A Stratigraphic Study Of The Tyler Formation -- Southwestern North Dakota

Recently I took a look at Amsden / Tyler formation in the Dickinson area. I downloaded a PDF but was unable to get the link to make it easy to share on the blog.

I tried something different tonight. I have no idea how it works, why it works, and whether it will work for you, but here is the link for a 2017 UND thesis on the Tyler formation in the Dickinson oil field, southwestern North Dakota.  

If it works, great. If not, google sequence stratigraphy of the tyler formation and then download the pdf that will pop up. 

A Re-Entry -- Tyler Horizontal -- Southwest Corner Of North Dakota -- October 4, 2019

Updates

October 22, 2019: it looks like they completed the re-entry on this well back in September, 2019, and supposedly back into production. Current production data at NDIC through August, 2019, so it might be two months before we see production data for this well.

Original Post

A reader brought this one to my attention. The rig: True 36.

The Tyler/Heath is linked at the sidebar at the right. 

The graphics:

The scout ticket:

The permit:

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Let's Rumble

Rumble, Link Wray   The song was banned from radio stations in New York and Boston for fear it might actually incite gang violence—the first and only instrumental song to be banned from the air. "Rumble" acquired its name from the stepdaughter of Archie Bleyer, who released it on his Cadence Records.

Permit To Target The Tyler In Southwestern North Dakota -- September 25, 2018

Yesterday, this permit issued by the NDIC:

• 35480, loc, Southwestern Production Corp; TMW 34-22, Tracy Mountain, target: Tyler; 320-acre spacing unit; vertical;

Pronghorn And Tyler Re-Examined, Updated -- GEO News -- July 28, 2017

The two links below will most likely result in a PDF opening on your desktop. Authors of the two articles, respectively: Timothy O. Nesheim and Julie A LeFever.

The Tyler, from GEO News, July, 2017. Review Of The 1st Unconventional Testing of the Prospective Tyler Formation, Southwestern North Dakota. This link will open a PDF on your desktop: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/documents/newsletter/2017Summer/Review%20of%20the%201st%20unconventional%20testing%20of%20the%20prospective%20Tyler%20Formation.pdf

The Pronghorn, from GEO News, July 20, 2017. Ichnology Applied to the Pronghorn Member, Bakken Formation (Mississippian-Devonian). This link will open a PDF on your desktop: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/documents/newsletter/2017Summer/Ichnology%20Applied%20to%20the%20Pronghorn%20Member%20Bakken%20Formation.pdf

I'll come back to these later, but there is a "bombshell" with regard to the Tyler ... at least from my perspective. 

Random Update Of A Recently Drilled Tyler Well -- January 1, 2017

Targeting the Tyler formation in the southwest corner of the state. Note the shallow depth and location (in graphic below the spreadsheet. No production decline.

• 18216, 30, Williston Exploration, LLC, Vanvig 1, Tracy Mountain oil field, t7/12; cum 52K 11/16;

NDIC File No: 18216     API No: 33-007-01639-00-00     
Well Type: OG     Well Status: A     Status Date: 10/23/2011     Wellbore type: Directional
Location: NWSE 28-138-102     Footages: 2100 FSL 1980 FEL     Latitude: 46.736695     Longitude: -103.553664
Current Operator: WILLISTON EXPLORATION, LLC
Current Well Name: VANVIG 1
Elevation(s): 2701 KB   2688 GR   2689 GL     Total Depth: 8068     Field: TRACY MOUNTAIN
Spud Date(s):  7/27/2011
Completion Data
   Pool: TYLER     Perfs: 7938-7942     Comp: 10/23/2011     Status: AL     Date: 7/31/2012
Cumulative Production Data
   Pool: TYLER     Cum Oil: 52201     Cum MCF Gas: 4293     Cum Water: 48231
Production Test Data
   IP Test Date: 7/31/2012     Pool: TYLER     IP Oil: 30     IP MCF:     IP Water: 42

Production profile for only the last year; this well has shown no production decline since being completed. This well is a directional well, not a horizontal, and it was not fracked.

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	11-2016	30	3578	3346	4290	5870	5289	344
BAKKEN	10-2016	31	4710	4805	4363	6417	5978	200
BAKKEN	9-2016	28	4540	4692	3334	5653	5465	0
BAKKEN	8-2016	31	5256	5208	4197	6833	6585	0
BAKKEN	7-2016	31	4614	4635	4663	6356	6111	0
BAKKEN	6-2016	30	4750	4886	4725	5917	5677	0
BAKKEN	5-2016	31	5804	5661	6230	7198	6950	0
BAKKEN	4-2016	29	5579	5814	5153	6718	6499	0
BAKKEN	3-2016	31	6747	6953	7117	8571	8173	150
BAKKEN	2-2016	29	5924	5847	6227	6850	6253	365
BAKKEN	1-2016	31	6643	6095	8906	7196	6698	250
BAKKEN	12-2015	16	2236	2089	4494	2318	2215	0

Testing The Tyler? A Random Update Of The New MBI Permits -- September 10, 2014

Updates

November 16 2014: see first comment, reply.

November 16, 2014: a reader provides this update --

Current drilling rigs list shows a rig on location since October 9, 2014, for this Tyler well:

• 29280, conf, MBI, Bahley 31-1, 

since 10-09-14.  

This is the second of two permitted,  the other being the Wolberg 18-1--located at--08-136-99, in the Rocky Ridge field. 

On that location (Wolberg) they moved in, drilled, plugged, and moved out in about one week. 

Oilfield friend told me MBI was after Tyler cores, didn't expect to be completing either of the wells. Could be it's a smaller drilling rig and is waiting for a location somewhere else or could be MBI ran into something better than expected.  

October 7, 2014: a reader drove past #29279 --

They were drilling north of the Rundel Well 1 mile north and 1/2 mile west. They were finished today: all rigged down and the 8 oil tanks are already on the location ready to be set up. 

