Amoco Production drilled a remote 17,851-ft test into the Mid-American rift system in Carroll County, Iowa. The location was about 200 mi northwest of the 1984 Texaco 1 Poersch well in Washington County, Kansas. Amoco abandoned the hole, and no information has been released.

In Kansas, drilling in 1987 fell to a new low of 3,161 completions, off 24% from the 1986 figure of 4,185 completions. Operators drilled considerably fewer new-field wildcats and focused attention on development drilling. The overall success rate was up slightly at 61%.

In Missouri, an important Ordovician discovery was made in Atchison County in the Forest City basin of northwestern Missouri.

In southwestern Nebraska, exploration activities continued to focus on the Paleozoic play along the northwestern flank of the Denver-Julesburg basin. Three important discoveries were reported in 1987: 1 in Kimball County and 2 in Cheyenne County.

Wisconsin and Minnesota reported no drilling activities in 1987.