0il andgasdiscovery
wellsdrilled
in NewMexicoin 1982
by Ronald"F. Broadhead, Petroleum Geologist, New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Socorro. NM
Introduction
Drilling for oil and gasin New Mexicosaw
its secondbest year in history in 1982.Statistics obtained from the New Mexico Oil
Conservation Division indicate that 2,313
wells were completedin New Mexico in7982,
a number surpassedonlv bv the record of
2,867 wells cohpleted iti tSSt. In the Permian Basin of southeastNew Mexico, 7,529
wells were completedin7982, up from 1,348
completionsin tggt; 597of the PermianBasin wells were completed as oil producers
|
t\
\\
;;;[
Son .luon
50n
t-,
:
Juon
while 663 were completedas gas producers
and 269 were plugged and abandoned resulting in a successrate of 82Vo.ln the San
fuan Basin of northwest New Mexico, 784
wells were completed in 1982, down from
1,379completions in 1987;577 of the San
JuanBasinwells were gasproducers,165were
oil producers,and only 42were plugged and
abandonedfor a successrate of 95%. In addition, approximately 10 wells were drilled
in searchof carbondioide on the Bravodome
of northeastNew Mexico, down sharply from
) HOron
t
Colfox
Hro
,prit1)
____
B o'l_s i n
|
nl0
Fe
I
Mc K i nl e y
Miqu
the 140carbon-dioxidewells drilled in 1981.
Wildcat wells were plugged in the not-yetproductive Raton, Hagan, and Albuquerque
Basinsof northeastNew Mexicoand in Luna
County of southwest New Mexico. Wildcat
wells drilled in the TucumcariBasinof northeast New Mexico encounteredencouraging
amounts of hydrocarbongas.
Almost 12,000,000ft of hole were drilled
in New Mexico in1982, making it the second
best year in history and surpassedonly by
the record 74,076,000
ft drilled in 1981.The
averagedepth of wells drilled in 1982is 5,188
ft, 278 ft more than the average depth of
wells drilled in 1981.
Fig. 1 showsthe locationsof the significant
wildcat wells drilled in New Mexico in 7982;
table 1 summarizes the significant wildcat
discoveriesand table 2 summarizesthe significant wildcat dry holes. For purposes of
this report, a significantwildcat discoveryis
defined as a well in which commercial
amounts of oil or gas from a formation have
been discoveredat a distanceof more than
5 mi from the limits of previously discovered
fields with commercialproduction from that
formation. A significant wildcat dry hole is
defined as a well drilled in an unproductive
basin or part of a basin that encounteredan
encouragingshow of hydrocarbonsbefore
being abandoned.Table3 lists wildcats which
were being drilled at the end of 1982 and
which were locatedin unproductive basins.
SoutheastNew Mexico
Drilling activity has been high in three of
the four geologicsubdivisionsof the Permian
gc,tt*
Basin in southeastNew Mexico: The Dela"
ware Basin,the Central Basinplatform, and
36)
the Northwest shelf.The Rooseveltuplift has
seenonly a moderateamount of drilling. The
PermianBasinyielded severalsignificantoil
and gas discoveriesin 1982(fig. 1; table 1).
Esl oiCio'
Kinney (7967, p. 26-27) presented stratiB o s ni
Socorro
C oI r o n
graphicchartsof oil- and gas-producingrock
P e d e r n Io
units in southeastNew Mexico.
The Delaware Basin of Eddy and southLincoln
west Lea Counties had several significant
wildcat discoveries.A great deal of development drilling in existing fields also took
o34,35
place. On the west flank of the Delaware
(
S i e rr o
lrol
Basin, the Cities Service Companv No. L
sin 'Q'
I
gronoe
Federal
$iC. 1, no. 11; table t,- no. 11)
form
)
found gas in the Canyon Series (Pennsylvanian) and DesanaCorporation found gas
a
in the BoneSpring Limestone(Permian)with
their No. 1 Federal'BH' (fig. 1.,no. 15; table
Otero
4
;
l > FI 1, no. 15); the Desanadiscovery is unusual
l H i d o t ei o
because
the Bone Spring usuaily produces
z\(
oil, not gas. Further east toward the center
of the basin, Bone Spring oil was found by
P e d r e g o s jo
threesignificantwildcats:the Getty Oil ComBosin I
o
so
roomi ;:1.::
pany No. 1 Forty-niner Ridge Unit (fig. t,
___J
t f D r y h o l ew i t h g o s s h o w
o
loo
50
l5Okm
no. 12; table 1, no. 12), the Wood & Locker
U D r y h o l ew i t h o i l o n d g o s s h o w s
No. 1 AMOCO Federal(fig. I, no. 13; table
l i l d c o lw e l l sd r i l l i n g
O S i g n i f i c o nw
1., no. 1.3),and the AMOCO Production
o r n o f c o m p l e l e do t e n d o f 1 9 8 2
Company No. 1 State'l:l' (fig. 1.,no.21.;table
'1,,
no. 2I); the Bone Spring discoveries in
FIGURE 1-SIcNIncetr oIL ANDGAsDrscovERtEs
ANDwlLDcArDRyHoLEsDRTLLED
tN Nrw Msxrco ouzuNc
1982.Major geologicfeaturesare taken from Black (1979),Kottlowski and Stewart (1970),Meyer 1982and previous Bone Spring discoveries
(1956),Molenaar (7977),Robertsand others (7976),and Thompson and others (1978) Seetables 1, made in 1981(Broadhead,7982a)
indicate that
2, and 3 for details.
