ABSTRACT
The total number of wildcats drilled in 1941, in the states covered by this report, was 3,264, and the footage drilled was 11,615,085, as contrasted with 3,038 holes and 10,144,870 feet, respectively, in 1940. The average depth of hole increased from 3,339 feet to 3,559 feet for all states covered, and from 4,209 feet to 4,372 feet in the southern states.
This résumé on wildcatting is followed by a study of discovery rate in the eleven states of Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Discovery rate is measured by the relations between wildcatting and the discovery of new reserves during the last half decade. Except for a slight rise, in 1941, in the curves expressing rate of discovery, there has been a decline since 1937. The facts are a challenge to the industry not only to expand exploration, but also to promote research which may in any manner improve or revise our present methods of looking for oil.
