About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract


Volume: 68 (1984)

Issue: 10. (October)

First Page: 1353

Last Page: 1362

Title: Oil and Gas Developments in East-Central States in 1983

Author(s): Jacob Van Den Berg (2), Ray C. Gilbert (3), G. L. Carpenter (4), Frank H. Walker (5)

Article Type: Meeting abstract

Abstract:

In Tennessee, 822 drilling permits were approved in 1983, 23% less than in 1982. Most permits identified the oolitic zones in the Mississippian Monteagle formation or Mississippian Fort Payne "reef" zones as the target. Permits in Clay County were targeted for Ordovician rocks; in Overton County, for Ordovician and Mississippian rocks. Sufficient data were received to report 992 well completions, an increase of 250% from 1982. Of these, 666 were exploratory wells and 326 were development wells. Exploratory wells were 62% successful, resulting in 138 oil wells and 273 gas wells. Development wells were 78% successful, resulting in 114 oil wells and 141 gas wells. Permit applications in the first half of 1984 indicate a slight decline in drilling. Production in Tennessee in 983 was 1,052,634 bbl of oil, about 10% less than in 1982, and 4 bcf of gas, about 34% more than in 1982.

In Illinois, 2,668 oil and gas tests were processed in 1983, 9.6% less than in 1982. These included 640 exploratory wells (down 1.2%) and 2,028 development wells (down 13.9%). Exploratory wells were 13.3% successful; development wells were 68.6% successful. Exploratory successes included 11 new-field discoveries and 10 deeper pool discoveries. The most significant new-field discovery was Brooklyn field in Schuyler County, a Hunton Limestone Megagroup (Devonian and Silurian carbonates) producer. Initial potentials averaged 70 BOPD for the 28 wells reported. Discovery of a Carper sand extension to St. James field in Fayette County led to the drilling of more than 70 Carper producers in the area. A ½-mi extension discovery to Decatur field, a small 30-yr old Silurian field, led to t e completion of 5 producers that had initial potentials from 100 to 200 BOPD. The largest well in 1983 was a 720-BOPD Aux Vases well in Raleigh South field, Saline County. Thirteen additional Aux Vases (Mississippian) wells were completed. Sixty-eight wells, mostly Ste. Genevieve (Mississippian) producers, were completed in Albion Consolidated field, Edwards County. The deepest test reported in 1983, a 6,445-ft Potosi Dolomite (Cambrian) test in Washington County, was dry. Drilling activity in Illinois in 1984 is expected to remain high. Exploration for deeper production in existing fields, mostly Valmeyeran (Mississippian) and Devonian, will continue. Crude oil production in Illinois in 1983 was 29.2 million bbl, up 5.4%.

In Indiana, 1,032 holes (455 exploratory, 540 development, and 37 service wells) were drilled by the oil industry in 1983, only 23 less than in 1982. Exploratory wells were 19.1% successful (82 oil, 5 gas). Development wells were 65.9% successful (338 oil, 18 gas). Older Valmeyeran rocks of the Mississippian section (Salem Limestone, Harrodsburg Limestone, and Muldraugh Formation) assumed a more significant role in exploration than in recent years. Warrick County, which had been sparsely explored because it was considered to have little hydrocarbon potential, provided cause for optimism in 1983. Folsomville field in Warrick County had produced only from the Ste. Genevieve and Harrodsburg, but in 1983, production was discovered in the Renault Formation and in additional productive area in the Ste. Genevieve and Harrodsburg. During 1983, the field produced nearly double the amount that it had produced since its discovery in 1978. The Trenton fields in east-central Indiana witnessed a surprising amount of activity in 1983, but because of disappointing recoveries, drilling there probably will decline in 1984. No major decline in drilling activity in Indiana in 1984 is anticipated. Indiana produced 5,319,578 bbl of oil in 1983, 243,118 bbl less than in 1982.

In Kentucky, 6,779 permits were issued in 1983, an increase of 3% from 1982. Reported completions totalled 2,771, which were 406 fewer than in 1982. The success rate was 43.2% with 1,196 producers, 1,585 less than in 1982. There were 870 exploratory tests, with a success rate of 20.6%. Discoveries included 21 oil pools, 3 gas pools, 20 deeper oil pools, 4 deeper gas pools, 4 shallower oil pools, 2 shallower gas pools, and 125 extensions to pools. The Knox (Ordovician) play in south-central Kentucky continued to dominate drilling activity. Oil production in that area, however, declined slightly. An increase in drilling activity in Muhlenberg and Warren Counties resulted in fair success in Muhlenberg County and limited success in Warren County.

Pay-Per-View Purchase Options

The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.

Watermarked PDF Document: $14
Open PDF Document: $24

AAPG Member?

Please login with your Member username and password.

Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].