the Bone Spring could become a major oil
Hpgon
Blosin
uia;
[->+
I
I
May 1983
New MexicoGeology
TABLE 1-STcNIFICANT
WILDCAT
DIscovERrEs
rrr:Nrw Mrxrco rN 19g2;the term ,,formation,, is used in an
informal sense NR, not released;BOpD, barrersof oil per duy; nwpo,
barrels of water per day;
MCFGPD, thousand ft: of gas per day.
-.-i.,*J-
Nunber
.,:
ti9.t,
to(ation
annnt,rinn
t'T',:"""
r-"iiiy*o
OD€ratot.
{*dion{o*ship(ourryr'
rinse.
*ri;',,T+,.
andreas€
J""Jii
";fii'
romruon
"-r"*
robrdepth
*.*r,
"iiiln
crrviry
rdws
;i:li:,
I7-6ts34E
bsrydt
Mrics
ede,
rnc.
,17'
rc, l sbte
5/A2
I7-1s-25E
& bca
FfarRdfem
oif
M. l Stale'17'
!/A2
4,5M
Hueo
(Pedil)
l-tsZOe
s@ ExploraLlm e
Pldueron
6.
'A'Fderd
No. L tuves
j a2
5.366
Precdrid
Hue@
(Pedil)
4,Sa4,5%
t,wffitu
D-9s26E
yates perolem
b.
I hit\||:fr
S€te
3/A2
6,7rO
Ple(ffirie
dssissipid
6, I246,34
2q
j A2
6.2q6
tuse]lH
(silwio)
tusseh
(silurid)
6,Sq26,S5S
8,S2
hssissipian
Stah
(plrcylvds)
6,5916,6@
753 l4reD
6,
6ry.
'ro'
D-9S-2oE
p@I
ft{
M.
l6-I3S-2bE
Ctffir
s hcrq
Inc,
No, I N'16'sbre
ll-I4S--bL
clffi,s
herq
lnc.
No. I DlM (hssid
35-145-268
cL@nG
turry
,35,
No. I bq
17-16s-27E
4ry
oryqrhg
6.
2 hstLd
sbre
Prdrlil
2 A2
crdb
m$
Sd ?@es
(pedd)
1,6Ir
7,714
2 I 3 @ M
a2G
472
565 reD
+12W
--
@PD
-
ffiPD
6,9q
hssisstpie
S&lcAbk
(Pemsytvdm)
6.67a6,170
1,213 reD
-
6/A2
7 ,294
oss$srpprd
StM-Abka
(PelEyrvade)
6,9257,AIq
7.189 i@PD
-
Hu*y oil @.
No. I Husky Fderal
4/82
a,@
ussrssipim
e
(pedan)
5,46&
5,A7A
75 rePD
tI.-24924E
Bdy
hlph
Nix
No. I Ebbie
5/a2
9,46
hssissrppiD
hp
(pemsylv&id)
7,7541,766
55 rcPD
+162I]@
L1
23--23$2:E
frd1
Ciries
senice
No. I Fdsat
I/a2
Is,49
hssisslpie
tup
(PlmYtvdm)
8,t23a,2o5
722 l@D
L2
16-2lS-lUE
6ry
@!ty orl &.
No. 1 Fofty_naner
ddge uni!
6/42
14,519
bvoio
bre
spring
(prfrd)
j , 564j,sag
95 MPD
+65mD
M
26-255-27E
edy
l@&l4s
No. lrcFddal
hc.
a/42
1,6jq
be
spring
(Ped&)
be
spring
(pedd)
5,4775,949
25 rcPD
41.8
l5-25S-31E
ddy
rc
No.
on 6.
Unit
6/42
r5,7W
tuet!
(hssissipiil)
Abka
(pemsyrvadd)
8-26s-2lE
Fsm
Cory.
No. I Fderal
F-dt
(hsslsslmid)
he
sprhg
(ptfue)
3,1A33,A1?
Gs
be
Sprrng
(Pedd)
b@ Spring
(pde)
6,871
7 ,554
2,19
5,4425,118
325 @D
+20I:@
3,44r3,485
429 ffiPD
w
13
kducr
I Big SU
Inc.
(]fussrqL
6.
'e'
5/a2
8,361
BH'
13-265-278
Hdy
petotew
ftid
Inc.
No. I hy'A
Fd$ar
3/42
7,665
25-265-29E
ildy
J.C. wiuirca
No. 1'u(:xw'Fderal
6/A2
6,29
bla],de
(Pedd)
tuhy
tupn
(pedd)
26-265-29E
mdy
J.c, iliuiareo
No. 2 ru-u$
3/42
4,q34
Elilare
(Pedd)
bU
hp
(pds)
3-l4S 36E
@vry
E. Yates
No. 2 Mcbmld
unit
7/a2
14,592
Fvonian
bvoie
q
oil
No. 1r.
