The following table summarizes the distribution of the oil production in the United States, together with the salient features of its geologic distribution and character.
This table, in conjunction with Fig. 8 below, shows clearly that the bulk of the United States production of oil comes from two great sources--the Pennsylvanian sandstones of the Mid-Continent field in Kansas and Oklahoma, and the Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments of the southern half of California. Phenomenal development of the Central and North Texas field in 1919 increased its yield to about one-sixth of the country's total. The older Appalachian oil field, extending from New York to West Virginia and Tennessee, was the earliest area discovered; it is still one of the more productive fields, though it has long since passed its maximum production. The other principal sources of oil are the Gulf Coast field in Louisiana and Texas, the North Louisiana field, the southern Illinois field, and the Rocky Mountain region. This last region, containing large amounts of government land recently opened to exploration, bids fair to produce increasing quantities of oil for some time.
PAST PRODUCTION OF PETROLEUM IN THE UNITED STATES. (FIGURES FROM U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY)
-------------+-----------------+----------+-----------+--------------- | | | | _Total | _Age of | |_Production| production | containing | | for 1918 |including 1918 _State_ | rocks_ | _Base_ |(barrels)_ |(barrels)_ -------------+-----------------+----------+-----------+--------------- Alaska |East-Low. |Paraffin | (a) | (a) | Tertiary | | | | West-Jurassic | | | California |Cretaceous: | | | | Tertiary |Asphalt | 97,531,997| 1,110,226,576 Colorado |Pierre-Cretaceous|Paraffin | 143,286| 11,319,370 Illinois |Mississippian- |Paraffin | 13,365,974| 298,225,380 | Pennsylvanian | | | Indiana |East-Ordovician |Paraffin | 877,558| 106,105,584 | (Trenton) West-| | | | Pennsylvanian | | | Kansas |Pennsylvanian |Par.-Asph.| 45,451,017| 148,450,298 Kentucky, |Mississippian |Paraffin | 4,376,342| 18,213,188 Tennessee | | | | Louisiana |Cretaceous-Quat. |Paraffin | 16,042,600| 150,769,911 | Cretaceous- | | | | Eocene | | | Michigan, |Carboniferous |Paraffin | (a) | (a) Missouri | | | | Montana | -- | -- | 69,323| 213,639 New Mexico |Carboniferous- | -- | (a) | (a) | Cretaceous | | | New York, |Devonian- |Paraffin | 8,216,655| 788,202,717 Pennsylvania| Carboniferous | | | Ohio, East |Ordovician- |Paraffin | 7,285,005| 463,367,386 and West | Carboniferous | | | Oklahoma |Pennsylvanian |Paraffin |103,347,070| 851,320,457 Texas |Pennsylvanian, |Asph.-Par.| 38,750,031| 327,550,005 | Cretaceous-Quat.| | | Utah | -- | -- | (b) | (b) West |Devonian- | -- | 7,866,628| 294,474,710 Virginia | Carboniferous | | | Wyoming |Carboniferous- |Asph.-Par.| 12,596,287| 40,019,573 | Cretaceous | | | Other | -- | -- | 7,943| 112,925 | | |-----------| ------------- | | |355,927,716| 4,608,571,719 -------------+-----------------+----------+-----------+--------------- (a) Included in "Other." (b) Included in Wyoming.