NESSON ANTICLINE L. INTERLAKE OIL AREA GROWING

G. Alan Petzet Exploration Editor Drilling in northwestern North Dakota has established what may be the first significant production from Silurian Lower Interlake in the state. Anschutz Corp., Denver, has completed two step-outs to an August 1990 discovery in the Stoneview field area of eastern Divide County. The three wells, about 20 miles north of Tioga, are producing from the Salsbury member of Interlake, part of the Elk Mountain group of Silurian age. Only about 4% of North Dakota's

April 15, 1991

2 min read

G. Alan Petzet
Exploration Editor

Drilling in northwestern North Dakota has established what may be the first significant production from Silurian Lower Interlake in the state.

Anschutz Corp., Denver, has completed two step-outs to an August 1990 discovery in the Stoneview field area of eastern Divide County.

The three wells, about 20 miles north of Tioga, are producing from the Salsbury member of Interlake, part of the Elk Mountain group of Silurian age.

Only about 4% of North Dakota's cumulative oil production has been produced from, Silurian pays.

Most of that comes from Upper Interlake, one of the zones that produced in the Amerada Petroleum Corp. 1 Iverson discovery well in 1951 about 29 miles south of Anschutz's drilling.

Only a few other small Lower Interlake pools have been discovered in North Dakota. The lower producing interval of Interlake, usually 800-900 ft below the upper interval, has been considered no more than a bailout or salvage zone.

Anschutz, meanwhile, is drilling or has drilled three more wells in the area around the three Lower Interlake completions on the Nesson anticline.

LOWER INTERLAKE STEP-OUTS

State production reports show that the two Lower Interlake step-outs produced oil, gas, and water during January 1991.

Anschutz's 13-13 Olson, SW SW 13-160n-95w, produced 354 b/d of oil, 320 Mcfd of gas, and 2 b/d of water during January, its first month of production.

The company's 1-23 Berger, NW SW 23-160n-95w, averaged 227 b/d of oil, 120 Mcfd of gas, and 5 b/d of water in January. Anschutz deepened the well, an 11,029 ft dry hole completed in 1988 by Comdisco Resources Inc., Denver.

The step-outs are within 1 1/2 miles of Anschutz's 8-14 Watterud discovery, completed last year flowing 480 b/d of 46 gravity oil, 525 Mcfd of gas, and 20 b/d of water from perforations at 11,690-714 ft, and 11,732-740 ft. The wells lie between Stoneview and North Tioga fields.

Stoneview field produces from Mississippian Madison, Mississippian-Devonian Bakken, Devonian Winnipegosis, and Ordovician Red River. North Tioga is mainly a Madison pool with some production from Bakken and Silurian zones, Petroleum Information reported.