4/A2
7,740
Hus
(plsM)
sevqr
(;;;j*
r5,rq
sfam
(Pemsyrvdim)
Ll,3W
be
spring
(Pedd)
(Pemsylvd&)
brrd
(percytvdd)
5-29S-39E
6.
wriqhc
2T
32-2lS-l3E
h
prduction
rc
6
No. 1 srare
LT!
22
LO-)]S.)AE
Eslor I I pLdD--ng @ry.
No. / f! I ple
A Fd-r c-
b-2os-r,L
h
,o.
rc
Prdun!6
No. 1 perrc crdde
UnlL
2/42
I 8_
2A-BV22E
No. l-x
25
2-*23E
26
+2NN
tu@ari
ards-P@s
rb , t hliw
&.
t his
16,655
L/ 4 2
L4,556L4,5@
@5 |@D
reU
l@D
112 mPD
56
-
be
sprbq (p(fu4)
9,27 59,4%
3qbw
+23IM
M
6erry
tuyo
(pede)
6,7346,9€
I43 fuPD
+5tmD
M
36,972 l4sPD
--
t5,16515,419
7.202
Predriil
pemsylvdd
6,6546,764
275 &EPD
(see rexr)
4,300
hos
(cleac€os)
h@s
(cretac6E)
3,4941,3W
120 Ntu
+1&WD
producer in the future. The Brushv Canvon
Formationof the DelawareMountain Grouo
(Permian)yielded an impressiveinitial pro_
duction of 325 bbls of oil per day (BOpD)
and only_20_bb!s
of water per aay @WnOj
from the J. C. Williamso.,No. f ,iCbHww
Federal (fig. 1, no. 1,7;table 1, no. 1D in
south-centralEddy County. The Bell Canyon
Formationof the DelawareMountainGroup
yieldeda gas discoveryto the I. C. William_
?9" ry.o.2 EP-USA(fig. 1, no. 18;tabtet, no.
18).The EstorilProducingCorporationNo.
2-TripleA'Federal (fig. 1,io. 2); irable
t, no.
22),locatedin Lea County on the northeast
flank of the DelawareBasin,obtainedan in_
itial production of 143BOpD and 51 BWPD
from the Cherry Canyon Formationof the
DelawareMountain Group. ln the southern
part of the basin,the euanah petroleumNo.
l F l V ' e ' F e d e r a l ( f i g . i , n o . 1 6 ;t a b l e1 , n o .
15) found Bone Spring gas and aVOtO,s
No. 1 PerroCrand-eUn-it(fig. 1, no. 23; table
L, no. 23) had an exceptioriallyhigh initial_
M
1,792 rcPD
Hueo
(pede)
4-20-2
-
J,aM_
r,r2r
tuvqs
3,120
N
Resowces Inc
hch
BIk ,A
t4,34
14,391
42
2,796-2,W2: I
twD
2,Al2-2,824i
+ l2O WD
2,916-2 ,926 :
2,96A-3,52A
eastNew Mexico in 7982.Severalsignificant
wildcat discoverieswere made and Ihe pace
of development drilling was fast. Orr the
southern part of the shelf, gas was discoveredin the Strawn and Atoka Seriesby three
wells 4lilled by Clements Energy Inc.: the
No. 1NM'36'State (fig. 1, no. 6fiable 1, no.
6), the No. 1 Drum Commission(fig. 1, no.
7; table 1, no. 7), and the No. I Ring ,35,
Commission(fig. 1, no. 8; table1, no. 8). The
Ralph Nix No. 1 Debbie (fig. 1, no. 10; table
1, no. 10) found oil in the Canyon Series
(Pennsylvanian)
in west-centrat
Edhy Countv.
Further to the north in centralChavesCountv.
discoveries
were madein threepay ron"s bv
threedifferentwells;Sun'sNo.'1 ChuuesA,
Federal(fig. 1, no. 3; table 1, no. 3) found
Hueco (Permian) gas while the yates petroleum CorporationNo. 1 Whitworth ,RU,State
(fig ], no 4; table1, no. 4) found gas in the
MississippianSystem,and the Fred?ool Operating Company No. 2 EastlandState (fig.
1, no. 5; table 1, no. 5) found gas in thl
FusselmanDolomite (Silurian). Slill further
north, the Flag-RedfernOil Company No. 1
State'17' (fig. 1, no. 2; table t, no. 2j found
gas at a depth of 826 ft in the San Andres
Limestoneand is the first San Andres discovery in De BacaCounty. The main targets
o{ development drilling on the Northriest
shelf are the "tight" gas sands of the Abo
Formation (Permian).Abo production is
presently limited to north-centralChaves
County but severalwildcats drilled in 19g1
'1,982
and
have encountered promising gas
shows from the Abo in Lincoln and DJBIca
Countiesand evenasfar north asGuadalupe
County.The Abo play hasbeen discussedby
Wheatley(1981),Broadhead(1982b),and Scoit
(1982).Other developmentdrilling on the
Northwestshelf is mostly for oil iri the San
AndresLimestoneand the Queenand Cravburg Formations(Permian).
