Abstract

The Hylton Northwest (Multipay) Field is located in southeastern Nolan County, Texas (See index map). Geographically the field is located on the north northeast to south southwest trending Fort Chadbourne fault system of the Eastern Shelf of the Midland Basin (Conselman, 1954).

Production from the Bronte, Hylton Northwest, North Dora, Rawlings, Suggs Ellenburger and White Flat Fields, located along the Fort Chadbourne fault system, is structurally controlled, and ranges in geologic age from the Cambro-Ordovician through the Upper Pennsylvanian. Tectonic activity beginning in early Cambrian time and continuing into early Pennsylvanian (Bend-Atoka) time has affected the structural configuration of these fields.

The last period of major tectonism with its attendant uplift, faulting and erosion occurred at the close of Bend time along the above trend. Succeeding periods of deposition of carbonates and clastics of Pennsylvanian, Permian and Cretaceous age drape over these deeper structural anomalies and create surface anomalies. The compaction of the overlying beds over the deeper structures create surface lineaments or fracture patterns.

The interpretative mapping of the lineaments together with the interpretation of the surface drainage system can be utilized to outline these subtle geomorphic surface anomalies. The technique of surface mapping utilizing black and white stereoscopic paired photographs was used to further delineate the presence of the Hylton Northwest Field. A study of the Landstat image of the field area indicates the presence of a strong north northwest to south southeast lineament along the east side of the field with attendant northeast lineaments (refer to Exhibit “A”). Cretaceous age limestone covers the ground in the field area.

The field was discovered in October, 1951 by a combination of shallow core drill exploration, gravity meter exploration and subsurface geology (Hoffacker, 1954). Exhibit “B is a vintage core drill map of the Hylton Northwest Field.

The magnitude of the structural relief in the field area is shown on Exhibit “C”. A west to east cross section depicts diagrammatically the subsurface structural relief of the Cambro-Ordovician through the lower Strawn (Goen) age beds over the “Hylton positive” (Exhibit “D”).