The demand for Saskatchewan crude oil, the proximity to market, the high success ratio, the large potash reserves, coupled with the newly formed government incentive measures, have created a program of rapid expansion within the mineral industry of Saskatchewan.

During 1964 more than 1,200 wells were drilled in search of petroleum, natural gas, and helium and more than 70 in the search for potash.

Several significant field step-outs and new discoveries were made in Saskatchewan within the known (Lower Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Mississippian) petroleum reservoirs during 1964 and early 1965. The lower Paleozoic formations offer the most exciting possibilities for future developments.

Many of the hydrocarbon traps in Saskatchewan are a combination of stratigraphic and structural features and, therefore, a total approach to exploration employing both geophysical and geological methods is emphasized. Case history studies are important as examples of successful techniques. In potash exploration

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the seismograph has proved to be an invaluable tool in describing potential potash reserves by outlining areas of salt removal. Gravity and magnetic control may help to unveil some lower Paleozoic structural anomalies. The Nelson River gravity "high" appears to suggest the position of the boundary between the Churchill and Superior Precambrian provinces in southeastern Saskatchewan and, therefore, outlines a very interesting trend with respect to lower Paleozoic prospects.

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