Very few wells were drilled on the Roosevelt uplift in 1982.Chief drilling targetsare
Pennsylvanianand Mississippianroiks.
39
calculated open flow of 36,972 thousand ft3
ol gas per day TMCFGPD) from the Morrow
Series (Penn,sylvanian).Major targets of development drilling in the D'elawaie Basin in
1982 were gas in the Morrow, Atoka, and
Strawn Series (Pennsylvanian) and oil in the
Bone Spring Limestone and pennsylvanian
5vstem.
-The
Central Basin platform of southeastern Lea County also saw a high level of drilling activity in 1982,but only one significant
wildcat discovery was made, gas fiom the
Seven Rivers Formation (permiari) by the MGF
Oil,Company No. 1 J. Wright (fig.'t, no.20;
table l. no. 20). Developme-ntdriiiing of shallow oll reservoirsin the Yates,Seven Rivers.
Qugel, and Crayburg Formations (permian)
and the San Andrei Limestone ipermiani
predominates on the Central Basin platform.
Severalfields produce oil with the aid of watertlood operations.
The Northwest shelf of the permian Basin
was the most actively drilled area in south-
Northwest New Mexico
The San Juan Basin of northwest New
Mexicohas seena high level of drilling activity in 1982,even though the number of
wells drilled was down approximately50%
from 1981.As in past years,most of th; drilling has been for gasand concentratedin San
Juan and western Rio Arriba Counties. Few
wildcats were drilled, but development activity was heavy.
_Majordevelopmentobjectives for gas in the San Juan Basin are ihe
Dakota Sandstone (Cretaceous)and sands t o n e so f t h e M e s a v e r d eG r o u p ( C r e t a ceous),including the Chacraand pictured
Cliffs sandstones.The Gallup Sandstone
(Cretaceous)is a maior obiectivefor development drilling of oil wells. The Hospah
sandstoneand Mancos Shale (Cretaceous),
the Entrada Sandstone (Jurassic),and the
PennsylvanianSystemare minor development targets. The stratigraphy of tarqeted
unitswasdiscussedby Molenaai1teZ4,dreen
and Pierson(1977),indJentgen (lSiZ);Vinr:>
New Mexico Geology
May 1983
TABLE 2-SrcNtFtcANT wrLDcATDRy HoLESrN NEW Mexrco rN 1982; the term "formation" is used in an informal sense; D&A,
SO, suspended operations; MCFGPD, thousand ft3 of gas per day; NR, not released.
Number
on
fig,7
27
Location
(section-townshiprange,county)
OPerator,
well number,
and lease
Completion
date
(month/year)
4,gM
21-8N-2]E
cEdaluIE
Al.ta Energy Corp.
No. I Walker
24-1lN-1E
BeruIillo
SheU Oil Co.
No. l-24 West }4esa Federal
25-l-8r{-26E
Se I',liguel
Sw
No,
6-3]N-34E
Union
Frid(ey Blacls{eU
No. 2 Fdr
4-243-BVI
SevilltsTrj-dent
No, 1 ltrcsherry
Lle
Tex6
Co.
I Upton
corp.
celetteand Chittum (1981)recentlydiscussed
explorationfor Entrada oil fields.
The lone significant wildcat discovery
drilled in the San|uan Basinin 1982was the
Lewis Energy No. 1 Lewis 4-20-2, located
in northern SandovalCounty (fig. l, no. 26;
table 1, no. 26). The Lewis well was completed in the Mancos Shale(Cretaceous)for
an initial production of 120 BOPD and 180
BWPD over an open-holeinterval of 806 ft.
Northeast New Mexico
Two extremely important wildcats were
drilled in the TucumcariBasin in 1982.The
Trans-PecosResourcesNo. 1 Latigo Ranch
Blk A' (fig. l, no. 25; table 1, no. 25) found
potentially commercialquantities of hydrocarbon gas. Although final reports indicate
a gasflow of only 275MCFGPDthrough perforations from 5,658to 6,764ft, the well reportedly flowed as much as 3,000MCFGPD
during-difficult completion operations.The
Trans-Pecoswell is an extremelyimportant
d i s c o v e r yb e c a u s ei t s u g g e s t st h a t l a r g e
amounts of gas, and possibly oil, may be
presentin the nonproductiveTucumcariBaResourcesNo. 2 Latigo
sin. The Trans-Pecos
Ranch (fig. 1, no. 38; table 3, no. 38) was
spudded late in 1982, and is scheduled to
drill to 7,250ftto test the PennsylvanianSystem. AIso in Guadalupe County, a gas discovery was reported in the Abo Formation
(Permian) by the O. H. Berry No. 1 TucumcariFNB (fig. l, no. 24; table 1, no. 24).
Although the small initial potential of 88
MCFGPD and 120 BWPD makes the economic viability of the Berry well extremely
doubtful, it does indicate that the Abo tight
gas play may extend as far north as central
Guadalupe County, although probably not
as a single continuous field. In the southeasternpart of the TucumcariBasinin Quay
County,the DesanaCorporationNo. I Wichita (fig. t, no. 39; table 3, no. 39) was spud
in late 1982,and will drill to 7,350ft to test
the PennsylvanianSystem.
