Dickinson field lodgepole reservoir: Significance of this Waulsortian-type mound to exploration in the Williston Basin
- Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Denver, CO (United States)
Conoco`s No. 74 Dickinson State well, a deep test in Dickinson Field, Stark County, North Dakota, was completed in early 1993 capable of producing over 2,000 BOPD. It represents the first commercial oil production from the Lower Mississippian Lodgepole Formation in the U.S. portion of the Williston Basin. Three additional oil producers have now been completed and this Lodgepole discovery is fully developed. The producing reservoir, at depths of 9,700 to 10,000 ft, is a Waulsortian-type mound approximately 300 ft thick with a characteristic faunal assemblage of bryozoans and crinoids. The mound has an areal extent of slightly more than 1 square mile. Similar Waulsortian-type mounds have been recognized in rocks of Paleozoic age around the world, but have only been reported in the Williston Basin during the past decade. Such mounds are shallow to deep water deposits, tend to develop over structurally or topographically-positive areas, and may form by algal or by current action in conjunction with baffling action caused by bryozoans. The prolific nature of the Conoco discovery, plus several more-recent excellent mound discoveries in this same area, have caused renewed drilling and leasing activity. These events have also encouraged a review of existing seismic data, the shooting of new 3-D seismic programs and re-analysis of wells previously drilled through the Lodgepole Formation for evidence of similar mounds elsewhere in the basin.
- OSTI ID:
- 160126
- Journal Information:
- Mountain Geologist, Vol. 32, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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