'THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF DHUFAR PROVINCE, MUSCAT AND OMAN' [‎45r] (79/96)

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The crush effect of the materials in the kiln would powder the
Miliolite and much of the coralline Limestone, but would have little
effect on the hard Qara Limestone. Thus there is an assured supply,
in the largest possible quantity of the best kind of Limestone for
chemical purposes, such as the production of Soda Ash (which
incidentally yields a great deal of exceedingly high grade lime for
other purposes).
Oiiy-FiEi,D Development
97. In paragraphs 87 and 88 I have discussed the general field
evidence at present available to me of the prospect of an oil-field m
Dhufar. It is there seen that the two samples (specimens) from 9 to
12 miles west-north-west of Risut, up the wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. of the Ghaiz and
on the Ansarit side of the gap, might not represent petroleum residues.
To this evidence may be added the analysis of the carbonaceous
shale’ from the Samhan hills (of 1907; see paragraph 80). There is
a great similarity in all three analyses and, while I did not secure
any ‘coal’ sample from the Murbat area, the Sultan himself showed
me one, at the time of my arrival in Salalah, which had been collected
in the Samhan hills area. There remains the oil show on the
shore near Murbat in the argillaceous sandstones (which are dis
tinctly calcareous) which dip gently seaward into Murbat bay.
Those who claim to have noticed the ‘ oil ’ stated that it had a kerosene
odour, and, as kerosene is a distillation product, the normal con
clusion (seeing that there is no smell now) is that a castaway tin ot
kerosene was wrecked on the rocks and impregnated them tor a time.
However, treating the matter more seriously, from other evidence as
well, of the certainty that oil, as kerosene-smelling material was
noticed at the Murbat bay exposure, it is well to remember that
majority of oil-fields have had ‘gas escapes in greater number than
‘oil seeoages’ The direct recovery of natural kerosene by th
condensatfon of such gases is well known but it has al ?°
naturally in rare cases where the conditions were suitable. I can
imaeine no conditions more suitable than the Murbat bay position
“leaping upwards along cracks and joints in the sandstone
would be cooled by the sea-water, and any fractions which could be
condensed would form light oils such as k “- ^ ^
gas escape in such a position might quite easily ^ new outl^
if the outcropping rocks were disturbed (as may easily be the case
at Murbat bk where the sea drives in during the monsoon with a
^suiting strong outward undertow). Thus the general evidence for
oil ls 9 ialr In two yery informat i ve contributions by Dr. G Lees
(perhaps the chief authority on the geoiogy of theoihfields of ^
'Re^okfocksTp^an OT-fcld” (BMetin, American Mso’ciation