May 1983
Total
depth
(f0
Nat; Mexico Geology
Formation
at
total d€pth
PemyIviliil
NR
6/ 62
Status
dry and abandoned;
Comments
ttrcugh
OiI shtr in Abo (Pemim)
EL.
frffi 2,40-2,&+6
Isforations
cd shd in ebo tlrcugh
lErforations frm 2,514-2,6O9 ft.
See Blad( (1982, P.
Flded gas'
of rell.
317 ) for discwsion
2,r7L
Pr€drbriil
Smta Ros
5l- I'4$GPD fm
Flqed
(Triassic)
tlrough Isfdatiore
Fltred 49 I'IGGPD
33A-492 ft'
fm
prforati-ons
Roe tlrough
fIs
Seta
633-739 fL.
fm
L,q50
clorieta
(Pemiil)
RetrDrted hydr€dbqr
Precatrbrim
ia ordovicim
cas stw reported
frm 9,875ttEough IErforatiore
in
9,994 ft-. c6 shff relprted
tlrough
Precdnbriil
Prforations
fL.
LI,A64-II,9S7
fm
L2,495
In extremenortheast Guadalupe County,
CoronaOil Companv drilled severalwells in
T. 11 N., R. 25 E. ana t. rt N., R. 26 E. as
pilot projpart of an enhanced-oil-recovery
ect.When complete,the pilot projectwill use
a streamfloodtechnique to produce heavy
oil from the Chinle Formation (Triassic).
On the Bravo dome of Union, Harding,
and Quay Counties, development drilling for
carbon dioxide in the Tubb sandstone (Permian) continues. Onlv about 10 wells were
drilled in searchof cirbon dioxide in L982,
down sharplv from 140wells drilled in 1981.
Robertsanh bthers ('J.976)discussedthe stratigraphy of the Bravo dome; Fosterand fen) nd Foster (1980,p. 33-34)
s e n ( 1 . 9 7 2a
discussedTubb production. Completion of a
pipeline to tranlport the carbon dioxide to
the PermianBasin is scheduledfor the near
future. The pipeline will enableoPeratorsto
produce and sell carbon dioxide from the
currently shut-in Bravodome wells. The carbon dioxide will be used in enhanced-oilrecovervooerationsin the Permian Basin.
In the AlbuquerqueBasin, Shell Oil Company plugged its eighth well in 1982.The
ShellNo. 1-24West MesaFederal(fig. 1, no.
28; table 2, no. 28) flared gas and was reported to have intermittently flowed large
quantities of gas during drilling. The gas
probablycamefrom either Cretaceousor Teriiary rocksand confirms the shows reported
by previously drilled Shell wells in the AlbuquerqueBasin.Shellcontinued its leasing
programafterabandoningthe WestMesawell.
Black (1982)discussedthe petroleum potential of Cretaceousrocks in the Albuquerque
Basin.
Elsewherein northeastNew Mexico,SolvEx Corporation announcedplans to build a
plant that will extractoil from the SantaRosa
tar sands (Triassic)in central Guadalupe
County. Solv-Ex received approval of $20
million in loan guaranteesfrom the federally
funded SyntheticFuels Corporation to help
build the plant. The geology of the Santa
Rosatar sands has been discussedby Gor-
stw
at 810 ft.
man and Robeck (1946) andBudding (1979'
1980).
Although no significant wells were completedin the RatonBasinin 1982,petroleum
potentialis present.Wellsdrilled in pastyears
haveencounteredencouraginghydrocarbon
shows (Speer,1976;Broadhead,1982a).
Severalwells were drilled to follow up on
the 1981recovery of oil in the Hagan Basin
by the PeltoOil No. 1 Ortiz (Broadhead,L982a)
birt without success.The John Gianardi No.
I CKZ (fig. 1, no. 37; table 3, no. 37) was
spudded in late 1982, and is scheduled to
drill to 7,000 ft.
SouthwestNew Mexico
Six wells were drilled for oil and gas in
southwest New Mexico in 1982. In Otero
County on the west flank of the Pedernal
uplift, the MarathonOil CompanyNo' 1 Mesa
VbrdeRanch was abandonedafter reaching
ft in Precambrianrocks.
a total depth of 7,01'1'
King and Harder (1982)and Black (1975)investlgatedthe petroleum potential of Otero
County. In Luna County, the Seville-Trident
Corp. No. 1 McSherry (fig. 1, no. 31; table
2, nb. 31) was abandonedat a total depth of
12,495ft after reportedly encounteringsmall
sas shows in Cambro-Ordovicianand PreEambrianrocks. Also in Luna County, the
Seville-TridentNo. L City of Deming (fig.1,
no.32; table3, no. 32) suspendedoperations
after reaching a total depth of 4,225 ft; rocks
at total depth were reported as Ordovician
but were probably Tertiary valley fill or volcanics (Sam Thompson III, personal communication, 1982).The May Energy No' 1
May Energy (fig. I, no. 33; table 3, no. 33)
had drilled below 5,000ft at the end of 1982.
