SEARCH FOR OIL

Opunake Times, 23 August 1932, Page 3

SEARCH FOR OIL

I GEOLOGIST IN 'PLANE. SURVEY OF AUSTRALIA. The search for oil! What a picture it conjures up —of geologists' camps, of bores and survey parties and engineers, trekking here and there over promising areas of country; of transport teams and lorries. But modern days bring modern methods —and now the search, that has been conducted so hopefully for 30 years or more, is going' to be prosecuted from the skies! A curious method, you may say of investigating oil country. But it has already justified itself. The bird's-eye view is apt to be revealing. The actual large scale search that has now been planned began last week, when two Royal Australian Air Force Wapiti 'planes left Laverton to undertake an aerial survey of supposed oil-bearing regions' in every State of the Commonwealth, except Tasmania. Twenty areas, chosen by the Commonwealth's Geological Adviser (Dr. Woolnough), will be surveyed, and it is expected that the Wapitis and their crews will be absent for about three months. The cost of this unique expedition is expected to be about £200; and the point-to-point itinerary provides that»the machines shall travel no less than 6288 miles. Wayside excursions of investigation will, of course, increase this mileage considerably. Incidentally, the expedition is expected to save the Government a lot of money in the search for oil. At present, geologists are scattred throughout Australia, searching: for country where oil bores might be profitably sunk. This survey should simplify their search considerably. Scope of Investigation. The areas that have been marked for survey are at Singleton and Grafton (N.S.W.), Roma and Urandangi (Queensland), Barkley Tableland, Bathurst Island and Melville Island (Northern Territory), Coburg Peninsula three fields in the Kimberley district, Exmouth, two fields in the Carnarvon district, Murchison and Irwin River districts, Coolgardie, Forrest, Eyre Peninsula (West Australia), and the Portland district (Victoria). The flying party consists of Dr. Woolnough, Flight-Lieuten-ant A. M. Charles worth and Fly-ing-Officer John Miles, the pilots, a rigger, fitter, and photographer. Another photographer, who will have charge of the developing equipment, will travel by sea' and make his headquarters at various points along the route. Aerial survey of potential oil fields is not an experimental venture, even in Australia. It was the success of the survey of the Lougreach field in February, indeed, that encouraged the Home, and Territories Department to ask the Air Force to co-operate in the present great search. For an air survey might save geologists months of useless work,. Instead of laboriously examining areas with geological hammers, they are able to study the possibilities in photographs secured in: a few days. And then, too, an, air survey prevents waste of labour. After surveying the country from the air the geologist is certainly not able to say positively if oil will be found there. But he knows if oil will not be found there—and that is a great deal. It is the contour and the herbaceous character of the country that guide him. Country that conceals or has, at some time in its history, concealed oil, dis-. plays certain significant features which a geologist reads as a blind man reads Braille type. Success in America. Nowadays, indeed, nearly every oil company in the United States of America employs aeroplanes in the search '•for new fields. And, there, these surveys from the skies have proved their value, time and time again. A new oil field was once found in the sea off the American coast simply by an air investigation. By the way, this searching for oil is typical of the odd peacetime jobs of the Air Force. Our airman have, for instance, given invaluable aid to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Several areas which Governments have proposed to open for settlement have been surveyed from the air, and the experts of the council have been able to pass au opinion on the suitability of the country, without a time-wasting examination by laud. It is estimated that losses of £140,000 incurred on part of the irrigation district of Renniark (tt.A.) would have been saved if an air survey had been made. The losses were caused by the planting of unsuitable types of soil "Similar losses have been incurred in other Australian settlements.