. Bulletin. UNDERGROUND LOSSES. 163 about Novpnihor, 191S, and has boon blowinjx wild ever since. A crater \vastlion imniediatoly formed and a number of otlier gas blowouts occurred allaround this well for a distance of about 800 feet. It is said that the rockpressure on the surrounding wells was reduced perceptibly after this wellhad been blowing for some time. At the time we were there (March, 1919)tlu-re wore a number of very shallow pools of water standing all around intlu neighborhood and numerous bubbles of gas were visible over very largeareas. , LOSSES DUE TO PERFORATING ALL SANDS. If


. Bulletin. UNDERGROUND LOSSES. 163 about Novpnihor, 191S, and has boon blowinjx wild ever since. A crater \vastlion imniediatoly formed and a number of otlier gas blowouts occurred allaround this well for a distance of about 800 feet. It is said that the rockpressure on the surrounding wells was reduced perceptibly after this wellhad been blowing for some time. At the time we were there (March, 1919)tlu-re wore a number of very shallow pools of water standing all around intlu neighborhood and numerous bubbles of gas were visible over very largeareas. , LOSSES DUE TO PERFORATING ALL SANDS. If gas will migrate laterally 800 feet as described above and forceits way vertically through several hundred feet of formation, someidea may be gained as to the harm that will result from exposing. 29.—Sketch showing entrance of water into oil sand and its migration to aproperly drilled well, from the use of only one string of casing in first well. AfterBull. 82, California State Mining Bureau, p. oil and gas to porous formations underground. In California, par-ticularly, the tendenc}^ is for the operators to perforate oppositeseveral sands, although they are not certain that all of them are oiland gas bearing. Much oil and gas is under enormous rock pres-sure, and undoubtedly the perforation of all sands causes a largeunderground waste. This condition is brought out in Plate XXI. LOSSES CAUSED BY NOT KNOWING PRODUCING ZONE. Tremendous losses may be caused by the operators failing torealize the exact horizon that affords production. Often carefulstudy by the petroleum engineer will show the depth at which awell would be expected to encounter the producing zone, and theforeman Avould thus be prepared to handle the well in a proper 164 UNDERGROUND CONDITIONS IN OIL


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectminesandmineralresou