The Smackover trend within the United States extends approximately 1,000 mi from south Texas to western Florida. Prolific production has been obtained in east Texas, southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, and eastern Mississippi. Continuing exploration is extending the productive areas eastward into Alabama and western Florida and promises to extend production into south Texas.

Most of the production has come from oolitic, pelletal, and skeletal carbonates of the upper Smackover. The 3 most important types of reservoir rocks are oomoldic dolomite, saccharoidal dolomite, and oolitic limestone with interoolite porosity. Reservoir porosity and permeability vary widely depending on the quality of the primary porosity, amount of secondary porosity development, and the magnitude of porosity destruction.

Low-relief anticlines, with up to about 400 ft of closure, are the most important structural traps in terms of present production. These closures are usually associated with Louann Salt swells which underlie the Smackover section. Fault traps, traps associated with high relief structures and salt piercements, and stratigraphic traps are of lesser importance at present, but it is anticipated that they will provide major reserves as exploration continues.

The search for low-relief anticlines will continue throughout the trend, but the importance of these features will be greatest in the sparsely drilled areas. Within well-developed areas, exploration will focus on the other trap types in order to find big new reserves.

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