In Sierra County, Getty Oil Company spudin
ded two wells in the Rio Grande rift late '7'
1982. The Getty No. 1 Airport Ark Res
(fie. 1, no. 34; table 3, no. 34) drilled to a
any
tot-aldepth of 9,600ft without reporting
'3'
shows.The Getty No. 1 T25 Ark Res (fig.
1, no. 35; table 3, no. 35) drilled to a total
TABLE 3-SIcNIFICANT
wrl.DCATS
DRILLING
oR Nor coMpLErED
Ar ENDor 1982rN Nsw Msxrco; T.D., total
depth.
Number
on
tig.7
Location
(section-townshiprange, county)
Operator,
well number,
and lease
Comments
6-245-8!'I
Lma
Sevill-Trident
Corp.
No, I City of Dming
T.D. 4,255
3,651 ft.
Llm
l4ay Energy Co.
No. I l.4ay Exergy
Drillhg
LeLu
of 1982.
Sierra
Getty Oj-l Co.
No. I AirIDrL Ark Res.
Srerra
Getty Oil Co.
No. I T25 Ark Res ,3,
Reached T.D. aL lQ,2O@ fL,
Icated
in Rio crdde
rift.
27-5N-7W
C.iboIa
Cities
Silice
Co.
No. L Silta Fe 'A'
Drilling
of 1982.
22-15N-8E
Sata
Fe
Jotm GimrdiNo. I
CX{Z
Scheduled to drilt
tD 1,q^q
Iffated
in Hagd Basin,
6-9N-248
cEdalupe
Trils-Pss
No. 2 Iatigo
36-5N-30E
QEY
Desana Corp.
No. I Wictlita
Resources
Rilch
depth of 10,200ft also without reportins anv
shows. ln the Acoma Basin of soirtherrimoit
Cibola County, the Cities Service No. 1 Santa
(!iS, 1, no. 36; tabte 3, no. 36) was
1e...1+'
drilling below 5,000 ft at the end of 19g2 and
was scheduled to drill to 5,1,70ft to test the
upper Paleozoic section. Wengerd (1959)and
Foster (1964)discussed the petroleum potential of areas adjacent to the Cities Service
well. Although no production currently is
taking place in southwest New Mexico, potential is present (Foster and Crant, ld74:
Greenwood and others, 1927; Thompson,
198.1;Thompson and Jacka, 1981); several
wells drilled in past years encountered
promising sh9_ws of both oil and gas
(Thompson and Bieberman, 1975;Thomnion
and others, 1978; Thompson, 1982;.
Effect of discoveries on oil
and gas production
New Mexico's oil and gas production and
reserveshave been decliningln recent vears.
but the state continues to 6e a maioi orol
ducer of both crude oil and natural gas. In
1981, New Mexico was the seventh iareest
producer of crude oil and the fourth larEest
producer of natural gas in the United StXtes
(New Mexico Energy and Minerals Department, 1982, p. l3). production of crude oil
in New Mexico in 1981 was 66.90 million bbls.
a 4.4Vodecline from 69.90 million bbls pro_
duced in 1980.Total gas production *u, i.l2
trillion ft, down I.In irom 1.13 trillion ft,
in 1980. In addition, 5.26 million bbls of eas
condensate were produced in l9gl, doivn
2.2Vofrom 5.38 million bbls produced in 19g0
(New Mexico Energy and Minerals Depart_
ment, 1982, p. 19). Data obtained from the
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division indicate that the decline in oil production decreased to about 2Vo in 798), but that sas
production declined by at least l\c" in p:g2.
'7,
Inc.
ft.
PIugEed tEcJ< to
SuslHded
olEratj-ons,
5,QQq ft
at
Reached T.D. at 9,600 fL,
Iffated
ir Rio Grande rift.
erd
,,right."
',Light."
LeIu
5,g6g ft at end
Iocated
ir Aom
Basin.
ft.
Scheduled to drill
Lo 7,256 ft
test the Pemsylvilliil
Systm.
Iffaled
in Tucmri
Basin
tD
Scheduled to drj-IL tD 7,35q tL tn
test the Pemsylviliil
Systm.
Iffated
in Tucwi
Basin.
The gas-production decline was caused mostly
by. a decreased demand for gas and not by
a decreasedcapability to produce eas. Steepli
declining production from the Elrrpire-Abo
oil field in southeast New Mexico is the largest .reasonfor the decline in the state,s oil
production; production in the Empire-Abo
field dropped from 9 million bbls in 1980 to
5.2 million bbls in 1981 (New Mexico Energy
a n d _ M i n e r a l sD e p a r t m e n t , 1 9 8 2 ,p . l 8 ) . d i l
production from all other fields in the state
increased by 739 thousand bbls in 1981. In
1981, the Permian Basin of southeast New
Mexico produced 93% of the state,s oil and
50Voof the state's gas; the San Juan Basin of
northwest New Mexico produced 7Vaof the
state's oil and 50% of the state,s gas (New
Mexico Energy and Minerals Defartment,
1982,p- 19).As of January 1981,New Mexico
had reserves of 929 miliion bbls of oil and
1 7 . 3t r i l l i o n f t ' o f g a s ( N e w M e x i c o E n e r s v
and. Minerals Department, 1982, p. l7-1gli'a
sllght rncrease over the January 1990 re_
serves of 904 million bbls of oil and 13.4 trill i o n f t ' o f g a s ( A r n o l d a n d o t h e r s , 1 9 g 1 ,p .
