in 1987
in NewMexico
wellsdrilled
Oilandgasdiscovery
NM87801
Resources,
Socorro,
Bureau
andMineral
ol Mines
F. Broadhead,
NewMexico
by Bonald
Introduction
Fewer wells were drilled for oil and gas in
New Mexico in 7987than in 1986.Data obtained from the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division indicate 938 wells were
completedinl987, down24% from the 1.,243
wells completed in 1986and down 67% from
the record 2,867 wells completed in 1981.In
the Permian Basin, southeast New Mexico,
740wells were completedinl9S7, down from
838completions in 1.985;431wells were completed as oil producers, 170wells were completed as gas producers,and 139wells were
plugged and abandoned,resulting in a success rate of. 8lVo. In the San fuan Basin,
northwest New Mexico, 198wells were completed in 1987, down from 405 completions
in 1986;79 wells were oil producers,100wells
were gas producers, and 19 wells were
plugged and abandoned, resulting in a suc. In addition, eight wells were
cessrate of %)7o
completed in the Bravo dome carbon dioxide
gas field of southern Union and eastern
Harding Counties. The downturn in drilling
was accompaniedby decreasedexploratory
efforts. Despite this, however, significant exploratory drilling continued in the Baca,
Acoma, Raton, Tucumcari, and EstanciaBasins and on the SierraGrandeuplift (Fig. 1).
Total footage of hole drilled in 1987 was
4,767,394ft, down from 6,756,266ft drilled
in 1986. The average depth of wells dri-tled
in 7987was 5,083 ft, 352 ft less than the average depth of wells drilled in 1986.
For purposes of this report, a significant
wildcntdiscooeryis defined as a well in which
commercial amounts of oil or gas were discovered in a stratigraphic unit more than 5
miles from the limits of previously discovered pools with commercialproduction from
that stratigraphic unit. A significantwildcat
dry hole is defined as a dry hole that was
drilled in a not-yet-productive basin or a part
of a basin and in which petroleum reservoirs
were evaluated. The locations of significant
wildcat wells that were drilled in 1.987are
shown in Figure 1. Table 1 summarizes the
significant wildcat discoveries, and Table 2
summarizesthe significantwildcat dry holes.
Table 3 lists other significant wildcat wells
that were being drilled, were not completed,
or were held "tighf' at the end of 1987.
Each well is designated by a number in
parenthesesthat refers to its location in Fig.
L and its descriptionin Tables1.,2, or 3.
Southeast New Mexico
Drilling activity remained slow in 1987in
the three geologic subdivisions of the Permian Basin: the Delaware Basin, the Central
Basin platform, and the Northwest shelf.
Drilling activity was also light on the Roosevelt dome. Despite the slow drilling activity,
however, the Permian Basin and Roosevelt
dome yielded several significant oil and gas
August 1988 New MexicoGeology
leum Corp. No. 4 WilliamsonBC (3).Oil was
found in basinal Permian sandstonesin four
wells: the Frank Boyce No. 1 State BB (4),
the Indrex Inc. No. 1 Four Forks Federal (5),
the Conoco No. 11 Bell Lake Unit (7), and
the Enron Oil & GasNo. 1 Owen MesaFederal Com. 26 (40). Becauseof the slack gas
market, exploration in the Delaware Basin
was concentratedon finding new oil reserves
and not on finding new gas reserves.Major
targets for oil exploration were basinal sandstones of the Bone Spring Formation and
Delaware Mountain Group (Permian), including the Brushy Canyon and Cherry Canyon sandstones.There was also exploration
discoveries in t987 (Fig. 1; Table 1). Kinney
(1967,p. 26-27)presentedshatigraphiccharts
of oil- and gas-producingrock units in southeastNew Mexico.
The Delaware Basin, the deep-marinepart
of the Permian Basin, yielded eight significant discoveriesin 1987.Gaswas discovered
in Atokan (Pennsylvanian) clastics in two
wells, the Petrus Oil No. 1 Henshaw Federal
(1) and the Sun Exploration & Production
No. 1 NM FederalCom. (6). Oil was found
in the Strawn Series (Pennsvlvanian)in the
Yates Petroleum Corp. No.- 1 Compromise
FederalCom. AEf (2). Gas was found in upper Pennsylvanian strata in the YatesPetro-
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we
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I
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f
B
N e w k i r ko i l p o o l
I
C
S a n t a R o s at a r s a n d s
HE e l a w a r e
4000u|'::,7
S i g n i fi c a n t g a s d i s c o v e r Y
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o S i g n i fi c a n t o i l d i s c o v e r y
It
50
Iri*1'
1 5 0k m
Q
O
S i g n i f i c a n td r y h o l e w i t h o i l
and gas show
S i g n i f i c a n td r y h o l e w i t h o u t
reported show
S i g n i f i c a n tw i l d c a t w e l l d r i l l i n g ,n o t
c o m p l e t e d ," t i g h t " , o r p l a n n e da t e n d
of 1987
FIGURE 1-significant oil and gas discoveriesand wildcat wells drilled in New Mexico in 1987.Major
Xe!9f
geologicfeatuies are taken from Broadheadand King (in press),Catherand Johnson,(19841,
(Uza;l fottlowski and Stewart (1970),Meyer (1966),Molenaar (7977\, Thompson and |acka (1981),
Woodward et al. (1978).
for oil in Wolfcamp (Lower Permian) and TABLE l-significant wildcat discoveries in New Mexico in 7987; the term formation is used in an
informal sense.BOPD, bbls oil per day; BWPD, bbls water per day; BCPD, bbls condensateper day;
Cisco, Canyon, and Strawn (Upper to Middle Pennsylvanian) carbonate reservoirs. MCFGPD, thousand ff gas pei day; IPCAOD initial potential, calculated absolute open flow; IPF,
There was limited exploration for gas in the initial potential, flowing; IPP. initial potential, pumping; owwo, old well worked over.
deep (10,000-14,000ft) Atokan and Morrolfi.tion
wan (Lower Pennsvlvanian) clastic units.
