ABSTRACT
This paper is not offered as a complete treatise on the origin of the McMurray oil but merely as a further contribution to this interesting study. It appears to the writer that the in situ theory, the Clearwater shale theory, the residual theory, and the lateral migration theory are all possible explanations of the genesis of the McMurray bitumen; but they all in some way conflict with facts. However, the theory first proposed by Bell, according to which the petroleum entered the Cretaceous rocks from the underlying Devonian formations, seems to be in close harmony with the evidence at present available. It remains to be seen whether or not Bell’s theory will survive the test of future investigation.
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