Teapot Rock
Encyclopedia
Teapot Rock is a distinctive rock formation
in Natrona County, Wyoming that lent its name to a nearby oil field
that became notorious as the focus of a bribery scandal during the Presidential administration of Warren G. Harding
, the Teapot Dome scandal
. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974.
The eroded sandstone
formation stands about 75 feet (22.9 m) tall and is about 300 feet (91.4 m) in circumference. It is located a few hundred yards east of Wyoming Highway 259, about 19 miles (30.6 km) north of Casper, Wyoming
in the Powder River Basin
near Teapot Creek, a tributary of Salt Creek.
The outline of the rock once resembled a teapot and gave its name to several man-made and natural features, including a geologic structural uplift
known as the Teapot Dome, and an oil field about 6 miles (9.7 km) east.
In 1915, The Teapot Dome Oil Field was designated Naval Petroleum Reserve Number Three as part of a program to ensure that the U.S. Navy, which was converting to oil-fired boilers
at the time, would have sufficient fuel reserves in an emergency. It was one of several related fields in the area, the largest of which was the Salt Creek Oil Field
. By comparison with the Salt Creek Field's peak production of 35301608 barrels (5,612,507.2 m³) of 1923, the Teapot Dome field had about 64 wells, with few producing more than 150 oilbbl/d.
Rock formations in the United States
The following is a partial list of rock formations in the United States, by state:-Arizona:*Canyon de Chelly National Monument**Spider Rock*Chiricahua National Monument**Duck on a Rock**Organ Pipe**Mushroom Rock**Sea Captain*Monument Valley...
in Natrona County, Wyoming that lent its name to a nearby oil field
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
that became notorious as the focus of a bribery scandal during the Presidential administration of Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
, the Teapot Dome scandal
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974.
The eroded sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
formation stands about 75 feet (22.9 m) tall and is about 300 feet (91.4 m) in circumference. It is located a few hundred yards east of Wyoming Highway 259, about 19 miles (30.6 km) north of Casper, Wyoming
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
in the Powder River Basin
Powder River Basin
The Powder River Basin is a geologic region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, about east to west and north to south, known for its coal deposits. The region supplies about 40 percent of coal in the United States. It is both a topographic drainage and geologic structural basin...
near Teapot Creek, a tributary of Salt Creek.
The outline of the rock once resembled a teapot and gave its name to several man-made and natural features, including a geologic structural uplift
Inversion (geology)
In structural geology inversion or basin inversion relates to the relative uplift of a sedimentary basin or similar structure as a result of crustal shortening. This normally excludes uplift developed in the footwalls of later extensional faults, or uplift caused by mantle plumes...
known as the Teapot Dome, and an oil field about 6 miles (9.7 km) east.
In 1915, The Teapot Dome Oil Field was designated Naval Petroleum Reserve Number Three as part of a program to ensure that the U.S. Navy, which was converting to oil-fired boilers
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
at the time, would have sufficient fuel reserves in an emergency. It was one of several related fields in the area, the largest of which was the Salt Creek Oil Field
Salt Creek Oil Field
The Salt Creek Oil Field, located in the town of Midwest in Natrona County, Wyoming, approximately 40 mi north of Casper, was at one time in the early 20th century the largest light crude oil field in the world. It was historically one of the most important petroleum deposits in Wyoming.The...
. By comparison with the Salt Creek Field's peak production of 35301608 barrels (5,612,507.2 m³) of 1923, the Teapot Dome field had about 64 wells, with few producing more than 150 oilbbl/d.
External links
- Photographs of Teapot Rock at the National Park Service's NRHP database
- Teapot Rock at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
- http://wiki.wyomingplaces.org/w/page/12716496/Teapot-Rock