These waters can best be explained as the result of the absorption of water, magnesia, and other compounds in the formation of chlorite and the change of volcanic glass to bentonite. The permutit water-softening reaction may occur as described by Renick and renders the connate Na:Cl ratio more uncertain.

There is little or no sign of the permutit regenerating reaction, or of the petrographic products to be expected.

There is some indication that waters in rocks largely composed of volcanic ash are likely to have calcium chloride, and such rocks are likely to have magnesium in amounts which can be explained as absorbed from the water. It also appears that there is a similarity in undisturbed connate waters of the same geologic age, but the effect of circulation from former land surfaces represented by unconformities is pointed out.

It is perhaps premature to suggest that in some cases the same shower of volcanic ash may have devastated the sea bottom and killed the animals that yielded the oil, or yielded the silica to the oil-making diatoms and furnished the chlorine for the salt water that is found with oil.