The conditions of the surface and subsurface in and around the area now encompassed by the Black Lake field, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, are reviewed. Numerous dry holes had been drilled in the vicinity of the field before the discovery; the dry holes are in close proximity to the now-established productive limit. The factors leading to the discovery in an area long thought to be barren of oil or gas possibilities by most oil men are presented.

The production in the Black Lake field comes from a biohermal-type reef of the Pettit Formation, which is of Early Cretaceous (Sligo) age.

The unique aspect of this field is the manner in which the operators have handled the development. Unitization was established before competitive production was allowed. The field has been shut-in since discovery, and facilities are being installed in preparation for inauguration of a full pressure-maintenance gas-cycling operation.

The discovery of the Black Lake field has triggered a flurry of exploration activity across central Louisiana. There have been numerous exploratory wells drilled along the Pettit trend since Black Lake field's discovery--all without success. Even with the new activity, subsurface control is sparse and the existence of additional Black Lake field-type accumulations is possible.

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