(dioF
PEducinS
Oil gavity
Tohl
Fomrtion
Nmb€r
OFr.br,
Compldion
(degre
Initial
int€dal
Preducint
at
w.ll nmbcr,
dcpth
bmship&b
Developmentdriiling in the DelawareBa(ft)
(ft)
potential
(motr)
API)
foffition
bhl d€pth
Fi8. 1 re8e, @6ty)
lee
ild
sin was almost exclusively for oil in 1987.
Atoka
10,374-70,390 IPCAOF 1,514
11.,n5 Atoka
14-165-308, Petrus Oil
8/87
Major targets for devefopment drilling were
MCFGPD
(Pennsylvanian) (Pennsylvanian)
Eddy
No. 1
oil reservoirs in the shallow (4,000-6,000ft)
Henshaw
Federal
Delaware Mountain Group (Permian) and
moderatelydeep (6,000-10,000
ft) BoneSpring
57.'l
8,720-8,725 IPF 6 BOPD +
9,800 Mississippian Strawn
Yates
2
{-l8S-278,
Formation (Permian). Few development gas
795MCFCPD
(PennsYlvanian)
Petroleum
Eddy
wells were drilled in the Delaware Basin in
Corp. No. 1
Compromise
L987; mostly, gas development was in resFed. Com
ervoirs of the deep Atokan and Morrowan
AEJ
(Lower Pennsylvanian) clastic units.
upper
10,029-10,051IPF 110
11,640 Monow
7-205-29E, Yates
No significant wildcat discoveries were
MCFCPD
(Pennsylvanian) Pennsylvanian
Petroleum
Eddy
made on the Central Basin platform in 1987.
Corp. No. 4
Williamson
Exploration was concentrated on deep SiluBC
rian and Devonian targets under the plattowwo,
form and along the western border areas of
Delaware
4,665-5,866 IPP 162BOPD+
t6-l9s-3r,E, Frank Boyce
6,000 Delaware
the platform. Severalexploratory wells were
(Permian)
123MCFGPD+
(Pemian)
Eddy
No. l State
drilled for this pu{pose and a few were suc180 BWPD
BB
cessful.Development drilling was mostly for
Bone Spring
4,345-4,419 IPF 55 BOPD +
44
15225-258, lndrex lnc,
10,860 Bameft
oil in the shallow (2,000-5,000ft) Yates,Seven
123MCFGPD +
(Mississippian) (Permian)
Eddy
No. 1 Four
Rivers, Queen, Grayburg, and San Andres
59 BWPD
Forks Federal
Formations (Permian). Sirgo-Collier Inc.
Atoka
12,955-L2,970 IPF 8,7U
24-185-33E, Sun
13.7,10Chester
continued development of a waterflood unit
MCFCPD +
(Mississippian) (Pennsylvanian)
Exploration
Lea
in the Dollarhide Queen oil pool of southeast
696 BCPD
& Production
Lea County.
No. 1 NM
Federal Com.
One significantwildcat discoverywas made
on the Northwest shelf in 1987.Oil was dis31-23S-34E, Conoco No.
8,900 Bone Spring
Cherry Canyon 6,805-6,810 IPP 263 BOPD+
(Pemian)
(Permian)
Lea
11 Bell take
230 MCFGPD+
covered in the Devonian in the Bell-Fov &
Unit
182 BWPD
Middlebrook No. 1 Culp Ranch Unit (41).
Limited exploration continued for oil in
Silurian
27-75-37E, H. L. Brown
9,089 granite
8,U5 8,892 IPF 202 BOPD +
45
(Precambrian) Devonian
544 MCFGPD
Roorevelt Jr. No. 1
Wolfcamp (Lower Permian), Pennsylvanian,
Federal Com.
and Silurian-Devonianreservoirs.
27
Development of oil and gas pools on the
Pennsylvanian 6,759 6,769 TPCAOF1,522
7,206 Pr@mbrian
27-25-29E, Manhall Pipe
Northwest shelf continued at a fast pace in
MCFGPD
Rooevelt & Supply
1987.Main tarBetswere oil reservoirs in the
No. 1 Mccee
IPCAOF 2,513
7,0ffi-7,M2
Montoya
shallow (less than 6,000 ft) Queen, Gray(Ordovician)
MCFCPD
burg, and SanAndres Formations (Permian).
Conoco and Phillips conducted extensiveinCallup
3,882-3,9t5 IPP 12 BOPD +
28-20N 2W Hixon
4,6,10Gallup
(Cretaceous)
(Cretacous)
2.4 MCFCPD
Sandoval Development
fill drilling programs to develop waterfloods
No. 1
in the Grayburg and SanAndres Formations
Hugh Foster
(Permian) at the Maljamar oil pool of north2,078J,202 tPF 35.9
Chacra
t1
6-21N-4W, Cary
2,370 Chasa
ern Lea County. Phillips and Mobil con(Cretac@us)
MCFGPD
(Cretaceous)
Sandoval Williams
ducted similar drilling programs to develop
No. 13
waterfloods in the Grayburg and SanAndres
Ceja Pelon 6
at the Vacuum oil pool of northern Lea
1,632-1,42 IPF 6 MCFCPD
6,306 Dakota
Fruitland
2-24N-9W
Dugan
County. Chevron developed a waterflood of
+ 5 BWPD
(Cretac@us)
(Cretaceous)
SanJuan Production
the Grayburg and SanAndres in the EuniceCory. No. 3
Blancowash
Monument oil pool of central Lea County.
