The Trenton Gas Field is located in east central
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
and the most western portion of west central
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. The field was discovered in 1876, but the size and magnitude of the field was not known until the 1880s. The field was the largest natural gas discovery up to that time, with an area of , somewhat smaller in area than the state of
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, containing over of natural gas. The field also contained the first giant oil reserve discovered in the United States, with an estimated of oil. The discovery led to the
Indiana Gas Boom.
Almost all of the natural gas was removed from the field by 1910, but only about 10% of the oil had been removed at that point. The lack of pressure caused by the removal of the gas led to a complete stoppage of oil production, even though an estimated of oil remained in the field.
[Gray, p. 189] Beginning in the late 20th century, oil production resumed at a slow pace after advances in
artificial lift Artificial lift refers to the use of artificial means to increase the flow of liquids, such as crude oil or water, from a production well. Generally this is achieved by the use of a mechanical device inside the well (known as pump or velocity strin ...
technology.
Oil and gas production from this field led the
Standard Oil Company
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
to establish
refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.
Types of refineries
Different types of refineries ...
operations in Indiana. The firm's production and refinery interests led, in turn, to Standard's Indiana interests being grouped together after the
1911 breakup of the firm due to antitrust action, leading to the formation of the
Standard Oil Company of Indiana
Amoco () is a brand of fuel stations operating in the United States, and owned by BP since 1998. The Amoco Corporation was an American chemical and oil company, founded by Standard Oil Company in 1889 around a refinery in Whiting, Indiana, an ...
.
See also
*
Trenton Limestone
The Trenton Formation is a geologic formation in Canada and Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana in the United States. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period.
See also
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Michigan
* Trenton G ...
*
Petroleum industry in Ohio
The petroleum industry in Ohio dates from 1859. Ohio continues to produce significant quantities of oil and gas, having produced more than 1 billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas since 1860. Unconventional resources, pr ...
Notes
Sources
*
*
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Energy in Indiana
Oil fields of the United States
Energy in Ohio