19).
i'roduction from the new fields discovered
by the wells listed in table 1 will help slow
the production decline of oil and gas in two
ways. First, the new fields will be developed
and the oil and gas obtained from them will
qeplacewaning production from older fields.
Second, the discovery of the new fields will
encourage the drilling of more wildcats,
to the subsequent discovery of more
!9a.d.ing
fields.
The present decline of oil production in
New Mexico will be lessenedor stopped not
only by the new oil found bv the wildcat
discoveries but also by the ex[ensive development drilling and by enhanced-recovery
programs in the Permian Basin. Also the Bone
Spring oil discoveries in Lea and Eddv Counties indicate that a large amount of oil is yet
to be found in the Bone Spring Limestone.
The Devonian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian
Systemsall yielded significant oil discoveries
in 7982.
The future of gas production in Ner.r'Mexico is promising, provided that a market is
created for the gas. The Morrow Series in the
Delaware Basin was a major producer of natural gas in the 1950's and'1.970's;wildcat discoveriesand extensive development drilling
'1982
rn
indicate that the Morrow will contribute significantly to gas production in
coming years. The 'tight'Abo gas sands of
Chaves County and Cretaceous sandstones
in the San fuan Basin will also contribute
significantly to future gas production.
For the more distant future, good promise
to replace depleted reserves of the Permian
and San Juan Basins exists in the not-yetproductive frontier areas:the Tucumcari, Albuquerque, Hagan, and Raton Basins of
northeast New Mexico and the Pedregosa
Basin, Acoma Basin, and adjacent parls of
southwest New Mexico. All of these basins
have the_potential to be hydrocarbon producers. Peak development of any of these
basins that proves to-be productive may not
occur for several decades.
AcKNowLEDGMENTS-Prentiss Childs of the
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division provided the well-completion statistics. Robert
A. Bieberman, Frank E. Kottlowski, and Sam
Thompson III reviewed the manuscript.
References
Arnold,E. C., Hill, I. M., and Donaldson,
D. A.. 1981.
Oil and gas il New Mexico's energy resources ,80,
E. C. Arnold and J. M. Hill, eds.: New Mexico Bureau
of Mines and Mineral Resources, Circ. 181, p. 10-21
B l a c k , B . A . , l c ) 7 5 ,C e o l o g y a n d o i l a n d g d s p o t e n t i d l o f
the northeast Otero platform area, New Mexico: New
Mexico Ceological Society, Guidebook 25th field conIEIENCE,
D.
JIJ_J.J.J
-,
1979, Oil and gas exploration in the Santa FeGalisteo-Hagan area of New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook 30th field conference, p. 275
279
1292,OiI and gas exploration in the Albuquerque
_,
Basin: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebobk l3rd
field conference. D. 373-32L
Broadhead, R. F., 1982a, Oil and gas discoverv wells drilled
in New Mexico in l98l: New Mexico Ceoiogy, v. 4, no.
2, p. "17-19,32
-,7982b,
Preliminary report on sedimentology and
gas production of tight Abo Formation sandJtones,
Chaves County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of
Mines and Mineral Resources, Annual Report 19g0
l98l. p. 54-b2
Budding, A. 1., 1,979,Geology and oil characteristics of
the Santa Rosa tar sands, Guadalupe Countv. New
Mexico: New Mexico Energy lnstitute, Report EMD Zg lllo. 19 o.
-,
1950, Geology and oil characteristics of tar sand
near Santa Rosa, New Mexico: New Mexico Geology,
v. 2, no. 1, p. 4-5
Foster, R. W., 19b4, Stratigrdphy and petroleum possibilities of Catron County, New Mexico: New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Bull. g5.
55 o.
, 1980, Carbon-dioxide sources and use for enhanced oil recovery: New Mexico Petroleum Recovery
Research Center, Report No. 80-4, 73 p.
Foster, R. W., and Grant, P. R., Jr., 1974, The,future of
New Mexico's oil and gas resources: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Resource Map 3
Foster, R. W., and Jensen, I. G., 1972, Carbon dioxide in
northeastern New Mexico: New Mexico Geoloeical Society, Guidebook 23rd field conference, p.-192-200
ls
New Mexico Geology
May 1983
Gorman, J M, and Robeck, R C,1946, Geology and
asphalt deposits of north-central Guadalupe County,
New Mexico: U.S. Geological Suwey, Oil and Gas lnvestigations Preliminary Map 44
Green, M. W., and Pierson , C. T., 7977, A summary ot
the stratigraphy and depositional environments of Jurassic and related rocks in the San Juan Basin, Arizona,
Colorado, and New Mexico: New Mexico Geological
Society, Guidebook 29th field conference, p. L47-752
Greenwood, E., Kottlowski, F. E., and Thompson, S., III,
1977, Petroleum potential and shatigraphy of Pedrewith Permian and Orogrande
gosa Basin-comparison
Basins: American Association of Petroleum Geologists,
Bull., v. 51, p. 7,448-1,469
Jentgen, R.W.;1,977, Pennsylvanian rocks in the San Juan
Basin, New Mexico and Colorado: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook 28th field conference, p 129-
Galleryof GeologY
132
King, W E., and Harder, V. M.,7982, Oil and gas potentitl of the Tularosa Basin-Otero platform area, Otero
County, New Mexico: New Mexico Energy Institute,
Report EMD 2-68-3205, 69 p.
