Thursday, August 11, 2011

Lots of Activity North of the Core Bakken -- Around Wildrose -- West of Powers Lake -- Stoneview Oil Field -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA -- August 11, 2011

A lot of activity is occurring in and around the Stoneview oil field.

Whenever I see increased activity it is fun to check out some of the history of the area, to look at some of the older wells.

Here's one of those Stoneview wells:
  • 2514, 220, BTA, Skarphola A 1, Stoneview, Madison
This well was spudded 11/30/1959 -- yup, not a typo, 1959.

It produced oil until March, 2006, when it was still producing 200 bbls/month, where it had been for the past year. Over the years, it had been shut in for long periods of time, but it was clearly a workhorse for the original operator.

This well produced a cumulative 752,137 bbls of oil. I think the number is phenomenal, but what should really catch one's attention is the fact that this well was productive for 47 years. Forty-seven years.

The Stoneview oil field is an irregularly-shaped, most elongated, running north to south, comprising about 52 sections, and midway between Wildrose and Powers Lake, North Dakota. It straddles the county line where Divide County and Burke County meet, just north of Williams/McKenzie counties.

There is a stretch of conventional (vertical wells) pretty much running down the center of the oil field drilled during previous booms. A fair number of horizontal wells exist, but drilled several years ago.

There are currently a couple of wells on the confidential list, and one rig on site. It appears of the current companies operating in the Bakken, Continental Resources pretty much "owns" the field. Many other Bakken companies do have wells or permits there, however, including Oasis, Sequel, Hunt, and BTA. A quick look suggests Sequel is second to CLR in this field.


4 comments:

  1. Bruce, where is the cottonwood field from this field?? thanks

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  2. Wow, that's a perceptive question! I am impressed.

    Both the Stoneview and the Cottonwood are rectangular (although the Stoneview is very irregular) running north to south. The two fields parallel each other and look very similar.

    The Stoneview is just a mile or so farther north than the Cottonwood.

    The east edge of the Stoneview is about 10 miles west of the west border of the Cottonwood.

    To answer your question: almost exactly ten miles apart from border to border, probably 15 miles from center to center.

    Powers Lake is on the west edge of the Cottonwood. Powers Lake is east of the Stoneview field.

    I think the Nesson anticline runs right through the Stoneview (I am in over my head, now) whereas the Cottonwood is east of the anticline.

    It looks like a long string of wells going right up the middle of the Stoneview and down to Beaver Lodge, the "original" center of the North Dakota oil boom.

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  3. It is interesting to follow these legacy wells.I was looking at a Tyler well the other day that is over 3 million and still producing about 1200 bbls a month.

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  4. And that's why folks are willing to pay top dollar for these acres. I think it's quite interesting.

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