Abstract: The Lower Tuscaloosa Trend Of South Central Louisiana or “You Ain't Seen Nothing 'Till You've Seen The Tuscaloosa”

By

Carlo C. Christina

The Tuscaloosa Trend of South Central Louisiana is one of the two most active and highly prospective deep gas plays in the United States today.

The trend covers a band 220 miles long and 30 miles wide. It extends from the Louisiana-Mississippi border northwesterly through Lake Pontchartrain to Baton Rouge and continues westerly through Beauregard and Vernon Parishes to the Louisiana-Texas border.

To date 17 new fields have been discovered, along with one potential new discovery and one field reservoir extension. Since the first Tuscaloosa discovery in 1975, more than 160 wells have been drilled to an average depth of 18,850’ to test the Tuscaloosa sand section, which is found to be production between 14,700 'and 21,000'. There are more than 4 million acres now under lease in the trend.

The play began In May, 1975, with the discovery of False River Field by Chevron's #1 Alma Plantation, testing gas at the rate of 20 million cubic feet per day from a Tuscloosa sand at 29,800 feet. The trend was confirmed six months later with the completion of Chevron’s #1 S.L. 6646 as the discovery well for Rigolets Field, located approximately 120 miles southeast of False River Field near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line.

A major development occurred in August, 1977, when Chevrons’#1 Parlange blew out at a depth of 21,346 feet. This well located eight miles northwest of the False River discovery was later brought under control and produced gas into a sales line for 60 days at the rate of 140 million cubic feet of gas per day. This production rate clearly established excellent reservoir conditions to complement the giant structures, and new deep gas frontier had been established. This discovery was named Judge Digby Field.

Several additional significant discoveries have been made with many wells having more than 100’ of net pay with gross sand thicknesses of 1500' to 2300'.

High production rates have been established with several wells producing 15 million to 20 million cubic feet of gas per day, while other wells have tested 1000 barrels to 1500 barrels of distillate per day, along with 9 million cubic feet of gas.

Total potential reserves for the area are 30 trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.5 billion barrels of liquids.

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