Original Post

 
Testing the Tyler? A reader says the recent permits by MBI will be testing the Tyler, but does not expect to produce from some/all of these wells:

• 29279, conf, MBI, Wolberg 18-1, Rocky Ridge, almost midline on a diagonal from Bowman to Dickinson,
• 29031, conf, MBI, Hueske 30-1, wildcat, a rig is on site as of September, 2014, 30-142-92, about 25 miles northeast of Dickinson; 
• 29280, conf, MBI, Bahley 31-1, wildcat, about 20 miles southwest of Dickinson, just north of the Wolberg

Again, it is very easy to locate these wells on Google maps; simply place the GPS coordinates, separated by a comma in the "search" box. For example: 46.730032,  -103.102913.

For Investors Only; MRO's Tyler Information Released; Price Of Gasoline Hits 6-Year High; North Dakota Crosses The One-Million BOPD Threshhold

North Dakota crossed the one-million bopd threshhold in April, 2014. Data was released at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, 2014. The Director's Cut is here.

Price of gasoline hits 6-year high. Bloomberg is reporting.

Trading at new 52-week highs: DVN, ERF, LGCY, NFX, NRG, SD, WIN.

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MRO's Tyler Rundle Trust Well -- file report released

• 26794, 88, MRO, Rundle Trust 21-29TH (second attempt; first attempt: Rundle Trust 11-29TH)

From the well file report:

• 24 stages; 1,676,220 lbs of proppant which is the amount they used to use in the Bakken; now it is not uncommon to go to 36 stages and 3 to 4 million lbs of proppants
• Helmerich and Payne #259
• spud October 28, 2013 
• "the second well of MRO's new exploration program in the Tyler Formation
• "after completing a vertical pilot and coring the Tyler & Three Forks formations, and attempting lateral drilling on the Rundle Trust 11-29TFH, the decision was made to skid H&P 259 to make another attempt to drill a two-section lateral in the Tyler Formation. This lateral is aimed to prove that a two-section lateral can be drilled in the Tyler, and that the Tyler is a viable zone for oil production." 
• MRO is targeting an interbedded limestone and shale interval that is approximately 50' below the top of the Tyler Formation and was expected to be 8 feet thick. Staying in the target proved very difficult. There is a significant hardness difference between the primary limestone target and the interbedded shale units. The limestone is firm; the bounding shale layers were soft 
• very little natural gas; no flaring or backside pressure was observed or held while drilling
• reached total depth of the lateral on December 7, 2013, after 40.5 days from spud
• the curve showed that the Tyler has two prospective targets: one approximately 12 feet thick; and another (thickness not specified, but sounds like 8 feet thick)
• the challenge is keeping the drill bit in the target zone

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Pulling A Bergdahl

A reader sent me a link to this article in which The Chicago Tribune lists all of President Obama's failures (and the list seems endless). The Tribune says President Obama failed, because like President Bush, he is a poor manager.

Regardless of whether one feels President Obama has made any mistakes or not, and let's for argument's sake say he has been perfect, making no mistakes, there's something inherently wrong with the writer's premise. 

My response:

The article says the mistakes were because President Obama was a poor manager. I disagree with that: Presidents, just like four-star general officers, are not "managers." Presidents are not elected and general officers are not promoted for being "good managers."

Presidents and four-star general officers are leaders and change-agents.

This is what Obama and Bush both had in common: they held no one accountable. President Obama should have fired the cabinet head as soon as the specific debacle surfaced. He should have fired Hillary after Benghazi. That would have gotten the attention of everyone in his administration; no one is "holier" than Hillary among the Democrats; she is THEIR sacred cow. He should have fired Sebelius as soon as the first word of disaster in ObamaCare. Shinseki should have been fired a year earlier.

However, that is past.

I think with the Iraqi "thing," I think we are seeing something entirely new with regard to President Obama.

I don't have any clue how "being a poor manager" would have resulted in losing Iraq, as we are now doing. It was his decision not to make a preemptive strike: his decision alone. That's not a failure of management; that's a failure of leadership. 

No, starting about six months ago, maybe a year ago, Obama went AWOL. He has simply walked away from the presidency.

While CNN video was showing a professional army sweeping through Mosul and then Tikrit, to the doorsteps of Baghdad, the President walked (actually he literally flew) away from Washington (just as he walked away from the situation room the night Benghazi fell).

While video was showing a professional army sweeping through Iraq, President Obama left Washington, DC, to a) watch native Americans dance in a remote location of North Dakota/South Dakota (really?); b) to talk about global warming to college students at a non-descript venue in southern California (UC Irvine? Really?); and, c) and I can't make this up, went golfing, according to his mouthpiece, The New York Times. 

President Obama understands the frustration of Sgt Bergdahl who also walked away from his post, frustrated with the US Army.

President Obama has similarly telegraphed his frustration with Washington, DC; Congress; and, the Drudge Report, and is simply pulling a Bergdahl. So, I don't think it has anything to do with poor management. It was his lack of leadership (not holding anyone accountable) that resulted in the failures prior to Iraq, and now the "failure in Iraq," is due to walking away from the job.

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In my 21 years of formal education (I include one year of kindergarten though I only attended half-days, all that was offered at that time), I never once heard Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt (both of them), Kennedy, or even Bill Clinton referred to as great managers. Likewise, I have never once considered Generals US Grant, Robert E Lee, George Custer, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, great managers.

Even Elizabeth Warren (is she the only Native American currently serving in the US Senate?) would not refer to the four great Native American Indian chiefs -- Crazy Horse (the greatest), Sitting Bull (a close second), Red Cloud, and Spotted Tail -- as "managers." They were leaders, each one of them and many, many others. 

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One of the best stories of leadership I have ever read was John Hershey's 1944 account of JFK's surviving and saving his men when his PT 109 was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer in the Pacific in WWII. I did not understand the weight on President Lincoln's shoulders during the Civil War until I saw "the movie."

Random Update Of A Chesapeake/CLR Tyler Well In Billings County; Just Taken Off-Line

• 16219, IA/150, CLR/Chesapeake, Tracy Mountain 2-16, a Tyler well, vertical, depth of 8,281 feet; fracked with about 60,000 lbs proppant; Billings County, t8/06; cum 105K 2/14; taken off-line 2/14;

Note: this well would have been very inexpensive to drill. It was a vertical well to only 8,000 feet. It has produced over 100,000 bbls of oil in just a few years. It will be interesting to see why this well was taken off-line.

