OREGON GEOLOGY published by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries VOLUME 48, NUMBER 7 JULY 1986 OREGON GEOLOGY OIL AND GAS NEWS (ISSN 0164-3304) Columbia County lease sale rescheduled VOLUME 48, NUMBER 7 JULY 1986 The lease sale originally scheduled for June 11 has been Published monthly by the Oregon Department of Geology and Min­ rescheduled for July 28. The delay was brought about by an early eral Industries (Volumes 1 through 40 were entitled The Ore Bin). June discussion of the lease terms with industry representatives and representatives oftaxing districts. Changes now being made include those regarding ownership of gas storage wells, com­ Governing Board mitment to drill offset wells, and the definition of the starting date Sidney R. Johnson, Chairman ...................... Baker of drilling. Donald A. Haagensen .......................... Portland The lease sale will be held in the Old Courthouse, First Street, Allen P. Stinchfield .......................... North Bend St. Helens, Oregon, at 10 a.m. Additional infonnation is available State Geologist ............................ Donald A. Hull from the Board of Commissioners, phone (503) 397-4322. Deputy State Geologist .................... John D. Beaulieu Publications Manager/Editor ................ Beverly F. Vogt Recent permits Associate Editor ..................... Klaus K.E. Neuendorf Permit Operator, well, Status, proposed Main Office: 910 State Office Building, 1400 SW Fifth Ave., Portland no. API number Location total depth (ft), 97201, phone (503) 229-5580. use Baker Field Office: 1831 First Street, Baker 97814, phone (503) 523-3133. Howard C. Brooks, Resident Geologist 362 ARCO NWV4 sec. 11 Application; Columbia County 21-11 T. 5 N., R. 3 W. 11,500. Grants Pass Field Office: 312 SE "H" Street, Grants Pass 97526, 009-00199 Columbia County phone (503) 476-2496. Len Ramp, Resident Geologist 363 Oregon Natural Gas SEV4 sec. 3 Application Mined Land Reclamation Program: Street address, 1800 Geary St. SE; OM 440-3 T. 6 N., R. 5 W. 3,400; mailing address, 1534 Queen Ave. SE, Albany 97321, phone (503) 009-00200 Columbia County Gas storage. 967-2039. Paul Lawson, Supervisor 364 Oregon Natural Gas NWV4 sec. 3 Application; Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon. Subscription OM 12C-3 T. 6 N., R. 5 W. 3,400; rates: 1 year $6; 3 years, $15. Single issues, $.75 at counter, $1 009-00201 Columbia County Gas storage. mailed. Available back issues of Ore Bin: $.50 at counter, $1 mailed. Address subscription orders, renewals, and changes of 365 Oregon Natural Gas NWV4 sec. 10 Application; OM 120-10 T. 6 N., R. 5 W. 3,000; address to Oregon Geology, 910 State Office Building, Portland, 009-00202 OR 97201. Permission is granted to reprint information con­ Columbia County Gas storage. tained herein. Credit given to the Oregon Department of Geology 366 Oregon Natural Gas NEV4 sec. 10 Application; and Mineral Industries for compiling this information will be OM 41A-1O T. 6 N., R. 5 W. 3,100; appreciated. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Oregon 009-00203 Columbia County Gas storage. Geology, 910 State Office Building, Portland, OR 97201. 367 Oregon Natural Gas SWI/4 sec. 3 Application; Information for contributors OM 14A-3 T. 6 N., R. 5 W. 3,400; Oregon Geology is designed to reach a wide spectrum of 009-00204 Columbia County Gas storage. D readers interested in the geology and mineral industry of Oregon. Manuscript contributions are invited on both technical and gen­ eral-interest subjects relating to Oregon geology. Two copies of Circum-Pacific Council announces energy the manuscript should be submitted, typed double-spaced through­ out (including references) and on one side of the paper only. summit Graphic illustrations should be camera-ready; photographs should The largest display of energy data on the Pacific ever as­ be black-and-white glossies. All figures should be clearly marked, sembled is planned for the fourth Circum-Pacific Energy and and all figure captions should be typed together on a separate Mineral Resources Conference to be held August 17 -22,1986, in sheet of paper. The style to be followed is generally that of U.S. Geological Singapore. Survey publications (see the USGS manual Suggestions to Authors, Under the auspices ofthe Circum-Pacific Council for Energy 6th ed., 1978). The bibliography should be limited to "References and Mineral Resources, which was founded in 1972 by Michel T. Cited." Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the bibli­ Halbouty and has been affiliated with the American Association ographic references. Names of reviewers should be included in of Petroleum Geologists since 1982, 120 speakers are expected the "Acknowledgments." to address an international audience, 60 percent of which will be Authors will receive 20 complimentary copies of the issue from countries other than the United States. At least 50 different containing their contribution. Manuscripts, news, notices, and data displays covering over 100 regions and contributed by meeting announcements should be sent to Beverly F. Vogt, Publi­ approximately 170 scientists from 30 nations are scheduled to be cations Manager, at the Portland office of OOGAMI. shown to earth scientists and representatives of government and industry. According to Halbouty, the conference is considered an ener­ gy "summit" that will set the stage for future exploration in the COVER PHOTO Pacific region. Further infonnation may be obtained from Willamette meteorite in front of the Johnson farm in the town Anthony P. Hatch, Public Affairs Chairman, Circum-Pacific of Willamette, a part of the southern outskirts of Portland. The Council, c/o Times/Mirror, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, meteorite at this point was being moved from the original finder's CA 90053, phone (213) 972-3727; and, during the conference, property toward the Willamette River for transportation to Portland and, ultimately, New York. Related article beginning on from the Circum -Pacific Conference Press Office, Westin Raffles next page discusses a new hypothesis concerning the meteorite's City Convention Center, 2, Stamford Road, Singapore, phone origin. Photo courtesy Harold Johnson. 338-8585. - Circum-Pacific Council news release 78 OREGON GEOLOGY, VOLUME 48, NUMBER 7, JULY 1986 Origin of the Willamette meteorite: An alternate hypothesis by Richard N. Pugh, Science Department, Cleveland High Schoo ~ 3400 S. E 26th Street, Portland, OR 97202; and John Eliot Allen, Department of Geology, Portland State University. Po. Box 751, Portland, .Oregon 97207 INTRODUCTION The meteorite was then transported to the Willamette River, The Willamette meteorite was found in [902 on the east side where it was barged to Portland and exhibited at the 1905 Lewis of the Tualatin Valley 2 mi northwest of West Lin n, Oregon. It and Clark Exposition. It was subsequently purchased by Mrs. weighs 3 1, I 07 Ibs, or slightly over 5 V:! tons. It is the largest William A. Dodge II of New York, who gave it to the American meteorite ever found in the Uni ted States and the sixth largest Museum of Na tural History. When the Hayden Planetarium was ever found in the world (Lange. \962). Did it really fa ll in added to the museum in 1936, it became the home of the Oregon? Willamette meteori te. HISTORY DESCRIPTION Ellis Hughes found the meteorite in the fa ll of 1902 while he The measurements (Ward, 1904) are: length, 10 ft , 3~ in .; was cutting wood on land belonging to the Oregon Iron and Steel breadth across the base, 7 (t; ve rt ical height, 4 ft; circumference Compan y. In de sc ribing the fi nd he said, '" sat dow n on the rock. around the base, 25 ft , 4 in. The shape is that of the broad cone of It was about 1 \12 ft above th e ground and very flat." Bill Dale an "oriented meteorite" (it is the largest one known). It is came by and said, "Hughes, ha ve you seen this rock before?" generally believed that this shape is the result of its orientation "Yes," I said, "I saw it yes terday. Then I picked up a large white when it entered the atmosphere and the subsequent ablation as it stone and started to hammer on the rock. It rang like a bell." came down point first through the air. "Hu ghes," Dale said to me, "I'll bet it is a meteor" (Lange, 1962). The meteorite is classified as a medium octahedrite, with a With the aid of his wife, his son, and a horse, Hughes was able chemical composition of91.5 percent iron, 7.62 percent nickel, to move the be ll -shaped meteorite in a secreti ve manner the and 0.45 percent cobalt, which places it in the chemical group nearly three-quarters of a mile to his own property. This task took IlI A. It went through two episodes of recrystallization and an­ three months of sweat and toil and included the building of a road nealing before entering the earth's atmosphere (Buchwald, 1975). through the forest in order to transport the meteorite on a The shallow pit from which th e meteorite was removed still handmade, woode n-wheeled cart. Once Hughes got the meteorite exists. It is lined with several inches of rust caused by the on his land, he built a shed over it and charged sightseers 25¢ to weathering. Several years ago, Ru ssel A. Morley, research geolo­ view the space rock (Lange, 1958). gist of Salem, co ll ected specimens and also soil samples for An attorney for the Oregon Iron and Steel Company was one several feet around the crater. They gave positive tests for nickel, of those who paid his quarter to see the meteorite. He also noted showing that the nickel leached from the meteorite had been the road from the company's land.