The Gulf Coast districts of Texas and Louisiana had their most successful year during 1937, both in the number of new fields and in the apparent total of reserves represented by these discoveries. The twenty-nine new productive areas are about equally divided between the two states, but it is probable that Louisiana can claim considerably more than half of the new reserves represented.

As in previous years, most of the discoveries are in the deep coastal zone, with but three new fields located in the up-dip intermediate and Jackson zones.

Two new areas of unusual interest are the Spurger field in Tyler County, Texas, and Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana. Each of these is producing from horizons older than Yegua and proves, for the first time, the presence of commercial oil from these older beds on the Gulf Coast proper.

Both flank development and deeper drilling have been an important factor in areas of proved production. The current belief in the potentiality of the lower, unexplored section has been further justified during the past year.