December 10, 2008: operator change from Chesapeake to Continental Resources.

First twelve months of production:

TYLER	8-2007	31	1940	1560	1396	0	0	0
TYLER	7-2007	31	2131	2232	1475	0	0	0
TYLER	6-2007	30	2094	2016	1377	0	0	0
TYLER	5-2007	31	2078	1980	1436	0	0	0
TYLER	4-2007	30	1910	2036	1523	0	0	0
TYLER	3-2007	31	1956	1792	1580	0	0	0
TYLER	2-2007	28	1828	1795	1462	0	0	0
TYLER	1-2007	30	1966	2012	1743	0	0	0
TYLER	12-2006	29	1833	1764	1779	0	0	0
TYLER	11-2006	30	1529	1732	2039	0	0	0
TYLER	10-2006	12	584	448	1487	0	0	0
TYLER	9-2006	30	2331	2383	2091	0	0	0
TYLER	8-2006	30	2645	2223	3466	0	0	0

Most recent twelve months of production:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
TYLER	3-2014	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TYLER	2-2014	18	165	211	586	0	0	0
TYLER	1-2014	31	374	198	1149	0	0	0
TYLER	12-2013	31	289	421	1199	0	0	0
TYLER	11-2013	25	74	0	1303	0	0	0
TYLER	10-2013	15	167	196	392	0	0	0
TYLER	9-2013	30	438	425	1044	0	0	0
TYLER	8-2013	31	434	413	1056	0	0	0
TYLER	7-2013	31	410	415	1051	0	0	0
TYLER	6-2013	30	363	418	1011	0	0	0
TYLER	5-2013	31	333	426	1075	0	0	0
TYLER	4-2013	27	209	0	1121	0	0	0
TYLER	3-2013	22	408	591	710	0	0	0

Update On The Second Rundle Trust And Powell Wells; MRO Tyler Wells

From a non-industry observer: apparently the fracking is complete on the "second" Rundle Trust well; the fracking appears to have been completed in 8 -12 hours. There is a security guard at the road entrance. For newbies, it is very, very rare for a well site to have a security guard at the road entrance. Obviously, the operator expects a lot of interest in this well. Apparently expiring leases in the area are being signed. The pumping unit is being installed today.

No activity at the Powell well today; but a "no trespass" sign is posted.

If anyone has additional information, a lot of folks would be thrilled to hear.

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Three legendary front women -- for the truckers waiting in line .... somewhere/everywhere in the Bakken ...

) Hanging On The Telephone, ABBA, Blondie
You all may say you "hate" ABBA but you all love lookin' at the women....

... but for the 15% who don't....

) Karma Chameleon, Culture Club

First Rundle Trust Dry; No Big Deal; Drilling Problems; Not Necessarily A Tyler Problem

For background, the three current MRO/Tyler wells. The first well ((#26223) was dry due to drilling problems (see below). The second and third are still on confidential status. Fracking is in progress or soon to begun based on comments from non-industry readers in the field. 

The file report for the 26223, Rundle Trust, is a very short report, only 50 pages, mostly standard boiler plate. Here was the important summary:

"Drilled pilot hole to 10,162' MD and this was cored. Then plugged back to 6,618' MD and then KOP for lateral at 6,645' MD. Casing was set as above. Well was drilled out to 8,254' MD when tools got stuck. Worked tools several days before bypassing at 8,124' MD and was drilled to 9,171'. MD when got stuck again. Worked several days before decision was made to PA well and drill new well."

The pilot well was to be drilled to 10,000 feet, so they didn't even get to the kick-off point with the "big rig." (I could be wrong on this, with regard to whether the "big rig" was ever on site.) -- Later: it appears I am wrong here: a reliable source says "they drilled down to the Three Forks, which was cored and logged, then backed out to the Tyler formation and kicked off at 6,600 ft (approx) and started drilling laterally. They got about 2,500 ft laterally when they got stuck and eventually abandoned the well." Apparently a "big rig" was used to drill to the Three Forks and then into the Tyler.

Originally planned, three objective horizons: Tyler, Three Fork (sic), Bird Bear. Listed in that order.

1280-acre spacing.

Update on the "second" Rundle Trust well here.

Later: note the correction above. The paragraph in quotes all makes sense with the correction.  They drilled to the Three Forks (10,163' MD), then plugged back to 6,618' MD. With a kick-off point of 6,645' MD to drill the lateral into the Tyler. They got to 8,124' and then to 9,171' feet before geting stuck and abandoning the well.

One Fact, One Rumor

Fact: Judge rules in favor of Harold in Hamm divorce.

Rumor: three MRO landmen seen in the Slope County courthouse two days ago. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post that. If not, send me a note, and I will take it down. But I might not get to it right away; I'm traveling and don't get to the internet until I stop for gasoline. [Later: Pacer Energy may be working for MRO.]

Random Update On The MRO Wells Targeting The Tyler, Southwest North Dakota

An astute reader noted this in yesterday's daily activity report.

From daily activity report, 2-3-14:

• 26223, conf/plugged or producing,  MRO, Rundle Trust 11-29TFH, 29-136-99 Slope Co.

Your thoughts on this? I know in the Bakken this usually means producing.
Since this a Tyler horizontal I wonder if it means it's producing? It seems this would be a pretty quick timeframe to plug it, but it would also also be pretty quick to have it fracked.
If this well is a good one, the Tyler could be "the story of the year."

I agree (as for story of the year). But whether it's producing or plugged? I don't know. You are correct; 9 out of 10 "plugged or producing" Bakken wells are producing.

Wow, I could go either way, but it's where the Tyler should be, so I will put a hamburger bet on this one that the well is producing. Good luck. [E-mail from another reader awhile back who seemed to have pretty good sources, suggested that MRO had difficulty drilling the first two wells; it may not be a good ending. Hoping otherwise.]

