Teapot Dome is part of the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) a field experimental facility operated by the Department of Energy. In August, 2004 we went to there to retrieve samples of cement from a well. We used a novel tool designed by Schlumberger to extract samples of cement from a depth of ~3-5000 feet (1-1.7 km) in a well that was 19 years old. The tool descends into the well, then the drill turns 90˚ and cuts through the steel casing and then through the surrounding cement. The drill retracts and brings back the sample (if you are lucky) and drops it into a bucket, then the whole system rises to the surface.
The photos gallery shows the tool and the samples, including optical micrographs and scanning electron micrographs of the cement. We are studying its composition and structure. The analysis of the samples has been published [“Characterization of Cement from a Well at Teapot Dome Oil Field: Implications for Geologic Sequestration”, G.W. Scherer, B. Kutchko, N. Thaulow, A. Duguid, B. Mook, Int. J. Greenhouse Gas Control, 5 (2011) 115–1240].
A reporter from NPR interviewed GWS on site. Here is a recording of the broadcast (which so startled his friends when they heard his voice on their car radios that his circle of acquaintance was almost abruptly reduced).
Interview and Photo Gallery from NPR