ABSTRACT
Iowa’s only test for oil in 1977 was dry. However, 25 injection/withdrawal wells were drilled into Ordovician and Cambrian rocks at a Louisa County natural gas storage facility. Kansas produced 57,496,021 bbl of crude oil, and 787, 916,974 Mcf of natural gas, down 0.38% and 5.77% respectively from production in 1976. Drilling was off slightly (3,933 wells compared with 3,977 in 1976); 56.44% were successful. Natural gas exploration resulted in many Permian and Pennsylvanian producing wells along the Nemaha anticline. Niobrara gas is the target for leasing and drilling in northwestern Kansas, adjacent areas in Colorado, and northward across Nebraska. Sharon Springs is the first oil field in Wallace County. Cowley County, with 251 holes, had the most tests. Cunningham field, Pratt County, is being converted to a natural gas storage field. Missouri’s 54 completions included many stratigraphic tests along the western border. Three dry holes in the Forest City basin in northwestern Missouri were drilled into Arbuckle and Precambrian rocks. With 424 holes, Nebraska’s drilling was up 90 tests from the previous year. Hitchcock County had 46 new oil wells. Oil production in Nebraska was 5,968,452 bbl in 1977. No tests were drilled for oil or gas in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