For newbies, I am tracking these MRO Tyler wells here.

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Later, in response to the above, a reader sent in the following comment. He did not say whether he wanted the comment posted or not (which included his name) but just in case, I will post his comments up here (and it will also be googable-searchable:

Based on my experience and following of their first Lodgepole well they take the time to study the formation as is. In other words they waited about a year before they put a frack job on the Darwin well we discussed earlier in the year. They take their name seriously "marathon" and they tend to keep a pace. It would not surprise me if there is oil that they have left it as a flow only proposition to learn about the properties of the reservoir. Anyways that is my two cents on this situation. If there is oil one will suspect an uptick of leasing in that area and we may see it early in the North Dakota land leasing for next quarter. Wish I had a few grand lying around ; ).

Don't we all (wish we had a few grand lying around). Smile. Thank you for taking time to write.

By the way, there were some dry Bakken wells when they first started drilling the Bakken, and a lot of uneconomical Bakken wells until operators "cracked" the code. But even more so, in the other formations, from 1951 when they hit the first productive well in North Dakota, operators had a lot of dry holes. But they learn from all of them. "We" have become spoiled with the Bakken, where there are "no" dry holes. So, we'll see.

Update On The Tyler, Southwest North Dakota

Read this post for background. To the best of my knowledge, there is no official information yet out on the MRO Tyler wells.

However, still on "drl" status, but with production numbers:

• 25347, drl, Williston Exploration, LLC, Rocky Ridge-Fritz 1, Rocky Ridge, Heath, spud 5/13; with nine days of production in November and 128 bbls of oil. 

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
HEATH	11-2013	9	128	0	1227	0	0	0

To the best of my knowledge, "Heath" and "Tyler" are used interchangeably, but if I am wrong, hopefully readers will correct me.

From the well file:

• spud date: May 18, 2013
• cease drilling date: June 4, 2013
• total depth: 8,280 feet
• wellsite geologist: Heidi Smith / Neset
• a vertical well, targeting the Tyler
• Tyler: total vertical depth - 7,994 feet
• Otter: total vertical depth - 8,246 feet
• "The well is awaiting completion."
• 80-acre spacing

To compare this to a Bakken well, perhaps, some thoughts:

• 31 days / 9 days  = 3.4
• 1280 acres / 80 acres = 16
• 128 x 3.4 x 16 = ~ 7,000 bbls/ the first month in the Bakken; not bad

In addition the cost to drill a vertical well with no horizontal/multi-stage fracking is a whole lot less expensive than drilling/fracking the Bakken.

Just idle chatter. 

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Random update on another "recent" Tyler well:

• 18216, 30 (no typo), Williston Exploration, Vanvig 1, t7/12; cum 18K 11/13; 

MRO Permits Another Tyler Well In Slope County

Updates

June 11, 2015: an individual who has lived in Bowman area all his life noted this yesterday morning:

I just drove past the Powell well this morning and they were set up with a workover rig and I'm sure they were drilling the laterals for the well to be fracked. It sure appeared that way.

May 4, 2014: personal correspondence -- MRO's next Tyler wildcat will be in section 29-134-104. That makes sense. That is in one of the first four drilling units MRO requested for testing the Tyler. MRO has drilled two of the first four units: a Rundle Trust well and a Powell well. The first Rundle Trust well has come off the confidential list; MRO is still studying the geology and core samples. The Powell is yet to come off the confidential list. Section 29-134-104 is northwest of Rhame, North Dakota. [To see a graphic of the area: the June, 2013, dockets when first noted MRO Tyler interest and four 1280-acre unit locations.]

 May 3, 2014: I'm still trying to sort this out, and I think I have it. Could be wrong. In the June, 2013, dockets, MRO identified four separate 1280-acre units to test the Tyler with one well in each drilling unit. In those four drilling units, they drilled two Rundle Trust wells and one Powell well. Due to problems with one of the Rundle Trust wells, they abandoned it, and immediately drilled another. So, for all practical purposes: MRO drilled two Rundle Trust wells and one Powell well, so far, of the four originally planned wells. In the May, 2014, dockets, MRO revealed their intent to drill two more Tyler wildcat wells in the same general area.

May 3, 2014: (note: I might be a bit confused on this; not sure if MRO is testing the Tyler with five or six wells now, with these two new wildcats); from the NDIC May agenda; MRO to test the Tyler in Slope County with two more wildcat wells; with these two permits, MRO will be drilling the six wildcat wells testing the Tyler in Slope County; it is a bit confusing because there are currently three (four?) such MRO Tyler wildcat wells; in fact, the first Tyler wildcat had problems, was abandoned, and a replacement well was drilled: bottom line -- MRO's plan is on track to have six wells in Slope County testing the Tyler; the first one to come off the confidential list is still being evaluated;

April 30, 2014: update on MRO Tyler well, Rundle Trust well coming off confidential list; 

April 27, 2014: two of the MRO Tyler wildcat wells come off confidential list on Monday, April 28, 2014; currently no production data. 

February 19, 2014: frack spreads are moving into the Rundle Trust and the Powell well sites; activity is further ahead on the Rundle Trust well site.

February 9, 2014: a reader provides this very informative update --

The Rundle Trust well that Marathon reported as "plugged or producing" is the well that is plugged.  

The well that has a wellhead and production battery is not actually producing yet.  

Marathon is waiting to frac that well and I would guess the Powell well as well until the weather warms up.  Because of the thickness of Tyler formation oil when cold, all of the flowback equipment would have to be heated for the oil to flow even half way decently.  

I was told that it would be at least March or so before they fracked those wells.  I also found out second hand that they are considering fracking those wells using diesel to try to thin the oil out more.  It will be interesting to see how it all works out. 

February 8, 2014: update on the MRO-Tyler-Powell well south of the Rundle Trust wells.

June 2, 2013: the June, 2013, dockets when first noted MRO Tyler interest and four 1280-acre unit locations.

