Production in north and west-central Texas is principally from beds of Pennsylvanian age and is controlled both by structural and stratigraphic conditions.

The largest single unit of new production discovered and developed in north-central Texas during 1936 is from lenticular Strawn sands at a depth of about 2,000 feet in the Anderson and Kerr field located southeast of the town of Gainesville, Cooke County. The field is located on an eastward plunging structural nose situated on the northeastern flank of the Muenster arch, is defined by 104 oil wells and 16 dry holes, and covers about 550 acres. With a 40-barrel per well allowable, the daily production is about 4,000 barrels of 40° gravity oil.

The greatest unit of drilling activity in the district today is north and east of the town of Bryson, southwestern Jack County, where at the present time approximately 70 operations are under way. During the year considerable new production of 39°-40° gravity oil was developed from lenticular sands in the Strawn at an approximate depth of 2,975 feet.

The Rathke field, situated north of the town of South Bend, south Young County, was further developed during 1936. Production is from a Smithwick sand, the Caddo limestone, of the Smithwick section, and from upper Marble Falls sand and sandy limestone, all of Bend age, from depths of 3,600 to 4,000 feet. The oil is 38° gravity.

In Shackelford County the Bluff Creek field was extended, and in Jones County new extensions were made to the Leuders and Hawley fields, all producing from the Cisco. A new area of Cisco production was discovered in Jones County about 2½ miles east of the Hawley field. In western Hamilton County a new gas area was discovered with production from Bend limestone. Scattered new production was developed in several additional counties throughout the west-central and north Texas districts.

Early in 1936 interest was stimulated in Montague, Cooke, and Grayson counties, Texas, by the discovery of oil in limestone beds of Simpson age in the Fox field, Carter County, Oklahoma. Considerable seismograph work and leasing were done in this area of Texas. Two deep tests were drilled in search of Simpson production, and a third is now drilling. On development of production in the Altus field, Jackson County, Oklahoma, and, later in the year, when deep drilling disclosed the presence of Simpson in Tillman County, Oklahoma, interest gradually spread westward to northwestern Wichita, northern Wilbarger, Foard, and Hardeman counties, Texas, where considerable seismograph work has been done and is still under way.

The Panhandle oil and gas field is situated on the Amarillo uplift, petroleum accumulation being found in the "Panhandle lime" and granite wash of Lower Permian and Upper Pennsylvanian age. In general, gas production is confined to the structurally higher part of the field and oil production is found lower on the structure and principally on the northern flank.

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Fig. 1. Late Paleozoic tectonic features in south-central United States. Width of area shown in map, approximately 1,400 miles. Redrawn and revised by Sidney Powers. From W.A.J.M. van Waterschoot van der Gracht, "Permo-Carboniferous Orogeny in South-Central United States," Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol., Vol. 15, No. 9 (September, 1931), Fig. 1, p. 993.

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A northwestward extension of production occurred in the Stinnett area, west-central Hutchinson County, where nine oil wells have been completed and several tests are drilling. Recently, a gas well was completed in northern Hansford County directly south of the Oklahoma state line.

Moore County was the scene of the larger part of new activity during 1936, as many old 10-year leases had to be developed, renewed, or dropped. Natural gas is the most important production in the county, with sweet gas in the southern part and sour gas in the northeastern. By Railroad Commission order only sour-gas residue from gasoline plants can be used in the manufacture of carbon black, with the result that the past year witnessed a great expansion of the natural-gasoline and carbon-black industry in Moore County to draw on the sour-gas reserve.