Cuttings of thirty wells in western and southern West Virginia were analyzed for the major and minor elements: silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, titanium, phosphorus, manganese, sulfur, zinc, and strontium. Geographic and stratigraphic trends were studied through statistical methods of factor analysis and trend surface analysis. Trend surfaces showed sulfur decreasing and titanium increasing from west to east, consistent with a model of a delta complex depositing poorly-sorted sediment to the east, and quiet, possibly anoxic marine water over the western part of the study area. In combination with iron, sodium trends suggest that deposition of immature sediments in the southern part of the study area. Silicon percentages are highest in the areas of high titanium percentage, and in black shales of the western margin of the state. The distribution of illite and quartz can be studied through the trend-surfaces for potassium and silicon. Strontium provides little information on the distribution of specific minerals because it can substitute for other elements in several, quantitively important minerals. The distribution of manganese appears to be controlled mainly by the redox potential in the containing sediments. Elemental percentages do not appear to indicate regions of high production potential beyond the correlation of sulfur with black shale. Percentages of sulfur in well cuttings might be used in lieu of petrographic work to measure the presence and quantity of "organic facies."