The Fort Worth BasinHydrocarbon shows were first encountered in the Fort Worth Basin during the mid-nineteenth century while drilling water wells. Sporadic exploration began following the Civil War, and the first commercial oil discoveries occurred in the early 1900s. In 1917, the discovery of Ranger field stimulated one of the largest exploration and development "booms" in Texas.
Ranger field produces from the Atoka-Bend formation, a sandstone-conglomerate reservoir that directly overlies the Barnett formation. Operators drilled more than 1,000 wildcats in and around the Fort Worth basin attempting to duplicate the success of Ranger. These wildcat efforts resulted in the discovery of more fields and production from numerous other conventional reservoirs including the Strawn Sands, Atoka-Bend Conglomerate, and the Ellenburger Limestone. |
The largest breakthrough in the Fort Worth Basin came in 1997, when Mitchell Energy petroleum engineer Nick Steinsberger suggested that a slickwater frac might work better in the Barnett Shale than the gel fracs. By going against conventional wisdom and switching to the slickwater frac, Mitchell Energy not only lowered the cost of completing wells but also dramatically increased the recovery of gas.
In the late 2000's as the price of natural gas caused the Barnett to become less attractive a new oil development in the Fort Worth Basin began to gather steam. On the western edge of the Fort Worth Basin companies like Atlas Energy Partners, Brigadier Oil and Gas and Newark E&P have began to develop the Marble Falls formation.
The Marble Falls sits between the Barnett Shale and the shallow conventional oil and gas formations that made the Fort Worth Basin one of the largest producing oil and gas regions in the nation. While the formation is shallow, about 5,000 to 6,000 feet down, making the primary pay zone inexpensive to drill, the Marble Falls is a blanket formation with uniform thickness which leads to consistent production over a very large area.
In the late 2000's as the price of natural gas caused the Barnett to become less attractive a new oil development in the Fort Worth Basin began to gather steam. On the western edge of the Fort Worth Basin companies like Atlas Energy Partners, Brigadier Oil and Gas and Newark E&P have began to develop the Marble Falls formation.
The Marble Falls sits between the Barnett Shale and the shallow conventional oil and gas formations that made the Fort Worth Basin one of the largest producing oil and gas regions in the nation. While the formation is shallow, about 5,000 to 6,000 feet down, making the primary pay zone inexpensive to drill, the Marble Falls is a blanket formation with uniform thickness which leads to consistent production over a very large area.
The Eagle Ford ShaleThe Eagle Ford Shale formation, located in Texas and extending into Mexico, contains 3.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil and 20.8 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas.
Since development began in 2008, the Eagle Ford Shale has become one of the most active drilling areas in the world. Production increases in the Eagle Ford from 2010 to 2011 accounted for 85% of the total increase in Texas’ production in that period of time. |
Gregg Robertson is an independent geologist and runs a family business, First Rock Inc. in Corpus Christi, Texas. His father Roland “Rock” Robertson established the company in 1975 and First Rock was one of the pioneers in the development of the Giddings Austin Chalk field in South East Texas.
In 2005, Major oil companies were targeting the Edwards formation that sits below the Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale in South and South East Texas. One such well had a good showing farther up the hole in what was thought to be the Austin Chalk, but completions in the chalk in the area had produced poor results.
Robertson and his father had been exploring the Austin Chalk since the 70’s and Robertson’s intuition told him that the Eagle Ford Shale, rather than the Austin Chalk was likely the source of the oil and gas showings encountered in previous wells.
Around that same time, Houston Based Petrohawk Energy Corp., who had early success in the Haynesville Shale was in the market and looking for another shale play. Mutual connections led to a meeting between the two companies and after two months of research and development, the Eagle Ford Shale Play concept was developed.
Within three months the companies assembled 150,000 leased acres in South Texas. Petrohawk drilled the first well in 2008 and by 2015 the Eagle Ford Shale was producing over a million barrels of oil per day, more oil and gas production than 47 of the 50 United States.
In 2005, Major oil companies were targeting the Edwards formation that sits below the Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford Shale in South and South East Texas. One such well had a good showing farther up the hole in what was thought to be the Austin Chalk, but completions in the chalk in the area had produced poor results.
Robertson and his father had been exploring the Austin Chalk since the 70’s and Robertson’s intuition told him that the Eagle Ford Shale, rather than the Austin Chalk was likely the source of the oil and gas showings encountered in previous wells.
Around that same time, Houston Based Petrohawk Energy Corp., who had early success in the Haynesville Shale was in the market and looking for another shale play. Mutual connections led to a meeting between the two companies and after two months of research and development, the Eagle Ford Shale Play concept was developed.
Within three months the companies assembled 150,000 leased acres in South Texas. Petrohawk drilled the first well in 2008 and by 2015 the Eagle Ford Shale was producing over a million barrels of oil per day, more oil and gas production than 47 of the 50 United States.
Estimated value of $40 billion
Chesapeake has plans to drill 100 wells in Oklahoma in 2018, 60 of them in the STACK. The company is targeting the Oswego formation, where it has drilled 15 wells and is getting 80% oil and natural gas liquids. “This is an exciting area for us,” Chesapeake president and CEO Doug Lawler told analysts in February. “It’s important to our strategic oil growth.” A recent report by Capital One Southcoast said the estimated value of the STACK play “reaches upwards of $40 billion,” based on the total value ascribed to the top drilling companies. That figure still has significant upside potential because of the relative newness of the STACK play, the analysts said. STACK drilling companies are still conducting pilots on spacing and companies can target stacked drilling zones, the report said. It added that drilling boundaries are still being defined. |
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