The Silurian Formation -- Idle Rambling -- For My Own Benefit -- Others May Enjoy It -- North Dakota, USA

Locator: 10010SILURIAN.

Like the Red Wing Creek wells, it is possible the Silurian formation is a relatively local phenomenon in North Dakota. More on that later, but for now, a look at some nice Silurian wells in the Charlson oil field. Some are still active, some are permanently abandoned.

• 10224, PA/1,560, Petro-Hunt, Devonian 10-1, vertical, AL, 614K (two formations) 2/15;
• 10498, 1,142, Phillip D. Armstrong, I. Thompson 8-34, vertical, abandoned, but Bakken in 1993 still flowing without pump; (two formations; Bakken still flowing); 198K 4/17; 202K 11/24; essentially producing nothing now, 11/24;
• 10499, PA/368, Berco Resources, LLC, Federal 17-32, vertical, abandoned, 414,862; still significant production when well shut down
• 11064, DRY -- Birdbear, Madison (abandoned), Silurian, Petro-Hunt, CMSU C-421
• 11194, PA/1,200, Petro-Hunt, Silurian 37-1, abandoned, 457,803; 12 years of production; stripper well level of production at end of production
• 11353, 711, Petro-Hunt, Silurian 39-1, vertical, still producing, cum 559K 4/17; cum 615K 11/24;
• 11853, PA/AB/869, XTO/Denbury Onshore, Silurian Unit 56-1, vertical, no production since 10/11, cum 354,168 10/11;
• 11897, 36 (not a typo), but the Madison, 312, Petro-Hunt, CMU B-108, vertical, still producing, cum 400K 4/17; cum 493K 11/24;
• 11948, PA/941, Prosper Energy, Prosper-Isaacson 1, vertical, abandoned, 196,553; abandoned after less than 3.5 years of production and still producing enough for a stripper well designation
• 12148, Dry -- but the Madison, PA/67 (not a typo), Petro-Hunt, CMSU A-421, vertical, last produced 1/13; cum 325,668 1/13;

No rhyme or reason to the wells I picked except for the fact they were in one small area in the Charlson that I could see quickly, and they were in the permit file range of 10,000 to 12,000, when there was activity in the Silurian. 

My hunch is that a lot of these wells were abandoned at a time when price of oil made them all not that economical, but with price of oil at $100, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see some more vertical activity in these other formations.

With regard to the Silurian, from NDGS:

Oil is the most important hydrocarbon produced in the state, but oil was not discovered until 1951 when Amerada Hess Corporation completed the Clarence Iverson #1 on the Nesson anticline. Since then, oil exploration has been nearly continuous in the state. The discovery well was completed in the Silurian Interlake Formation but subsequent development on the anticline focused on the Mississippian Madison Group.

From that same link:

The upper Interlake Formation is productive along large structures (Fig. 15), but the controls on production are not well understood. Salt-plugged porosity degrades reservoir performance in some places whereas fracturing has enhanced performance in other areas. The middle Interlake Formation is productive in two fields in Stark County and the lower Interlake Formation produces from two porosity zones, informally named the Salsbury and the Putnam. These two porosity zones produce on major structures in North Dakota and production can be significant, like that at Stoneview Field on the Nesson anticline. Typically, oil with a significant volume of gas is produced from Interlake reservoirs.