A reader sent me the public announcement which led with:
The District Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer District, Omaha, Nebraska is evaluating a Department of the Army (DA) permit application from BNSF Railway for construction of approximately 12 miles of new mainline between the towns of Ray and Tioga, North Dakota.Hopefully, over time, the entire route can be double-tracked.
Hi Bruce,
ReplyDeleteGene here I wrote a few question I did not see a answer so I hope they weren't stupid questions? Anyway maybe I am confused I am trying to understand when I read that the 14 wells on a pad they are going through the Bakin an then into Three fork is that another pool of oil that they are going too. I hope this is isn't a stupid question , but I know you are very knowledgeable so have a great Day!
Thank You Bruce. Gene
I am not a geologist, so my explanation is bound to draw comments from folks who will state it better than I can.
DeleteGeologically, it appears the oil being brought up from what "we" refer to as the "Bakken/Three Forks" is being generated by shale in the Upper Bakken and shale in the Lower Bakken. This oil is migrating to the middle Bakken sand and the Upper and Lower Three Forks sand. So, geologically, the oil is coming from the same source. I do not know to the extent the difference or the contribution percent from the Upper Bakken vs the Lower Bakken.
Administratively, it appears that the NDIC has determined that for royalty and accounting purposes, oil coming from the middle Bakken and the Upper/Lower Three Forks is coming from the "Bakken pool." This is also true for other local targets: Pronghorn sand(s) in southwest North Dakota and the Sanish Sand(s) in the New Town area.
That's how I see it. So it is not a new pool or a new source. All 14 wells will be targeting the same "pool" (geologically and administratively) but at different depths and differently named formations and sub-formations (benches).