ARCO TO SHOOT SEISMIC SURVEY NEW KATALLA OIL FIELD, ALASKA

ARCO Alaska Inc. is taking another look at the area that gave Alaska its first oil field more than 90 years ago. Northern Geophysical of America will shoot 100 line miles of seismic for the company in the Katalla area bordering the Gulf of Alaska 50 miles southeast of Valdez. The last significant exploratory drilling in the area was in 1961-62 by Richfield Oil Corp., now a part of ARCO.

April 12, 1993

2 min read

ARCO Alaska Inc. is taking another look at the area that gave Alaska its first oil field more than 90 years ago.

Northern Geophysical of America will shoot 100 line miles of seismic for the company in the Katalla area bordering the Gulf of Alaska 50 miles southeast of Valdez.

The last significant exploratory drilling in the area was in 1961-62 by Richfield Oil Corp., now a part of ARCO.

Four years after setting the stage for significant oil development in Alaska by discovering Swanson River field on the Kenai peninsula in 1957, Richfield drilled a pair of wildcats near the abandoned Katalla field, including 1 Bering River, abandoned at 6,175 ft, and 2 Bering River, abandoned at 6,020 ft. The company put the Katalla area on hold, setting its sights on the North Slope for exploration that led to discovery of Prudhoe Bay field in winter 1967-68.

Oil seeps sparked initial drilling in the Katalla area around the turn of the century, leading to completion of a 366 ft discovery well in 1902 by Alaska Development Co. A boomtown sprang up, and as many as 40 wells were drilled, including at least 18 that proved productive, producing 40-44 gravity oil from shallow depths.

Although production averaged only a few barrels a day per well, a small refinery was placed in operation in 1912, furnishing gasoline and fuel oil to the area's fishing fleet and kerosine and lubricants to canneries and mining companies.

The refinery burned down in 1933, and the Katalla field wells were abandoned. Alaska's Oil & Gas Conservation Commission estimates cumulative production from the field at 154,000 bbl.