Exploratory tests in Utah and Nevada averaged 4,230 feet in depth, or a total footage of 393,399 feet in 1954, an increase of 12.9 per cent over the preceding year. Greatly increased drilling in Nevada was responsible for the increase in total footage.

Discovery of the first commercially productive oil reservoir in the Paradox formation at Desert Creek in the Paradox basin of Utah and the first discovery of commercial quantities of oil in Nevada high-lighted 1954 activities. New Utah oil fields were also discovered at Brennan Bottoms and Jacks Canyon in the Uinta basin, and the Cisco Townsite and Crescent Junction areas in the east-central part of the state. Entrada formation gas was discovered in the West Bar X area of eastern Utah.

Important extensions to the gas fields at Clear Creek and Peters Point were made in Utah in 1954.

Dry exploratory tests on the Wasatch Plateau, in the Paradox and Uinta basins, in central and east-central Utah, and in Nevada furnished valuable geologic information.

Exploratory methods in Utah are unchanged from previous years. Surface, seismic, or a combination of surface and seismic methods accounted for eight of the nine discoveries. In Nevada, gravity and seismic activity increased sharply over previous years. The discovery well was located by seismic methods.

Stratigraphic developments during 1954 are summarized.

The principal trends expected in 1955 are: greatly increased activity in eastern Nevada, increased activity in the Utah part of the Basin and Range Province, and an accelerated program in the Utah part of the Paradox basin. It is expected that exploration in the Uinta basin and Wasatch Plateau areas of the Utah will be approximately the same as in 1954.