ABSTRACT
Reappraisal of operations directed toward greater economy and selectivity of wildcat and development programs characterized the industry through a period of reduced drilling and production in the Permian basin. Optimistic forecasts for the future, however, are evident in view of the tempo of seismic and leasing activity.
Two Pecos County wildcats became the most significant gas strikes in many years and have drawn attention to the deep possibilities of the Delaware basin: the Atlantic’s Kelly No. 1 indicated multipay gas production from the Devonian, Silurian, and Ordovician Montoya at a depth of 16,680 ft., a record producing depth in Texas; the Mobil Oil Company’s Kathleen J. Moore No. 1 was completed for a calculated open-flow potential of 102 MMCFGPD plus 1,500 bbls. of condensate from the Pennsylvanian Bend to become the first Lower Pennsylvanian producer in the Texas part of the Delaware basin.
The heavy concentration of leasing and geophysical activity in the Delaware and Val Verde basins reflects the normal cycle of exploration into the more remote regions.
