Williston basin oil exploration: Past, present, and future

Conference · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:6130729

Jennings, A H

Past: In 1951, modern oil exploration came to the Williston basin with the discovery of Paleozoic oil on the large Nesson anticline. This was quickly followed by similar discoveries on Cedar Creek and Poplar anticlines. To the north, the Canadians, lacking large structures, concentrated on Paleozoic stratigraphic traps and were highly successful. US explorationists quickly followed, finding similar traps on the basin's northeastern flank and center. The 1960s saw multiple Devonian salt dissolution structures produce on the western flank. To the northwest, shallow Mississippian and deeper Ordovician pays were found on small structural closures. These later were combined with pays in the Devonian and Silurian to give multiple pay potential. In the basin center large buried structures, visible only to seismic, were located. The 1970s revealed an Ordovician subcrop trap on the southeast flank. Centrally, a Jurassic astrobleme with Mississippian oil caused a flurry of leasing and deep drilling. The 1982 collapse of oil prices essentially halted exploration. 1987 saw a revival when horizontal drilling for the Mississippian Bakken fractured shale promised viable economics. Present: Today, emphasis is on Bakken horizontal drilling in the deeper portion of the basin. Next in importance is shallow drilling such as on the northeastern flank. Future: An estimated on billion barrels of new oil awaits discovery in the Williston basin. Additional exploration in already established production trends will find some of this oil. Most of this oil, however, will almost certainly be found by following up the numerous geological leads hinted at by past drilling.

• OSTI ID: 6130729
• Report Number(s): CONF-9107109--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 75:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
020300 -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ANTICLINES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
DRILLING
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGIC TRAPS
GEOLOGY
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MONTANA
NORTH AMERICA
NORTH DAKOTA
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVES
RESOURCES
STRATIGRAPHY
USA
WELLS
WILLISTON BASIN