The only gas pool developed extensively
1,7M 1,7-17 IPF 61 MCFGPD
1,850 Pictured Cliffs Fruitland
5-24N-9W, Dugan
(Cretaceous)
in 1987was the West PecosSlope Abo pool
(Cretaceous)
San luan
Production
Corp.
No.
1
of west-central Chaves County. McKay Oil
Phillips
Coryoration completed more than 80 wells
Pictured Cliffs
(Cretaceous)
in that pool. Average depth was approximately 3,400 ft. McKay was able to increase
1,642-1,658 tPF 88 MCFGPD
14
5,500 Callup
Fruitland
5-24N 10W, Dugan
(Cretaceous)
(Cretaceous)
+ 1.5 BWPD
San Juan Production
gas yields from Abo wells with the aid of a
Corp. No. 2
carefully designed, computer-assisted,artiSears
ficial fracturing program (Mickey, 1987).The
Rebuck
increased gasyields, as well as development
of a market for Abo gas, allowed develop7,610-7,620 IPF too small to
2,345 Pictured Cliffs Fruitland
t0-27N 8W, R&C Drilling
measure
(Cretac@us)
(Cretaceous)
San Juan No. 30
ment of the West PecosSlope pool while deGraham A
velopment of other New Mexico gas pools
IPP 156
3,6784,n9
Fruitland
Rob€rt L8,700 Monison
4-29N-3W
languished.
(Cretac@us)
MCFGPD +
(Jurassic)
Rio Arriba BaylessNo. 1
The Roosevelt dome and adiacent areas
6 BWPD
licarilla 451
were drilled sparsely in 1987. Despite the
(continued
on page 56)
slow pace of drilling, however, two signifiNao MexicoGeology August 1988
TABLE 1 (continued)
Other targets of gas drilling were coal beds
and sands in the Fruitland Formation.
Lmtion
Maior targets of development drilling for
(*ctioG
Oil gavity
Folfrtion
PreducinB
Nuber
Operalor,
Compldion
Totd
oil in the San Juan Basin were the Gallup
(detE6
lnitiat
lomship
well nuber,
at
PreducinS
intenal
dah
depth
(ft)
(mo/yd
(f0
potential
API)
bbl depth
Fig. 1 ntr8€. couty)
md leas
fomation
Sandstoneand Niobrara Shale(Cretaceous).
Several development wells were completed
17
18-30N-2W Robert L.
Pictured Cliffs
3,723-3,728 IPF 7V
8,703 Dakota
in fwo or more of the following Cretaceous
(Cretaceous)
(Cretaceous)
Rio Aniba BaylessNo. 1
MCFGPD
units: Gallup Sandstone,Dakota Sandstone,
Jicarilla519
Callup
7,2ffi-7,7M tPF 1,013
and the fuanaLopez, Greenhom Limestone,
(Cretaceous)
MCFGPD
and Graneros Shale Members of the lower
part of the Mancos Shale. The thickness of
11-30N 3W, Robert L.
4,052 Pictured Cliffs Fruitland
3,6941,726 tPF 382
(Cretaceous)
Rio Arriba BaylessNo. 1
(Cretaceous)
MCFCPD
each completion zone is typically 300-500ft.
Jicarilla456
Stoneet al. (1983)and Molenaar(L977)sumPicturedCliffs
3,726-j,729
(Cretaceous)
marized the stratigraphy of Cretaceousrocks
in the San |uan Basin.
36-26N-298, Sofia
3/87
Clorieta
1,652 1,7U tPF 544
3,764 Precambrian
(Pemian)
Two exploratory wells were drilled in the
Union
Exploration
MCFCPD, COZ
No.1 Roxana
presently nonproductive Acoma Basin. The
Yeso(Pernian) 1,880-1,892
State
Austra-Tex No. 1 Exxon Mineral Fee(23)was
2f-249 29F, Enron Oil &
7187
Bone Spring
12,860 Atoka
7,952-7,962 IPF 75 BOPD +
abandoned at a total depth of 7,000 ft with
Eddy
Gas No. 1
(Pennsylvanian) (Permian)
544 MCFCPD +
no reported shows. The Austra-Tex No. 1Owen Mesa
92 BWPD
FederalCom. 26
7 Rio Puerco Federal (24) was abandoned at
a total depth of 6,324 ft in reported arkosic
4l
11-12S-30E, Bell-Foy &
11187 10,280 Devonian
Devonian
10,25110,280 IPF 426 BOPD
Chaves
Middlebrook
sediments of Permian or Pennsylvanianage.
No. 1 Culp
The Espaftola Basin is a frontier basin in
Ranch Unit
northwest New Mexico. Two marginally
commercial oil discoveries were made in 1985
in Upper Cretaceousstrata at the southern
end of the basin (Broadhead,1986).Three
confirmation wells were drilled by BruceBlack
in 1986 but did not encounter commercial
quantities of petroleum. Three additional
cant wildcat discoverieswere made. Oil was nificant discoveriesin the SanJuanBasin(Fig. confirmation wells (34, 38, 39) are scheduled
to be drilled in 1988. Black (1984a,b) disfound off the south flank of the dome in res- 1; Table 1) in spite of the depresseddrilling
cussedaspectsof petroleum exploration and
ervoirs of Silurian-Devonian age in the H.
activity. Exploration was concentratedon the
L. Brown Jr. No. 1 Federal Com. 27 (8). eastern side of the basin. Oil was discovered sfiucture in the EspafrolaBasin.
Elsewhere in northwest New Mexico, the
Northwest of the dome, gas was found in in Gallup sands (Cretaceous)in the Hixon
Pennsylvanian reservoirs in the Marshall Pipe DevelopmentNo. 1 Hugh Foster(10).In the New Mexico & Arizona Land Company No.