Original Post

A reader points out that MRO permitted another Tyler well yesterday:

• 26794, conf, MRO, Rundle Trust 21-29TH, wildcat, NWNW 29-136-99

See this post back on June 2, 2013, for background.

The two wells will be on same pad, fifty feet part.

• 26223, Rundle Trust 11-29TH, is 300 FNL and 1,000 FWL in section 29; daily activity report, February 3, 2014 -- this well was "plugged or producing'
• 26794, Rundle Trust 21-29TH, is 300 FNL and 1,050 FWL in section 29.

Unless I'm "not seeing it," this newest location (#26794, NWNW 29-136-99) is not yet noted on the NDIC GIS map server. I've noted in red where I think it will be:

The reader and I both find it interesting that MRO would place two wildcats right next to each other if the company was in the process of "exploring" or "delineating" the Tyler formation in this area. In addition, the application (based on the NDIC docket agenda) suggested there would be just one horizontal in this drilling unit.

The individual who alerted me to this new well is hoping some reader might have insight on MRO's decision for two wildcats right next to each other. One going north/one going south? A problem with #26223 and will try again from same pad?

[Udate: two folks have now written, asking the same question.]

Highlights Of The October NDIC Hearing Dockets

The complete summary of the October agenda is here. The highlights follow:

To begin with, the norm in the Bakken is now 10+ wells in 1280-acre units:

• 21024: KOG, Twin Buttes-Bakken, establish two new 1280-acre units; 10 wells in each, Dunn
• 21025: KOG, South Fork-Bakken, establish two new 1280-acre units; 10 wells in each, Dunn
• 21026: KOG, Heart Butte-Bakken, establish two new 1280-acre units; 10 wells in each, Dunn

But others are drilling even more than 10 wells on a 1280-acre unit in the Bakken:

• 21036: Oasis, Alkali Creek-Bakken, 15 wells on some or all of the 1280-acre units;
• 21037: Oasis, Cow Creek-Bakken, 12 wells on some or all of the 1280-acre units; Williams
• 21038: Oasis, Enget Lake-Bakken, 15 wells on some or all of the 1280-acre units; Mountrail
• 21039: Oasis, Sorkness-Bakken, 15 wells on some or all of the 1280-acre units; Mountrail
• 21040: Oasis, Tyrone-Bakken, 15 wells on some or all of the 1280-acre units; Williams
• 21041: Oasis, Viking-Bakken, 15 wells on some or all of the 1280-acre units; Burke

Overlapping units are becoming the norm to capture otherwise "orphaned" oil:

• 21043: MRO, Reunion Bay and the Big Bend-Bakken; establish 5 overlapping 2560-acre units; 1+ wells; Mountrail, McKenzie, and Dunn
• 21159: XTO, Grinnell-Bakken, establish 9 overlapping 2560-acre units; 1 well each; McKenzie, Williams
• 21160: XTO, Siverston-Bakken, establish 23 overlapping 2560-acre units; 1 well each; McKenzie

Whiting continues to explore the Red River formation:

• 21047: Whiting, Beach-Red River, establish a 640-acre unit; 1+ hz well; Golden Valley
• 21048: Whiting, Delhi-Red River, establish a 640-acre unit; 1+ hz well; Golden Valley
• 20149: Whiting, Camel Hump-Red Rivers; establish a 240-acre unit, one vertical well; establish a 560-acre unit; a horizontal well; establish a 320-acre unit one hz well; establish 2 480-acre units; drill a second vertical well on a 320-acre unit, Golden Valley

Just as interesting: what was not in the agenda:

• there were almost no requests for to allow flaring for maximum production
• there were very few cases by one operator to revoke a permit of another operator (only two, I think)
• likewise, there were few cases involving risk penalty issues

Look at all the pooling cases for Oasis

Petro-Hunt is very, very busy; and Stockyard Creek keeps getting more wells:

• 21069: Petro-Hunt, Stockyard Creek-Bakken, 6 wells on a 640-acre unit, Williams
• 21070: Petro-Hunt, Powers Lake-Bakken, 7 wells on a 1280-acre unit; Mountrail
• 21071: Petro-Hunt, North Tioga-Bakken, 7 wells on 12 1280-acre units; Burke
• 21072: Petro-Hunt, East Tioga-Bakken, 7 wells on 9 1280-acre units: Burke

KOG is very, very active:

• 21135: KOG, Truax-Bakken, 14 wells on 4 1280-acre units; 8 wells on 10 1280-acre units; 6 wells on 7 2560-acre units, McKenzie, Williams
• 21136: KOG, Eightmile-Bakken, 10 wells on a 1280-acre units; McKenzie, Williams

CLR is not slowing down -- I might do the math later:

• 21148: CLR, Long Creek-Bakken, create an overlapping 2560-acre unit; 28 wells on that one 2560-acre unit; 14 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit within Zones III and IV; 14 wells on each exisitng 1600-acre unit in Zone V, McKenzie, Williams
• 21149: CLR, Banks-Bakken, 14 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit within Zones III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI; 28 wells on each existing 2560-acre unit within Zones XIII, XIV, XV, and XVI, McKenzie, Williams
• 21150: CLR, Brooklyn-Bakken, 14 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit within Zone 1 and II; 24 wells on each existing 2560-acre unit within Zones III and IV, Williams
• 21151: CLR, Crazy Man Creek-Bakken, 14 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit within Zones I, II, III, and IV; 14 wells on each existing 1600-acre unit within Zone V; 28 wells on each existing 2560-acre unit within Zone VI; and 28 wells on each existing 2880-acre unit within Zone VII, McKenzie, Williams

Zenergy remains active:

• 21162: Zenergy, Cow Creek-Bakken, 12 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit; Williams
• 21163: Zenergy, Rawson-Bakken, 12 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, McKenzie
• 21164: Zenergy, North Tobacco Garden-Bakken, 16 wells on each existing 1280-acre units, McKenzie
• 21165: Zenergy, Camp-Bakken, 12 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, McKenzie
• 21166: Zenergy, Indian Hill-Bakken, 12 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit; McKenzie
• 21167: Zenergy, Lake Trenton-Bakken, 12 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit, Williams
• 21168: Zenergy, Rosebud-Bakken, 12 wells on each existing 1280-acre unit, 2 units; Williams
• 21169: Zenergy, Trenton-Bakken, 12 wells on an existing 1280-acre unit; McKenzie, Williams

