Geochemical prospecting

Claim 1

A METHOD OF LOCATING SUBTERRANEAN PETROLEUM DEPOSITS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) DRILLING A PLURALITY OF TEST HOLES AT EACH OF A PLURALITY OF STATIONS LOCATED IN SPACED RELATION OVER THE AREA BEING INVESTIGATED, THE NUMBER OF HOLES AT EACH STATION BEING EQUAL; (B) WITHDRAWIONG A SAMPLE OF SOIL GAS FROM EACH HOLE; (C) MEASURING AND RECORDING THE METHANE CONTENT OF EACH SAMPLE; (D) PLOTTING A HISTOGRAM OF THE METHANE CONTENTS OF ALL THE SAMPLES, AND HISTOGRAM HAVING A LEADING AN A TRAILING HALF; (E) CALCULATING THE STANDARD DEVIATION OF THE HISTOGRAM USING THE LEADING HALF OF THE HISTOGRAM; (F) PLOTTING THE LOCATIONS OF THE STATIONS ON A MAP OF THE AREA BEING INVESTIGATED; (G) PLOTTING ONE EACH STATION LOCATION ON THE MAP THE NUMBER OF SAMPLES AT THE RESPECTIVE STATION WHICH HAVE A METHANE CONTENT EXCEEDING AT LEAST ONE STANDARD DEVIATION; AND (H) CONTOURING THE NUMBERS PLOTTED ON THE MAP, WHEREBY THE HIGHEST CLOSED VALUES INDICATE THE AREA OVERLYING THE PETROLEUM DEPOSIT.