In the fall of 1981, Lear Petroleum commenced drilling a seismic wildcat prospect in the deep Anadarko basin. The well was located in an area previously thought to be a poor prospect because of the small number of tests in the proximity and the low success ratio of drilled wells. The Lear wildcat discovered the Eakly field of the Pennsylvanian Springer-Britt sandstone at a depth of 15,450 ft. Because their leasehold in the offsets was expiring, four additional wells were drilled immediately, resulting in only one dry hole. During this period, Amoco also found production from the Britt sandstone along depositional strike approximately 10 mi southeast of the Lear discovery.

By the fall of 1982, it was evident that the trend had enough areal extent to potentially become one of the Anadarko basin's giant fields. With a market value of about $4.00/mcf, initial flow potentials from 2.5 to 12 MMCFGD at 7,000 to 9,000 psig, and depths under 16,000 ft, the Eakly trend became one of the most attractive exploration targets in the Mid-Continent region. Representative wells in the Eakly field today produce at rates up to 18 MMCFGD, and ultimate recoveries are estimated at 5-30 bcf of gas/well. The trend is still being developed and extends approximately 30 mi. Reserves estimated at 910 bcf of gas from 50 wells make the Eakly Springer trend one of the Anadarko basin's true giants.

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