The Refugio field was discovered in 1919 and has been subjected to sporadic and intermittent development since that time. Subsequent to the discovery of oil in July, 1928, the field has become one of the most important oil fields of the southwestern Gulf Coastal Texas area. Total oil production has been approximately 32 million barrels. Oil and gas are produced from ten separate sand reservoirs and, in addition to these, more than a dozen sands below a depth of 1,600 feet have yielded gas only, but in commercial quantities. Currently the field is producing 4,000 barrels of oil and approximately 45 million cubic feet of gas daily from 156 wells.

Geologically, the field presents an interesting problem because of its recurrent non-concentric structural uplifts which occurred during the deposition of the different stratigraphic intervals. Oil production has proved that the accumulation is not wholly coincident with the latest structural movement in the area but is retained, in some places, in early folds which have been only partly deformed by later structural movements. In other places, it appears that there has been one or more lateral migrations of the trapped oil and the present producing area is not the original accumulating or structural area. These migrations are shown to be the result of subsequent deformation and tilting of the early structural folding.