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AAPG Bulletin

Abstract


Volume: 52 (1968)

Issue: 3. (March)

First Page: 538

Last Page: 538

Title: Petroleum Geology of Healdton Field, Carter County, Oklahoma: ABSTRACT

Author(s): J. W. Latham

Article Type: Meeting abstract

Abstract:

The Healdton field, in western Carter County, Oklahoma, is confined largely to the northeast half of T.4 S., R.3 W., but extends into adjacent townships. The townsite of Healdton is within the field's limits. Oil production is principally from the Hoxbar Group (Missourian) of Pennsylvanian age and the Arbuckle Group (Canadian) of Ordovician age.

Production was established first in 1913 with subsequent field development resulting in oil production from four shallow Pennsylvanian sandstones. These are the Healdton sandstones. All can be recognized across most of the field although local discontinuities exist. Approximately 2,600 wells had been drilled by 1955 covering a productive area of more than 7,100 acres.

Several of the earlier development wells were drilled into the pre-Pennsylvanian section where Ordovician oil was found in minor amounts.

In 1960, discovery of a commercial reservoir within the Arbuckle brought renewed importance to this already prolific field. The new production is from three dolomite zones: Wade, Bray, and Brown. These zones are restricted to the upper 1,600 ft of a 5,000-ft carbonate section. The Brown zone is the lowermost unit and has proved to be the only zone of significance. It is a crystalline dolomite approximately 600 ft thick with good intercrystalline porosity and excellent permeability caused by a highly developed fracture system. The Arbuckle produces from 43 wells within an area of 1,800 acres.

Entrapment of hydrocarbons is attributed to a northwest-southeast structural trend which originated in Early Pennsylvanian time and was activated again during the Late Pennsylvanian. The Healdton area was subjected to intense uplift and faulting in Morrowan time by the Wichita orogeny. Associated high-angle faulting with a displacement of 10,000 ft placed Pennsylvanian shale and sandstone in juxtaposition with Ordovician carbonates. These younger sediments are believed to be the source and means of migration for the majority of if not all Arbuckle oil in the Healdton structure. Following an extensive period of erosion, Hoxbar sandstone and shale were laid down over truncated pre-Pennsylvanian rocks and later folded during the Arbuckle orogeny.

Because of the magnitude of stresses affecting pre-Pennsylvanian strata, the Arbuckle producing structure has closure in excess of 1,500 ft whereas the overlying Pennsylvanian closure is approximately 500 ft.

Hoxbar sandstones, from an average depth of 1,000 ft, have yielded approximately 250,000,000 bbl of oil and secondary recovery methods are now being employed. The Arbuckle produces from an average depth of 4,000 ft and has a cumulative production in excess of 2,000,000 bbl.

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