& Supply No. 1 McGee (9); that discovery Gary Williams No. 13 CejaPelon6 (11)mar- 5 PentecoTrinity (25) was drilled on the Lucero uplift west of the Albuquerque Basin
extended the area of Pennsylvanianproduc- ginal quantities of gaswere discoveredin the
tion northward toward the Tucumcari Basin. Chacra interval(Cretaceous).Significant dis- and subsequentlywas abandoned. Three inIn that same well, a gas completion was also coveries of gas were made in both the Pic- tervals in the Pennsylvanianwere perforated
attained in a Montoya (Ordovician) reservoir tured Cliffs and Gallup sands (Cretaceous) and acidized without yielding production or
that developsthe Tile Montoya gaspool; the in the Robert L. BaylessNo. 1 Jicarilla519 shows. A location was staked near the end
Tule Montoya pool was discovered in 1985 (17). In six wells (12, L3, 14, 15, 16, 18) sig- of 1987to drill the Merrion Oil & Gas No. 1
Galestina Canyon (36) in the southern part
and extended the area of Ordovician pro- nificant low-volume gas discoveries were
duction approximately 25 miles northward
made in the Fruitland Formation (Creta- of the Gallup sag of western Cibola County;
from previously known limits. Development ceous)at depthsof 1,500to 3,800ft. Fruitland that well is scheduled to be drilled to a total
depth of 3,000 ft.
activities in Roosevelt County were slow in production in two of those wells (13, L8)was
1987 and were generally restricted to Penn- commingled with gas production from the
sylvanian oi-[pools.
upper part of the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone
Northeast New Mexico
Elsewhere in southeast New Mexico, Ci- (Cretaceous).In those wells, Fruitland and
exploration continued in the
Petroleum
bola Energy staked a location in the Sacra- Pictured Cliffs reservoirsmav be in dynamic
mento Mountains for their No. 1 Ysletano hydraulic contactwith eachother. Fruitland frontier areas of northeast New Mexico in
1987. Wildcat wells were drilled in the EsCanyon Federal(37).That well is scheduled gas reservoirs have been ignored for many
to reach a total depth of 3,800ft in Devonian years because of low production volumes; tancia, Tucumcari, and Raton Basins.Explostrata.
exploration and development have been ration for carbon dioxide concentratedon the
concentrated in deeper, more prolific reser- Bravo dome. Petroleum has not been provoirs in the Upper Cretaceous. However, duced commercially in northeast New MexNorthwest New Mexico
lower costs involved with drilling the shal- ico except during a brief period in the 1970's
In 1987, 198 wells were completed in lower Fruitland reservoirs (mostlv less than when marginally commercialamounts of gas
northwest New Mexico, down from 405com- 2,000ft) compensatepartially for the low vol- were produced from the Morrison Formation
pletions in 1986and 863completions in 1985. umes of gas production. Choateet al. (1984) (Jurassic) and the Dakota Sandstone (Cretaceous) at the currently inactive Wagon
Almost all of the wells were drilled in the estimated that the total gas contained within
Mound field in Mora County (Fig. 1, letter
Fruitland coal beds more than 2 ft thick in
San Juan Basin. The diminished rate of drillthe San juan Basin is 31 trillion fF (TCF); A). In the 1980's,the Newkirk pool(Fig. 1,
ing in 1986 and 1987 has been caused by
depressedgaspricesand a depressedmarket most of that gas is within the New Mexico letter B) has produced 488bbls heavy oil from
the Santa RosaSandstone(Triassic)with the
for gas, which is the primary petroleum part of the basin.
Most development drilling for gas in the aid of a pilot steamfloodproject.In the 1930's,
product of the SanJuanBasin.Depressedoil
prices have also taken a toll on drilling ac- San fuan Basin was in sandstone reservoirs approtmately 153,000tons of tar sandswere
in the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone,Mesaverde mined from the Santa Rosa Sandstonenear
tivity in the SanJuan Basin.
Exploratory drilling resulted in nine sig- Group, and Dakota Sandstone(Cretaceous). the town of SantaRosain Guadalupe County
August 1988 Nau Merico Geology
(Gormanand Robeck,1946;Fig.1, letter C).
In the EstanciaBasin of TorranceCounty,
the Benz, Lyle & Curtis No. L Benz (26)was
spudded in 1984and was finally abandoned
in 1987after being drilled to a total depth of
796ft. Oil-cut and gas-cutsalt water was reportedly swabbed from perforations in the
YesoFormation(Permian).The BruceWilson
No. 1X fudd (32)was spudded in L987and
was drilled to a total depth of 2,830ft. Casing
was set to total depth, and several intervals
were perforated in the Pennsylvanian section; no shows were reported.
Exploratory activity iontinued in the Tucumcari Basin in 1987.One significant well,
the Knightsbridge Petroleum No. L Triple
Crown (27), was drilled in the central part
of the basin. That well reacheda total depth
of 7,6M ft in Pennsylvanian strata and has
been temporarily abandoned.On the northern flank of the Tucumcari Basin, plans were
made to re-enter the Tom L. Ingram No. 1
Gihon (31) and to drill to a projected total
depth of 5,500ft to test the Pennsylvanian
and Wolfcampiansections.