If I am reading this correctly, CLR is looking to use EOR on two established and temporarily abandoned Tyler wells:

• 21197: CRL, Tracy Mountain Field, EOR, into the Tracy Mountrain-Tyler Unit of the Jiggs 32-16 well (#13396) (Billings); spud 7/92; t8/92; cum 184K 7/13; status: TA; last produced 10/09; TA date 4/1/13; Tyler formation
• 21198: CRL, Tracy Mountain Field, EOR, into the Tracy Mountrain-Tyler Unit of the Tracy Mountain Unit 1-16 well (#15936), Billings; spud 4/06; t178; cum 18K 7/13; status: TA; last produced 12/08; TA date 9/6/12; Tyler formation

Another example of increased density wells:

• 21207: EOG, Parshall-Bakken, 7 wells on an existing 640-acre spacing unit, Mountrail

Musings On Chesapeake, Marathon, And The Tyler In Slope County, Southwest North Dakota

While traveling I got a nice note from a reader regarding North Dakota and a company that we've not talked about for a long time -- a company that still has lots of acreage in North Dakota but is not actively drilling.

Regular readers can probably guess who we're talking about.

Chesapeake.

To the best of my knowledge, Chesapeake still has over 400,000 net acres in the Williston Basin. There haven't been any articles suggesting they've sold it all off, though they don't talk about it any more.

Okay, that was background.

Marathon is requesting four spacing units to drill the Tyler formation in Slope County. I assume this is in/near the area where Chesapeake has all its North Dakota holdings.

A reader noted: According to ND GI-157 these locations are right in the middle of the southern "best" area for the Tyler. One can find geological publications at the NDIC website and here. 

The reader also noted that Marathon continued to acquire acreage in northeast Slope County even after Chesapeake quit leasing. The reader thinks that northeast Slope County is now pretty much leased and state lands are tied up with leases until 2015/2016. If MRO has some nice wells in the Tyler, the reader suggests that we could see Chesapeake back in the Williston Basin.

Further, the reader notes that Chesapeake still has nine rigs in the Williston Basin: seven in North Dakota and two in Montana (google: location, nomac drilling rigs). It is likely that Chesapeake's leases will be up in a couple of years, so they either need to renew, drill, or sell. Maybe that was one reason Chesapeake delayed their decision; let the leases run to their end before making a decision.

It would simply be awesome if MRO is successful with their Tyler wells. I might visit Dickinson just to see the economic burst of activity.

Excellent, Excellent Article On The Montana Heath/Tyler

The Fairfield SunTimes is reporting, from information provided by Petroleum News.

This is an incredibly good article. Save for the archives.

“The Heath presents a multitude of challenges compared to the Bakken, ” Hauptman said. First, the Bakken, at between 11,000 and 13,000 feet, is much deeper than the Heath and is highly overpressured with the energy necessary to move the oil to the surface. The Heath, on the other hand, is shallow and under-pressured, “so you’re not getting Mother Nature to try and help you push it out. ”

The other challenge, according to Hauptman, is the rock itself. “The Bakken is like tombstone and you can drill through it with no problem at all … because it’s competent rock. ” But the geology of central Montana has been “up and down geologically many, many times, ” Hauptman added, and as a result the Heath Shale is highly faulted. That faulting, he said, present serious problems for drillers.

“You’re drilling in the Heath and all of a sudden you’re out of the Heath. All of a sudden you’re out 200 feet and you don’t know where to go. Do you go up? Do you go down? Do you do back up and do an open-hole side-track? These are all expensive things to do. This high-tech stuff is not cheap. I have first-hand knowledge of this. When you have those kinds of problems, suddenly your $5 million or $6 million authorization for expenditure is $8 million to $10 million. ”

When that happens, Hauptman continued, the number of barrels necessary to reach breakeven increases significantly.

A third challenge, according to Hauptman, is that there isn’t the competent rock in the Heath like there is in the Bakken, which, he said, causes serious drilling problems. “As you’re drilling it caves in behind you and you get your bit stuck, and you can’t get out of the hole so then you lose your whole drill string. These are the nightmares they’ve had out there. They don’t have that problem in the Bakken, ” he noted. “The Bakken’s just pretty much wellbore manufacturing cookie cutter. The Heath’s just not that way.”

But Hauptman firmly believes the Heath has oil. “There’s no question the oil is there. It’s a question of how does one get it out of the ground economically. That’s just the nature of the beast.”

And it is not unusual in the infancy of an oil play to have less-than-stellar well results. According to Lynn Helms, director of North Dakota’s Department of Minerals, “Things were very slow in the Bakken play for about two years until they cracked the code.”

As noted before, the Bakken is going to be hard to replicate.

June, 2013, Dockets: Marathon's Tyler Formation Locations, Slope County

Updates

January 28, 2014: update on a Williston Exploration Tyler well in southwest North Dakota.

January 10, 2014: MRO has a rig-on-site, wildcat, northeast Slope County, about ten miles east of Amidon:

• 26335, conf/ros, MRO, Powell 31-27TFH, wildcat, NWNE 27-135-99,

October 23, 2013: a second Tyler well permit in same section, on same pad as #26223 below.

• 26794, conf, MRO, Rundle Trust 21-29TH, wildcat, NWNW 29-136-99,

September 26, 2013: rig on site in section 29/32-136-99 (see below)

• 26223, ros, MRO, Rundle Trust 11-29TH, wildcat, southwest corner of state, on edge of Rocky Ridge oil field; NWNW 29-136-99

Original Post

June 26, 2013, NDIC hearing dockets.

Case No. 20428: Application of Marathon Oil Co. for an order creating four 1280-acre
drilling units consisting of sections 3 and 10; sections 27 and 34; sections 30 and 31, T135N-R99W.; and sections 29 and 32, T136N-R99W.; Slope County, ND, and allowing a horizontal well to be drilled in the Tyler Formation in each such drilling, and such other relief as is appropriate.