Krnney, E. E., 7967, The oil and gas fields of southeastern
New Mexico: Roswell Geological Sociery 7967 symposium supplement, 195 P.
Kottlowski, F. E., and Stewart, W 1,1970, The Wolfcampian Joyita uplift in central New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Memoir
23, pt. l, p. 1-31 .
Meyer, R. F., 1966, Geology of Pennsylvanian and Wolfcampian rocks in southeast New Mexico: New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Memoir 17,
IlJ
D.
Moleniar, C M , 1977, Stratigraphy and depositional history o{ Upper Cretaceous rocks of the San Juan Basin
area, New Mexico and Colorado, with a note on economic resources: New Mexico Geological Society,
Guidebook 28th field conference, p 759-1'66
New Mexico Energy and Minerals DePartment, 1982, Annual Resources Report, 96 p
Roberts, J W, Barnes, J J, and Wacker, H J, 1976,
Subsurface Paleozoic stratiSraphy of the northeastern
New Mexico basin and arch complex: New Mexico Ceological Society, Guidebook 27th field conference, P 141152
Scott, G L , 7982, Pecos slope Abo gas field, Chaves
County, New Mexico (abstract): West Texas Geological
Society Newsletter, December
Speer, W. R., 1,976,Oil and gas exploration in the Raton
Basin: New Mexico Geological Society, Cuidebook 27th
field conference, p 217-226
Thompson, S , Ili,1981, Petroleum source rocks in explorition wells drilled to Paleozoic or Mesozoic units,
Hidalso and Grant Counties, New Mexico: New Mexico Energy Institute, Report EMD 2-66-3306,120 p
-,
7982, Oil and gas exploration wells in southwestern New Mexico, in Cordilleran overthrust belt,
Texas to Arizona, H Drewes, ed : Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Guidebook, p. 1'37-1'53
Thompson, S,, III, and Bieberman, R. W., 1975, Oil and
gas ixploration wells in Doiia Ana County, New Mexiio: New Mexico Geological Sociefy, Guidebook 26th
field conference, p 17"1-174
Thompson, S., III, and Jacka, A. D ,198L, Pennsylvanian
shaiigraphy, petrography, and petroleum geology of
the Big Hatchet Peak section, Hidalgo County, New
Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Circular 176,125 p
Thompson, S., Ill, Tovar R , J. C., and Conle, J. N., 1978,
Oil and gas exploration wells in the Pedregosa Basin:
New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook 29th field
conference, p 331.-342
Wengerd, S. A.,1959, Regional geology as related to the
peholeum potential of the Lucero region, west-central
New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook 10th field conference, p 721.-134
'Tight'designation
sparks Abo play:
Wheatley, R , 1981,
Oil and Gas Journal, v 79, no 25, p 26-27
Vincelette, R R, and Chittum, W E , 1981, Exploration
for oil accumulations in Entrada Sandstone, San Juan
Basin, New Mexico: American Association of PeLroleum
n
Geologists, Bull , v 65, P 2,546-2,570
P h o t o W G l e n n RO s b u r n
Mexico (NE%,
Folding in the Vicks Peak Tuff in East Red Canyon, san Mateo Mountains, New
and_the_Prominent
cliff
of.the
the
b_ase
along
foliation
steep
the
W).
Note
S.,
R.
5
SWyn,t."Z
6, ft tall.
fold nose on the flat joint surface at th; top. Chuck Chapin for scale is about
volcanics that 8enRocks rn the eastern San Mateo Mountains are all undeformed Oligocene
foliation within
erallv have been tilted approximately 10 degrees to the east oI southeast. The
In most
in" (ll.tt peak Tuff is d'eiined by flattened"and locally elon8ated Pumice fragments.
ashwelding.of
fragments_during
of
flattening
by
pumice
formed
is
foliation
cases,
Pumice
.an
it is flit lying or"fairly gently dipping. s,teep pumice foliation and
.o"r"q"""tty,
;;;
f;;i,iff
Tuff within this
iolding require anoth;r exfianation. e'Uru"pt tnicmess changes in the Vicks Peak
riggdrt that it was diposited on a surface with considerable_pre-existinS..relief. Therefore,
or after
".""
these fo"lfis probabiy formei by slumping of the hot tuff from paleovalley walls during
welding.
Atwood
The g"eologyof the area around East Red Canyon has been recentlydesclibed.by Clenn
(1982, "M.S."ihesis, University of New Mexico) and by E. G. Deal (1974, PhD dissertation,
University of New Mexico).
34
May 1983
Nau MexicoCeology
_Glenn R osburn