In the New Mexicopart of the RatonBasin,
the Export Petroleum No. 1 Moore Ranch
State(28)was drilled through the Cretaceous
sectionand reacheda total depth of 2,936ft
in the Chinle Formation (Triassic);no shows
were reported. The Pennzoil No. 33 Van
Breamer(29) was drilled to a total depth of
2,085ft to test Cretaceouscoalsfor gas and
was "tight" at the end of 1987.Although the
New Mexico part of the Raton Basin is not
yet productive of oil and gas, gas has been
produced from small fields in the Colorado
part of the basin. Severalexploratory wells
drilled in past yearsin the New Mexico part
have encounteredpromising shows of gas
and might be marginally commercialif gas
pricesand gasdemandwere more favorable.
Speer (1976)and Woodward(7987)discussed
the petroleum geology of the Raton Basin.
Leonard Mineralsmade plans to drill their
No. 1 TaosTrough Unit (30)in the Sangrede
Cristo Mountains of Taos County. The well
will spud in the Pennsylvanianiection and
is scheduledto be drilled to a total depth of
6,000ft. The No. 1 TaosTrough Unit will be
the first petroleum exploration well drilled
in Taos County.
Development of the Bravo dome carbon
dioxide gas field continued in7987 and eight
wells were drilled. The main reservoirat Bravo
dome is the Tubb sand (Permian),although
minor production comesfrom the SantaRosa
Sandstone (Triassic)and shows of carbon
dioxide have been encounteredin the Glorieta Sandstone,upper ClearforkMember of
the YesoFormation,and the Abo Formation
(Permian). Most carbon dioxide produced
from the Bravo dome field is used for enhanced oil recovery in the west Texaspart
of the Permian Basin. Eventually, as production from oil fields under waterflood in
the New Mexico part of the Permian Basin
wanes, carbon dioxide will be used for enhancedoil recoveryin the New Mexico part
of the Permian Basin. A relatively minor
amount of carbondioxideproducedirom the
'TABLE
2-Significant wildcat dry holes drilled in New Mexico in 1987;the term formation is used in
the informal sense.D&A, dry and abandoned;TA, temporarily abandoned.
Number
Location
(s€ction-town6hipon
Fig. f
range, county)
Operator,
wellnumber,
and lese
Compl€tion
date
(month,/year)
Total
depth
(ft)
Fomation
at
total depth
Mancos
(Cretaceous)
Comments
D&A
No reported shows. Upper
Cretacmus test.
D&A
"Titht" hole. No reported
shows. Extensively cored and 24 DST's run-
21-3N-9W,
Catron
Black Oil No. 6
SantaFe Pacific
Railroad
2-4S-13W,
Catron
Shell Westem
Exploration &
Production No. 1
SWEPIet al. State
9/87
7,m
21-3S-15W
Catron
Shellwestern
Exploration &
Production No, 1
Mangus Mountains
Federal
11t87
7,7ffi
"Tight" hole. No reported
shows.
23-12N-4W
Cibola
Austra-Tex No. 1
Euon Mineral Fee
9t87
7,m
"Tight'' hote. No reported
shows.
7-12N-2W,
Sandoval
Austra-Tex No. 1-7
Rio Puerco Federr.
10t87
6,324 Cranite
25
35-6N-3W,
Valencia
New Mexico &
Arizona Land
Company No. 5
PentecoTrinity
u87
1,650 Precambrian
26
18-5N-98,
Torrance
Benz, Lyle &
Curtis No. I Ben,
6-9N-3rE,
Quay
Knightsbridge
Petroleum No. 1
Triple Crown
5187
ExportPetroleum
No. 1 Moore Ranch
State
6187
l6-29N-248,
Colfax
wash
(Pennsylvanian)
D&A
No reported shows.
Perforated 145V747 4 tt, 748l1490 ft,1524 1528 ft, acidized,
no reported shows.
Yeso (Permian)
D&A
Spudded in 4/84. Swabbed
slight oikut
and gaHut
salt
water from perforations in Yeso
(Permian). To b€ completed as
water well.
7,$4
Pennsylvanian
TA
No reported shows.
2,9
Chinle
(Triassic)
D&A
No reported shows. Was
scheduled to drill to 4,000 ft in
Preambrian.
796
TABLE 3-Significant
wildcat wells that were being drilled, not completed, "tight", or planned in New
Mexico at the end of 1987. owdd, old well drilled deeper.
Number
on
Fig. 1
Location
(section--towns
hiprange, county)
29
30-30N-198,
Colfax
Comments
Pennzoil No. 33 Van
Breamer
Reached total depth of 2,085 tt. "Tighl'
Leonard Minerals No. 1
TaosTrough Unit
Location staked. Scheduled to be drilled
to test Pennsylvanian section.
31-13N-30E,
San Miguel
Tom L. Ingram No. 1
Gihon (owdd)
Well drilled to 2579 ft in Yeso Formation (Permian)
and abandoned in 1986. Scheduled to reenter and
drill to 5,500 ft in Precambrian.
6 3N-7E, Tonance
BruceWilson No. 1X
Judd
Drilled to total depth of 2,830 ft. Perforated 1,6281,6U, I,876 1,882, 2,246-2,252, and 2,UO-2,444 tt
and swabbed water.
John Aday No. 2
D'Spain
Spudded in 1983. Drilled
Shut in.
7 13N-98, SantaFe
Black Oil No. 2 Leigh
Scheduled to drill to 4,200 ft to test Upper
Cretaceous sfftion.
