John McCaslin
Exploration Editor
Oil discoveries in the Greater Green River basin of Wyoming have been few and far between in recent years. But the new strikes have for the most part all been major finds.
Apparently another major oil hit has been made in the region, this one by Denver's General Atlantic Resources. Location is on eastern flank of the Moxa arch, 11 miles southeast of the village of Fontenelle. Petroleum Information of Denver reports that this well made 3,324 bbl of oil from the Cretaceous Dakota in 4 days during this past October. This is an average of 831 b/d of oil, according to state production data.
NEW MOXA ARCH SUCCESS
The new Dakota oil discovery opens Resurrection field at 30-1 Whiskey Butte-Federal, NW SW 30-22n-110w, western Sweetwater County.
Pay interval was not disclosed, but Dakota oil flows in this part of the world have always been good, at whatever depth.
About three quarters of a mfile south-southwest, the wildcatter has set production casing at 1-36 Whiskey Butte-Federal in SE NE 36-22n-111w. This is a proposed 12,250 ft Dakota test drilled by Exeter Drilling Co. Rig 31. Pi says that rig has been moved in to drill the General Atlantic 32-1 Whiskey ButteFederal in SW NW 32-22n-110w, one and a quarter miles southeast of the discovery at Resurrection. This well was spudded late last December and is aimed at 12,850 ft and the Dakota.
Of further interest to regional watchers, the company has also locations staked for three more Dakota wells in the area.
Location of the important new Dakota find is about 1 and one half miles east and southeast of Frontier (Cretaceous) gas-condensate production in Whiskey Butte field. Site is also within 3 and one half miles southeast of the Legacy field discovery well. This Dakota oil and gas well was finaled by General Atlantic in 1989 and is now operated by Presidio Exploration, according to PI's Denver report.
CONTINUES THE SEARCH
Only a short time has passed since the highly prolific Dakota discovery at Luckey Ditch, 40 miles southeast of Evanston in Uinta County.
Back in 1987 we noted that Sun said its mid-1987 reserves estimate for Luckey Ditch were about 30 million bbl of oil equivalent, making the area one of the best onshore discoveries in the Lower 48 in the 5 years preceding 1987. Initial flow rates from Cretaceous Dakota sands were several hundred to more than 2,000 b/d of oil.
This strike was followed by Anadarko Petroleum Corp.'s great well at 1-C Whiskey Springs-Federal which flowed 1,993 b/d of oil and 3.8 MMcfd of gas on choke from perforations at 15,254-15,294 ft.
Northeast of Luckey Ditch, drilling by others in Lincoln Road, Blue Forest, and Swan fields, Sweetwater County, led to construction of a gathering system and plant to process gas from Dakota and Cretaceous Frontier pays.
So interest is indeed high in the Greater Green River province these days. The Resurrection discovery should pad the way for even better finds down the road.
Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
