Divide Anticline (New)
Location
T1S, R3 and 4E, Jefferson County, and T1S, R5E, Wayne County (I-6)
References
None
Description
The Reservoir, Divide Consolidated, Coil West, Coil, Keenville, and Keenville East Oil Fields form a conspicuous eastwest trend just east of the south end of the Salem Anticline. Associated with these oil fields is an east-plunging anticlinal nose, herein named the Divide Anticline after the Divide Consolidated field. The east-west trend of the Divide Anticline contrasts with the predominant north-south alignment of most structures in the Fairfield Basin.
The Divide Anticline is reflected on structure maps of the Beech Creek ("Barlow") Limestone (fig. 31), the Ste. Genevieve Limestone (Bristol and Howard 1976), and the base of the New Albany Group (Stevenson et al. 1981). The fold is broad and irregular on these horizons and shows less than 100 feet (30 m) of relief. Small areas of closure are indicated on the Beech Creek and Ste. Genevieve structure maps (ISGS open files), which have a contour interval of 20 feet (6.1 m). Insufficient data are available to determine whether the structure affects strata below the New Albany.
The Divide Anticline illustrates the frequent association of oil production with subtle structural features in the Fairfield Basin. The main producing horizons in fields along the Divide trend are the Aux Vases Sandstone and Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, and Salem Limestones (Mississippian). Structural closure alone does not account for these fields. Stevenson (1978) concluded that the primary trapping mechanism in the Keenville Field is stratigraphic, although structural influence is evident. It must be kept in mind, however, that many (perhaps most) stratigraphic traps are discovered during testing of structural prospects. Thus, the Divide trend of oil fields may reflect patterns of exploration more than it reflects the actual distribution of hydrocarbons.