27-15 13W Catron
Shell Western
Exploration &
Production No. 1
SWEPIet al- Aspen
Federai
Scheduled to drill to 9,000 ft to Praambrian.
27-8N 18w, Cibola
Menion Oil & Gas No.
1 GalestinaCanyon
Scheduled to drill to 3,000 ft to Precambrian.
7 145-118, Otero
Cibola Energy No. 1
YsletanoCanyon
Federal
Location staked. Scheduled to be drilled
in Devonian strata.
1-13N 88,
SantaFe
Black Oil No. 1 Leigh
Location staked. Scheduled to drill to 3,500 ft in
Upper Cretaceous strata.
12 13N 88,
SantaFe
Black Oil No. 4 Ferrill
Location staked. Scheduled to drilt to 4,000 ft in
Upper Cretaceous strata.
35 24N-148, Taos
12-6N-6E,
Torrance
39
Operator,
well number,
and lease
hole.
to 6,000 ft
to total depth of 1,900 ft.
Nm Mexim Geology August 1988
to 3,800 ft
57
Bravo dome field is converted into drv ice
and bottled, liquid forms.
The Sofia Exploration No. 1 Roxana State
(19) was drilled on the Sierra Grande uplift
in Union County and a new carbon diofude
gas field was discovered by that well. Initial
polgltlll was 544 thousand ft' gas per day
(MCFGPD) from reservoirs in the Glorieti
Sandstoneand Yeso Formation (Permian).
Developmentof this new field is scheduled
to commencein 1988.Broadhead(1987)discussed the occurrence of carbon dioxide in
Union and Harding Counties.
Southwest New Mexico
Four significant exploration wells were
drilled in the BacaBasin of southwest New
Mexico in 1987.The Black Oil No. 6 SantaFe
Pacific Railroad (20) was drilled with air to a
total depth of 680 ft in the Mancos Shale
(Cretaceous)and was abandoned. That well
had been scheduledoriginally to be drilled
to 1,000ft to test the Dakota Sandstone(Cretaceous),but it was abandonedaftera waterbearing zone was encountered in the Mancos. The Blackwell is located4 ft west of the
Transocean No. 1 Turner-Santa Fe Pacific
Railroad, which was abandoned in1977 after
being drilled to a total depth of 5,220tt in
Precambrian rocks.
Shell Oil Company drilled three exploratory wells in 7987.The Shell Western Exploration & ProductionNo. 1 SWEPIet al. State
(21; Fig. 2) was drilled to a total depth of
7,000 ft and was "tight" at the end of tggZ.
The Shell Western Exploration & Production
No. 1 Mangus Mountains Federal(22)drilled
to a total depth of 7,700 ft and was "tight"
at the end o17987. Both thesewells had been
scheduled to reach total depth in Precambrian basement. The Shell Western Exploration & Production No. 1 SWEPIet al. Aspen
Federal(35) was "tight" and not completed
at the end of 1987.The well was scheduled
to drill to a total depth of 9,000ft in Precambrian rocks. The Shell drilling and exploratory program constitutes the first
comprehensiveprogram to evaluateand test
the petroleum potential of central Catron
County. Primary targets in Catron County
are Upper Cretaceous sandstones, the San
Andres Formation, GlorietaSandstone,and
sandstones and carbonatesin the Yeso Formation (Permian),and Pennsylvaniansandstonesand limestones.
No exploration wells were drilled elsewhere in southwest New Mexico in L987.
However, the Paleozoic and Lower Cretaceous sections of the Pedregosa Basin are
promising targets(Thompson,1980,1981).
Effect of discoveries on oil and gas
production
In 1985,New Metco was the seventhlargest producerof crude oil and the fourth lar[est producerof natural gasin the United States
(Energy Information Administration, 1982).
Productionof crude oil and leasecondensate
in New Mexico in 7987 was approximately
71.5million bbls, a decreaseof 5.SVo
from th-e
August 1988 NewMexicoGeology
nues. The rise in oil production created an
oversupply of oil and causedprices to plummet. A gradual reduction of world petroleum
stocks and partially successfulattempts by
OPEC nations to reinstate production ceilings causeda subsequentgradual price increase.Becauseof the decreasein oil prices,
many marginal and stripper wells were shut
in or plugged, and their production may never
be regained unless oil prices increase sufficiently to justify the expense of re-opening
such wells. Stripper wells are defined as wells
that produce less than 10 bbls oil per day.
Approxim4tely 20Voof oil production in New
Mexico is from stripper wells.
Declining oil prices have also resulted in
a decreasein drilling activity, which is reflected in the rig count for the state (Fig. 3).
Oil reservesfound and developedduring the
"boom" drilling yearsof 1980-82reachedpeak
developmentin 1983and 1984.The drilling
slump of 1983-85and the more serious del
creasein drilling in 1986and 1987led to fewer
exploratory and development wells being
drilled than in the boom years.As a conseFIGURE2-Shell No. I SWEPIet al. Stare(FiB 1, quence of decreaseddrilling, fewer discovno. 21;Table2, no. 21)drilling in the BacaBasin, eries were made and existing reserveswere
not developed as quickly as in the past. The
luly 1987.
inevitableresult was decreasedproduction.
