The Villeperdue oil field is located in the Paris basin less than 100 km east of Paris. The first well was drilled in 1959 and tested some oil, but it was not until 1982 that exploration was resumed and the field proved commercial.

The trap is not obvious from seismic data because of velocity variations in the Tertiary and in the Cretaceous chalk. It is a combination of stratigraphic, structural, and diagenetic features. The structure is a western-plunging nose, the eastward updip closure being controlled mainly by variation of permeability and possibly influenced by gentle faults and pressure barriers. The Villeperdue field has a producing surface area of about 65 km² and a 60-m oil column.

The reservoir is an oolitic limestone of Middle Jurassic (lower Callovian) age. Its average thickness is about 30 m and its approximate depth is 1850 m (1650 m subsea). Two main units, linked to specific oolitic microfacies, can be identified. Detection of porosity over the field, and consequently delineation, are therefore dependent on detailed facies and sedimentological studies.

The generation of oil from Liassic source rocks started during the Cretaceous, and the migration upward into the lower Callovian carbonate was made possible by Tertiary faulting.

The current production of 12,000 BOPD comes from 100 wells and is enhanced by water injection. Horizontal drilling has given positive results and will be used more in future programs.

The play concept has been successfully applied on a regional basis and has resulted in several other discoveries, although minor in size.

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