In T135N-R99W: three 1280-spacing units -- 3/10; 27/34; and, 30/31.

In T136N-R99W: one 1280-acre spacing unit -- 29/32.

You can see that the new MRO 1280-acre standups are really an extension of the Rocky Ridge oil field which is a Tyler field with vertical wells. [Two of the new stand-ups are outlined; the other two are just to the south, at the bottom of the image.]

Vertical wells into the Tyler are typical "hit or miss."

Many Tyler vertical wells are very, very poor wells, but some are very, very, good. In section 2-136-100, there are two solid black circles with no line(s) running through them. These two wells are still active:

• 4971, 422, Charger Resources, LLC, Howie 11X2, Rocky Ridge, t12/71, cum 780,771 bbls 7/13; and still producing 150 bbls/month (in a good month)
• 6015, 70, Charger Resources, LLC, Howie 2, Rocky Ridge, t3/77; cum 323,851 bbls 7/13, and still producing 250 bbls/month (in a good month)

It will be interesting to see how horizontal Tyler wells will do compared to vertical wells. 

Williston Exploration is drilling a well in this same field, at the northwest end of the field:

• 25347, 5, Williston Exploration, Rocky Ridge-Fritz 1, a vertical well, about 8K feet deep; Heath/Tyler; t2/14; cum 300 bbls 2/14; one stimulation stage, HCL, no proppants;

That's all interesting, but if one is reading the tea leaves, this is the most interesting bit of trivia. Near this Rocky Ridge-Fritz 1 well, they are also drilling a SWD well which is also on the confidential list. The arrow in the image points to the SWD (on confidential list). It's my impression after following the Bakken boom for the past several years, they don't drill SWD wells just anywhere; this to me suggests they think they will be doing a lot of drilling in this area.

Recent ND DMR presentation, undated, but 2012 or later. [a pdf file]

The Tyler -- an Update

Updates

November 25, 2012: 10,000 acres ("3,000 acres prior to our purchase of Upton Resources assets [7,000 acres ] for a total of 10,000 acres" -- Williston Exploration company e-mail)

Original Post

Link here at Platts, November 23, 2012.

North Dakota’s Tyler Formation, a black, petroliferous rock some 317 million years old in the prolific Williston Basin, has been touted as the next big thing. Also called the “baby Bakken,” North Dakota geologist and consultant Kathleen Neset reports seeing an uptick in leasing activity around the formation.

“I’m already seeing companies lease property in Tyler,” Neset says. “Prices are starting to increase,” said Neset, who has consulted for companies including Hess, Denbury, Continental, Williams, and Whiting Oil & Gas. 

One producer impatient to plow into the Tyler is Williston Exploration, which holds about 3,000 acres there. The company is looking to invest $15-$20 million in the next five to six years to drill five or six Tyler development wells. Williston Exploration has drilled one Tyler well and operates and owns partial stakes in 15 producing wells ...

... the state’s “best” estimate for the Tyler right now is 1 billion barrels.

Clear Creek -- MB, TF, Tyler; The BR Mesa Verde Wells; CLR's Multi-Year TF Study; Petro-Hunt Activity

Permits

2014

29157, conf, Newfield, Rolfsrud State 152-96-29-32-13HLW, 

27875, conf, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27C-6H,

27874, conf, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27A-5H,

27655, conf, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 152-96-34C-27-2HS,

27654, conf, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 152-96-4A-10-1HS,

27653, conf, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 152-96-33D-28-1HS, 

27542, conf, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-26B-25-2HS, 

27541, conf, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-23C-24-1HS,

27540, conf, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27A-35A-1HS,

27368, conf, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-24C-13-1HS,

27367, conf, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-23D-14-2HS, 

2013 

27282, conf, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-22D-14-1HS,

25831, 1,872, BR, Sunline 21-1TFH-4SH, 4 sectioins, t6/14; cum 14K 6/14;

25830, 1,488, BR, Rising Sun 21-1TFH-4NH, 4 sections, t5/14; cum 14K 6/14;

25829, 2,088, BR, Sunline 21-1MBH-5SH, 4 sections, t5/14; cum 14K 6/14;

25828, 2,880, BR, Rising Sun 21-1MBH-5NH, 4 sections, t5/14; cum 14K 6/14;

2012 

24534, conf, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34B-5H,

24533, conf, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34B-6H, producing, 

24532, 2,838, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34A-3H, t9/13; cum 94K 6/14;

24531, 1,859, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27D-3H, t9/13; cum 88K 6/14;

24530, 818, Petro-Hunt, Wollen 152-96-27D-4H, t9/13; cum 42K 6/14;

24529, 1,621, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34A-4H, t9/13; cum 81K 6/14;

24326, 1,674, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-35D-26-6H, t5/13; cum 122K 6/14;

24323, 1,187, Petro-Hunt, Anderson 152-96-35D-26-5H, t5/13; cum 94K 6/14;

24313, 1,895, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-14A-23-6H, t10/13; cum 132K 6/14;

24312, 2,120, Petro-Hunt, Brenna 152-96-14A-23-7H, t10/13; cum 129K 6/14;

24262, 2,984, BR, Glacier 41-4TFH, t11/13; cum 87K 6/14;

24261, 2,837, BR, Glacier 24-9MBH, t11/13; cum 39K 6/14;

24260, 2,766, BR, Glacier 24-9TFH, t12/13; cum 38K 6/14;

24259, 2,966, BR, Glacier 14-9MBH, t12/13; cum 39K 6/14;

24258, 2,966, BR, Glacier 14-9TFH, t12/13; cum 35K 6/14;

24055, 1,657, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-28A-33-6H, t11/13; cum 120K 6/14;

24054, 1,528, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-33C-28-5H, t1/14; cum 90K 6/14;

24053, 892,  Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-33C-28-4H, t1/14; cum 104K 6/14;

23295, 2,592, BR, Mesa Verde 14-22TFH, t1/13; cum 171K 6/14;