Oil discoveries made in the last five to six
years in the Delaware Mountain Group
75.7 million bbls produced in 1985 (New
(Delaware Basin), Bone Spring Formation
Mexico Oil Conservation Division data). Pro- (DelawareBasin),and the Gallupand Dakota
duction of natural gas in 1987was approxiSandstones(Sanfuan Basin)provide major
mately 808 billion ft' (BCF), an increase of
new explorationtargetsand haveaddednew
16Vofrom the 693BCFproduced in 1986(New
oil reservesand production that have supMexico Oil ConservationDivision data). In
planted decliningproductionand reservesof
1986,89E"of the state'soil and 56% of t]ne older pools. Continued oil discoveriesin the
state's gas were produced from the Permian Permian and SanJuan Basinswill encourage
Basin; l-1,7oof the state's oil and MVo of the exploratorydrilling and development.Howstate'sgaswere producedfrom the Sanfuan
ever, the number of active rotary rigs in New
Basin.As of December37,7986,New Mexico Mexico is tied to the price of oil (Fig. 3).
had proved oil reserves of 644 million bbls, Declines in future reserves and production
a decreaseof 44 million bbls from December will probably be halted only if oil prices rise
31, 1985 (Energy Information Administra- enough to substantiallyincreasethe number
tion, 1987);the Permian Basin contains 92% of active rigs. Until then, exploratory disof the state'soil reservesand the San luan coveries will not keep pace with production
Basincontains 87oof the state'soil reserves. and reserveswill decline;unlessa major field
As of December31, 1985,New Mexico had is discovered by one of the few rigs drilling
natural gas reserves of 12.5 trillion ft', an currently.
increaseof 1.1 trillion ft3from December31,
The increasein gasproductionin 1987was
1985 (Energy Information Administration, causedby an increaseddemand for gas,rather
1987);the Permian Basin contains 24% of the than an increasedcapabilityto produce gas.
state's gas reserves and the San Juan Basin Primary markets for New Mexico gas are in
contains 76Voof.the state'sgas reserves.
California; apparently those markets imThe decreasein oil production in '1.987
can proved substantially in 1987.Nevertheless,
be attributed to a decline in the price of oil New Mexico gas will continue to face stiff
during 1986and eatly 1987.The price of west competition in California from fuel oil, hyTexas intermediate crude oil with a gravity droelectric power, and imported Canadian
of 40'API fell557o from a high of $27.251bb1 gas. Consumption of natural gasis expected
in January 1986to a low of $I2.25lbbIin July to increaseslightly during 1988(Beck,1988).
1985(Fig. 3). The price of west Texasinter- The long-term demand for gas is also exmediate crude oil subsequently rose to 920/ pected to increase (American Gas Associabbl in August 1987 and declined to $18/bbl tion, 1984).
in December1987.
Most of the gasproducedin 1985and 1987
The sharp fall in oil prices at the beginning was not replaced by new discoveries.Alof 1986was due to a sudden rise in oil pro- though calculated gas reservesincreasedby
duction by several major producing coun- 1,102BCFfrom 1985to 1986,only 3 BCFwere
t r i e s ( n o t a b l v G r e a t B r i t a i n a n d L a t i n representedby new field discoveriesand only
American and-Middle Easterncountries)in 154 BCF were representedby extensionsof
an effort to increaseincome from oil reve- existing fields (Energy Information Admin-
30
E
92s
100 d
6
o
3
o
z
izo
80E
o
g3
'a
o\
E I rs
6rlo
:G
P =
o
o
o
';
@
G
to
6
F
40E
-\-"-\
o
q)
;
Es
-'/
o
'.
\/
-)
r!;agS
---
f
'/
\number
'\ -
-J
f
of rotary rits
-n E a 6+? e cE- o * =6> o 2 8,4
r- !
z
oi S ;
19 8 6
lI99-{E 3-Monthly
b;1987a,b\.
q)
202E
=Yioo^
-)d,,XvZ
av'
o
19 8 7
crude oil prices and number of active rotary rigs in New Mexico during 1986and 7987.Data from Oil and Gas Journal (1986a,
istration, 7987);the remaining calculatedincreaseof 945 BCF was causedby revision of
reseryecalculationsin known fields.Because
1986 production was 577 BCF, real gas reservesactually decreasedby 520BCF during
1.986.Generally, only the very best gas prospects, or those gasprospectsrequired to hold
leases, were drilled in 1987.The larger, existing gas pools in the San /uan Basin continued to be developedin 1982 but at a slower
pace than in previous years. The West Pecos
Slope Abo gas pool of northwest Chaves
County was the only major gas pool developed aggressivelyduring 1987.
AcKNowlEDcvrevrs-Prentiss Childs of the
New Mexico Oil Conservation Division provided the well completion statistics. Robert
Bieberman, Frank Kottlowski, Roy Johnson,
and Sam Thompson III reviewed the manuscript. Lynne McNeil typed the manuscript
and RebeccaTitus drafted the figures.
References
American GasAssociation, 1984,The gas energy demand
outlook-1984-2000: American Gas Association, Arlington, Virginia, 90 pp.
Beck, R. J., 1988,Production slide and demand growth
will moderate during the coming year: Oil and Gas
Journal, v. 85, no. 4, pp. 41,-43,46,48-53.
Black, B. A., 1984a,Hydrocarbon potential of the Espaflola Basin-a progressreport: New Mexico Geological
Society, Guidebook to 35th field conference,pp.22340.
Black, B. A., 19Ub, Structural anomalies in the Espaflola
Basin: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook to
35th field conference, pp.59-62.
Broadhead, R. F., 1986, Oil and gas discovery wells drilled
in New Mexico in 1985: New Mexico Geology, v 8, no.
2, pp.36-40.
Broadhead, R. F., 1987, Carbon dioxide in Union and
Harding Counties: New Mexico Geological Society,
Guidebook to 38th field conference,pp.339-349.
