Bright Prospects Of Finding Oil

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29912, 28 August 1962, Page 16

Bright Prospects Of Finding Oil

(Neu) Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 27. The prospects of finding oil in various parts of New Zealand are now much brighter than they were before drilling was undertaken at Kapuni. This is because oil and gas were found there with coal and because similar coal measures exist in other parts of the country. To find oil with coal is a rare event anywhere in the world.

The director of the Geological Survey, Mr R. W. Willett, explained this when he was asked for a geologists's opinion on the present prospects. “I think it can be said, as a result of this discovery at Kapuni and the knowledge geologists have of all the various seepages of oil and gas on the west coasts of both islands, that gas associated with oil is coming from permeable beds of coal,” said Mr Willett. “Obviously then, where these coal measures occur, which is in several parts of the west of the North Island. Nelson and Westland, will be reasonable places to search. “Should a favourable structure be demonstrated in these areas I think the chances of getting a similar story as in Taranaki are very likely. I would be surprised if the quantities of gas or oil were as great, however.” To back that view there were other geological observations, said Mr Willett. Exceptional Place Oil and gas had been encountered in New Zealand coal before the Kapuni discovery and had aroused suspicions that the Dominion might be the exceptional place where the two minerals would be found together in substantial quantities. Oil and gas had been known of in the Greymouth district for some time and geologists were sure they occurred in coal measures. Drilling for oil on the West Coast in 1942 had been 'unsuccessful. but that drill had not completely penetrated the coal-bearing strata. There were coal measures in New Zealand which did not show signs of oil seepage but were well worth exploration because geologists now knew they might be host beds for oil. These were in the Hamilton basin and the Ohura - Taumarunui district. These and other places he had mentioned were well worth exploring. The discovery of coal, oil and gas together had raised the theoretical problem of what relationship the origin

of one had to the origin of the others. Mr Willett said the geological survey was working on this. With coal samples taken from a depth of 13.000 feet in the Kapuni hole they were trying in their geochemistry laboratory at Dunedin to reproduce conditions that might have given rise to gas and oil. Different Situation On the east coast, where oil was also being sought, the situation was quite different geologically. Coal measures were absent and the geological structure was much more complex so that its interpretation was much more difficult than on the west coast of the country. There were oil and gas seepages on the east coast, but what beds were the sources of those seepages was still uncertain. It might be some time before the geological pictures there could be cleared so that a hole could be sunk with some confidence. The present efforts were taking knowledge quite a way to that point. The east coast of the South Island was quite different. The great unknown was the geological structure beneath the gravels of the Canterbury plains, which were thousands of feet deep. “Any prospects of oil south of Canterbury would be in west and ” central Southland and under the gravels of the Southland plains, but not » Fiordland.”