ABSTRACT
This is the eighth annual report on data gathered by the committee on statistics of exploratory drilling.
During 1952, 12,425 exploratory holes were drilled in the United States. Of these 6,698 were new-field wildcats, 3,298 were new-pool tests (including new-pool wildcats, deeper-pool tests, and shallower-pool tests), and 2,429 were outposts. Among the new-field wildcats, 741 were successful; among the new-pool tests, 888 were successful; and among the outposts, 706 were successful.
The total exploratory footage drilled in the United States in 1952 was 55,615,389 feet in the 12,425 holes, or 4,476 feet per hole. These figures compare with 49,343,694 feet drilled in 11,756 exploratory holes, with an average depth of 4,197 feet in 1951. For the fifth time we are presenting data on Canada and Mexico.
