 2771 
 
 " Aux Vases sandstone 2810 
 
 Iowa series 
 
 Ste. Genevieve formal ion 
 
 Top Levias limestone member 2838 
 
 " Rosiclare sandstone member. . .2852 
 " Fredonia limestone member. ..2871 
 
 Top Lower < (sage sandsti me 
 
 ."Carper") 4228 
 
 " Chouteau limestone 4328 
 
 " New All 'am shale 4355 
 
 Top New Albany Devonian transition 
 
 zone 4470 
 
 1 )evonian system 
 
 Top Devonian limestone 4485 
 
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 in 2012 with funding from 
 
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