Since the Clarence Iverson Madison discovery in December, 1951, the Williston basin has indicated

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proved reserves of nearly 200 million barrels from the Mississippian formation alone. This is almost twice the combined new reserves of all other Rocky Mountain areas for the same period. It is predicted that by the end of 1955 the Mississippian reserves will be more than ½ billion barrels, or approximately 1/3 the present reserves of Oklahoma. Basis for this prediction is the variety of favorable reservoir characteristics of the Madison-Charles. Production is obtained from fractured limestones, granular-type limestone with pin-point porosity, and fossiliferous vuggy limestone within rich source beds. Accumulation is not entirely dependent on structure or large amounts of closure as in most other Rocky Mountain areas.

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