File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’ [‎209r] (448/522)

place before the War, and a stone oleoduct has been built out into the middle
of the area, with an open channel sloping towards the margin, along which
the oil flowed after being pumped up or raised in some way into the head of
the duct.
The third locality is along the river bank close to the military post.
This is largely mixed with giavel and mostly dry and “ dead,” but a few
.small vents can be iound here and there.
The fourth area is of no intrinsic importance and occurs on the N.E.
flank of the range opposite Qishlah. This consists of a little bituminous
earth with a faint but distinct smell occurring in two or three places in a
small stream-course N. of Qishlah Pass. A little sulphur is also present
and an odour of hydrogen sulphide. A few yards further down is a spring
of water tinged with sulphur.
The question has been raised whether the Qaiyarah bitumen can be used
with advantage as fuel. If the supply of oxygen could be regulated by some
sort of chimney-device as in an oil-stove, no doubt the smokeness of the
flame, which renders it useless for cooking in the open, would disappear, but
in my opinion it would be far preferable to reserve the material for the usual
purposes to which bitumen and tar are put. Although much of it is mixed
with earth, this would not interfere with its fitness for use on roads, and
although the supply is limited and perhaps not so great as many are inclined
to hope, it should repay exploitation. It could not compete with the liquid
oil as a fuel, and of this there is every prospect of large supplies. The bitu
men question is a purely minor one.
Prospects of Boring .—Seven borings were made by the Germans before
the recent British occupation. Of these four are producing or capable of
producing oil; to what extent is at present unknown. The other three are
“ dry,” but this may be due to their not having reached the oil horizon
through accidents to the holes or other causes. Of the four producing wells,
one was still in process of construction and was evidently on the point of
entering the oil horizon, as oil has recently commenced to appear at the
casing head. This was evidently intended to be a deep_ test-well, judging
from the size of the tools and the amount of casing lying around it, the.
largest of the latter being 12 ins. in diameter. The derrick and machinery
are still in place, some of the latter had been damaged before the Turks re
treated. The other three wells all flow, although, in the case of two, this
is a mere drip. The best well has a considerable pressure and would fill an
ordinary kerosene tin in five or six seconds with a black oil containing a
certain amount of tar but some petrol as well. Large quantities of hydrogen
sulphide are at the same time evolved, rendering the oil-jet almost unap
proachable. The three last-mentioned wells have tripods over them. They
all probably tap the same horizon, but no information is at present available
as to their depth, except that derived from a Turkish engineer who, I under
stand, worked formerly on the field, and who affirms that none of the veils
are more than 170 feet deep. This I learnt from Lieut. Club, who also
kindly shewed me what was to be seen at the Station. The wells are all in
the same locality, and about 300 yards apart. There is a small refinery of
five stills, for which crude oil was used as fuel, and two condensers, all in
working order though of a crude construction. Some of the refined oil was
found in drums; it is water-white and smells of naphtha.
Structure, age of the rocks, accessibility to the drill, geographical
position, the existence, copiousness and nature of the seepages, and preli
minary boring, are all factors so much in favour, as to amount to a ceiianitv
that an oilfield of importance exists here. How far it is likely to extend
along the range is not so easy to forecast, but from the result of the boring
well^down the pitch of the fold as the existing oil wells are, there is a good
prospect of its extending most of the way to the Qishlah rise; there is an odoui
of H.-S. perceptible on the S.-TV\ flank, four miles E. of Qishlah, befoie
the anticline begins to rise again, which may or may not have any
significance. # # . .
As the crest rose so conspicuously in the Qishlah area, I felt convinced
that some natural petroleum indications must exist in^that neighbourhood,
and on making enquiries from some Arabs there, wns pleased to be shewn
the occurrences of bituminous earth and sulphur already mentioned. The
Qishlah area, therefore, is very promising. The prospects of the hills be
yond right into the Jab-al-Yawan depend on the result of experiment at
Qishlah. As a preliminary measure I would strongly recommend test wells
in the two areas, Qaiyarah and Qishlah. With regard to the former, the
present wells are too far down the pitch to give maximum yields. I have
made a location for the first well here, and in order to indicate more exactly
its position, have marked it on a tracing of a one-inch map now being made
by the Survey of India, and with which I was supplied by the courtesy of
Major Thuillier. This well should be 1-2/5 mile due W. of the incomplete
German well with the derrick over it, on the highest point of a long E.-W.
fiat-topped table-like hill capped by limestone. This hill lies E. and a little
S. of a prominent conical hill (ht. 882 ft.) whose apex consists of the same
limestone. The location should be towards the E. end of the table-like hill.
II
Inn
14
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File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’ [‎209r] (448/522)

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File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’ [‎209r] (448/522)

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