Broadhead, R. F., and King, W. 8., in press, Petroleum
geology of Pennsylvanian and Lower Pemian strata,
Tucumcari Basin, east-centralNew Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Bulletin
119.
Cather,S. M., and fohnson,B.D.,1984,Eocenetectonics
and depositional setting of west-central New Mexico
and easternArizona: New Mexico Bureauof Mines and
Mineral Resources,Circular 192, 33 pp.
Choate, R., Lent, 1., and Rightmire, C. T., 7984,Upper
Cretaceousgeology,coal,and the potential for methane
recovery from coal beds in the San Juan Basin-Colorado and New Mexico: American Associationof Petroleum Geologists,Studiesin Geology SeriesNo. 17, pp.
1.85-222.
Energy Information Administration, 1987,U.S. crude oil,
natural gas, and natural gas liquids reserues,1986annual report: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 1986annual report, DOBEIA0216(86),103pp.
Gorman, I- M., and Robeck, R. C., 1946, Geology and
asphalt deposits of north-central Guadalupe County,
New Mexico: U.S. GeologicalSuruey, Oil and Gas Investigations, Preliminary Map 44.
Kelley, V C., 1978,Geology of Espaiola Basin,New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mneral Resources,Geologic Map 48, scale 1:125,000.
Kinney, E. E. (ed.), 1967,The oil and gas fields of southeastem New Mexico: Roswell Geological Socieay,7967
Symposium Supplement, 195 pp.
Kottlowski, F. E., and Stewart, W. J., 7970, The WolfcampianJoyita uplift in centralNew Mexico:New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Memoir
23, pt. I, pp. 1-31.
Meyer, R. F., 796F,Geology of Pennsylvanianand Wolfcampian rocks in southeastNew Mexico: New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.Memoir 17,
723 pp.
Mickey, V, 1987, High-tech approach to Abo success:
Southwest Oil World, v. 35, no. 3, pp. 1,3-1,4.
Molenaar, C. M.,79n, Stratigraphyand depositionalhistory of Upper Cretaceousrocks of the San Juan Basin
area, with a note on economicresources:New Mexico
GeologicalSociety,Guidebook to 28th field conference,
pp. L59-1.66.
Oil and GasJournal, 1986a,SelectedU.S. and world crude
prices: Oil and Gas Journal, v. M, no. 2, p. 85; no. 5,
'1.46;
p. 134;no. 10, p.79; no. 15, p.
no. 19, p. 90; no.
23, p. 67; no. 28, p. 120; no. 32, p. 115;no. 36, p. 133;
no. 41, p. 97; no. 45, p. 724;no. 49, p. 68.
Oil and Gas Journal, 1986b,Hughes rig count: Oil and
Gas fournal, v. 84, no. 2, p. 85; no. 5, p. 734; no. 10,
p. 79; no. 75, p. 1.46;no. 19, p. %); no. 23, p. 67; no.
28, p. l2O; no. 32, p. 115;no. 36, p. 133;no. 47,p.9l
no. 45, p. 124;no. 49, p. 68.
Oil and GasJournal, 1987a,SelectedU.S. and world crude
prices: Oil and Gas Journal, v. 85, no.2, p. 83; no. 5,
p. il; no. 70, p. 53; no. 15, p. 75; no. 19, p. 78; no. 23,
p.77; no.28, p.99; no. 32, p. 85;no. 37, p. 83; no. 41,
p . 1 0 3 ;n o . 4 5 ,p . 9 8 ; n o . 4 9 , p . 9 2 .
Oil and Gas Journal, 1987b,Hughes rig count: Oil and
Gasfournal, v 85, no. 2, p. 83; no. 5, p. 54; no. 10, p.
53; no. 15, p. 75; no. 19, p. 78; no. 23, p. 77; no. 28, p.
99; no. 32, p. 85; no. 37, p. 83; no. 41, p. 103;no. 45,
p . 9 8 ;n o . 4 9 ,p . 9 2 .
Speer, W. R.,1975, Oil and gas exploration in the Raton
Basin: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook to
27th field conference,pp. 217-226.
Stone, W J., Lyford, F. P, Freroel, P F., Mizell, N. H.,
and Padgett, E. T., 1983,Hydrogeology and water resources of San Juan Basin, New Mexico: New Mexico
Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Hydrologic
Report 6, 70 pp.
Thompson, S., II, 1980,PedregosaBasin's main exploration target is Pennsylvanian dolostone: Oil and Gas
Journal, v. 78, no. 42, pp. 202, 207, 210, 275.
Thompson, S., II, 1981, Petroleum source rocks in exploration wells drilled to Paleozoicor Mesozoic units,
Hidalgo and Grant Counties, New Mexico: New Mexico Energy Institute, Report EMD-2-55-3306, 120 pp.
Thompson, S., III, and Jacka,A. D., 7981,Pennsylvanian
stratigraphy, petrography, and petroleum geology of
the Big Hatchet Peak section, Hidalgo County, New
Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Circular176,125pp.
Woodward, L. A,.,7987,Oil and gaspotential of the Raton
Basin, New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society,
Guidebook to 38th field conference,pp. 331J38.
Woodward, L. A., Callender,J. F., Seager,W. R., Chapin,
C. E., Gries, J. C., Shaffer,W. L., and Zilinski, R. E.,
1978, Tectonic map of Rio Grande rift region in New
Mexico, Chihuahua, and Texas;inHawley, J. W (compiler), Guidebook to Rio Grande rift in New Mexico
and Colorado: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources,Circular 163, sheet 2.
n
Nat Mexico Geology August 1988