23294, 2,962, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22MBH, t2/13; cum 90K 6/14;

23293, 3,878, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22TFH, t3/13; cum 108K 6/14;

23263, 2,978, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22TFH, t3/13; cum 114K 6/14;

23262, 2,967, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22MBH, t3/13; cum 135KK 6/14;

23261, 3,880, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22TFH, t2/13; cum 91K 6/14;

22566, 664, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34C-1H, t8/12; cum 135K 6/14;

22565, 316, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek 152-96-34D-2H, t8/12; cum 107K 6/14;

22564, 80, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27B-1-3, a Tyler well, t5/12; cum 32K 6/14;

22492, 1,368, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3A-10-5H, t9/13; cum 106K 6/14;

22491, 1,687, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3A-10-6H, t10/13; cum 107K 6/14;

22490, 1,594, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3A-10-7H, t10/13; cum 127K 6/14;

22440, 1,113, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 12-96-28A-33-3H, t8/13; cum 119K 6/14;

22439, 925, Petro-Hunt, Wisness 152-96-28A-33-2H, t10/12; cum 200K 6/14;

22280, 1,062, Petro-Hunt, Jonsrud 151-96-3B-10-4H, t11/12; cum 104K 6/14;

Updates

December 29, 2013: Case 21589, Petro-Hunt, Clear Creek-Tyler, redefine field limits, rules, McKenzie. January, 2014, NDIC dockets. 

May 11, 2013: BR's Mesa Verde wells:

• 18442, 2,348, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22H, t3/10; cum 293K 6/14;
• 23261, 3,880, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22TFH, t2/13; cum 91K 6/14;
• 23262, 2,967, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22MBH, t3/13; cum 135K 6/14;
• 23263, 2,978, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22TFH, t3/13; cum 114K 6/14;
• 23293, 3,878, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22TFH, t3/13; cum 108K 6/14;
• 23294, 2,962, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22MBH, t2/13; cum 90K 6/14;
• 23295, 2,592, BR, Mesa Verde 14-22TFH, t1/13; cum 171K 6/14;

October 16, 2012: Clear Creek oil field in play as part of CLR's multi-well multi-year Three Forks study:

• 19283, 1,524, BR, Sunline 11-1MB-3SH, Clear Creek, t5/11; cum 129K 6/14; 4-section;
• 19285, 2,325, BR, Rising Sun 11-1MB-3NH, Clear Creek, t7/12; cum 176K 6/14; 4-section;
• 19286, 1,464, BR, Sunline 11-1TF-2SH, Clear Creek, t5/11; cum 146K 6/14; 4-section; TF2;
• 19287, 1,872, BR, Rising Run 11-1TF-2NH, Clear Creek, t7/11; cum 106K 6/14; 4-section;

Original Post

For background to this story, consider:

• overview of oil-producing formations in the Williston Basin: at this site, use the search function or scroll down to either the Minnelusa group or the Tyler formation.
• monster wells in the Williston Basin;

Then look at the added material to the post yesterday regarding wells coming off the confidential list.
There are two things to note at the latter link:

• Petro-Hunt's Minnelusa Wollan well; and, 
• the new permits: of the 15 new permits yesterday, Petro-Hunt accounted for nine (9).

Of all the operators in the Bakken, Petro-Hunt has always intrigued me. Because it is not publicly traded, information is hard to come by. When I started blogging about the Bakken, there were three private operators that stood out: Anschutz, Slawson, and Petro-Hunt. Anschutz, of course, sold out to OXY USA. Slawson was really, really active in the beginning, but now I don't see it so much. On the other hand, Petro-Hunt seems to be increasing its pace of activity.

Historically, the Tyler formation has been one of the top five oil-producing formations in the Williston Basin. According to the first link above: the Tyler formation is part of the Minnelusa Group, fairly shallow, above the Bakken. The Tyler formation has been divided into two informal units, a lower unit and an upper unit. It produces oil from both units, but oil production from the Tyler is mostly limited to southwestern North Dakota.

Look at the map at that first link. Interestingly, Petro-Hunt's Minnelusa Wollan well is clearly in a "new" location for the Tyler formation. This well is located in Clear Creek, northeast McKenzie County, and a sweet spot for the Bakken, just a few miles east of the Banks and Camp oil fields.

I don't follow the Tyler formation yet well enough to know how this new Petro-Hunt wells stacks up against the others, but a quick comparison of Tyler wells at the "monster well" page suggests that an IP of 80 is fine. 

Clear Creek Field

Clear Creek field is an old field with a lot of activity over the years. It is located in northeast McKenzie County, in one of the sweet spots of the Bakken, just a few miles east of the Camp and Banks oil fields.

It is a very small field, only 14 sections or so. It would have been a 4 x 3 section field except for a couple of sections (and irregular at that) in the southwest corner. State highway 23, running north and south through the oil field, cuts the oil field in half (east and west halves) on the highway's run to New Town to the east, having come from Watford City to the southwest.

At the date of posting, there are no less than nine (9) wells straddling the section line between sections 22/27-152-96 (come producing, some drilling, some on confidential list).

• 17518, 493, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 27B-2-2H, t3/09; cum 112K 6/14;
• 17703, 1,252, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 27A-2-2H, t6/09; cum 175K 6/14;
• 18442, 2,348, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22H, t3/10; cum 293K 6/14;
• 22564, 80, Petro-Hunt, Wollan 152-96-27B-1-3, t5/12; cum 37K 6/14; a Minnelusa (Tyler) well;
• 23262, 2,967, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22MBH, t3/13; cum 135K 6/14;
• 23263, 2,978, BR, Mesa Verde 44-22TFH, t3/13; cum 114K 6/14;
• 23293, 3,878, BR, Mesa Verde 24-22TFH, t3/13; cum 108K 6/14;
• 23294, 2,962, BR, Mesa Verde 34-22MBH, t2/13; cum 9K 6/14;
• 23295, 2,592, BR, Mesa Verde 14-22TFH, t1/13; cum 171K 6/14;