1 A 1,000-ft. wildcat is planned by West Bay Exploration Co. in Monroe County, Ill. The Traverse City-based company’s #1-6 Ransom Trust will be drilled in Section 6-3s-9w and targets Trenton oil pay. A successful completion will extend the long-producing Waterloo Field to the southeast. Nearby drilling is about two miles north-northeast in Section 29-2s-9w: #1 Heck was abandoned in 1980 915 ft. in Trenton. A mile further northeast is another Trenton wildcat abandoned in 1969 at a depth of 990 ft. Trenton oil production in Waterloo Field is about three miles northwest of West Bay’s new location. One of the wells in the field, #1 Gibault High School, was drilled in 1981 to 490 ft. It was tested pumping 5 bbl. of oil daily through an openhole Trenton zone at 480-490 ft.
2 An exploratory test by Ceja Corp. is planned in Clinton County Ill. The #1 Kaufman will be in Section 5-2n-5w. The 3,500-ft. wildcat is targeting Trenton pay – nearby production is about five miles northeast. Offsetting Ceja’s planned venture is a shallow 518-ft. test that was abandoned in 1969. Several other tests in the area have been drilled to depths of 500-1000 ft. with a few deeper tests in this part of the county reaching about 3,000 ft. Ceja Corp.’s headquarters are in Tulsa.
3 Tim Cooksey Oil announced plans to drill two wildcats in Madison County, Ill. The #1 Riverside TC will be in Section 26-3n-5w with a planned depth of 3,999 ft. in Trenton. The #2 Riverside TC is in Section 26 and the proposed depth is also 3,999 ft. Production in this part of Illinois is in Madison County’s St. Jacob Field. The reservoir, which was opened in 1942, yields crude from Devonian and Trenton. Production in this part of Illinois is in Madison County’s St. Jacob Field. Tim Cooksey Oil is based in Thompsonville, ll.
4 Altum Energy LLC has drilled the first of two Silurian wildcats it plans for Macon County, Illinois. The #1 Young was drilled to 2,402 ft. and was been perforated with additional completion work under way. The venture is in Section 11-14n-1e. To the north is #2 Young, which is permitted to 2,500 ft. According to IHS Inc., several Silurian wildcats have been drilled within one mile of Altum Energy’s ventures. One nearby exploratory test, #1 Hedges, was drilled in 1973 to 2,429 ft. with some oil shows in Tully lime at 2,327-39 ft. About three miles southwest in Section 17 is RK Petro - leum’s #1 Gorden, which was drilled in mid-2013 to 2,402 ft. No other details are available on the Silurian exploratory test. Production in the area comes from numerous wells in Christian County’s Assumption Consolidated Field that produce through numerous pays in Mississippian and Devonian. Altum’s headquarters are in Windsor Heights, Iowa.
5 Sundog Oil LLC has scheduled four 3,950-ft. deep pool tests in Harristown South Field. In Macon County, Ill., the #1 Tosh, #2 Tosh, #3 Tosh and #4 Tosh, are targeting Trenton pays from offsetting surface locations in Section 4-15n-2e. In nearby Section 4, Production Energy LLC has received permits for several 2,500-ft. Harris-town South tests over the last 18 months. A nearby Silurian venture by RK Petroleum—#1 Snow Comm in Section 4—was permitted in March 2013. The Harristown South wildcat is scheduled to reach 2,500 ft. and no activity has been reported. Sundog’s headquarters are in Reinbeck, La.
6 Two exploratory tests have been staked in Effingham County, Ill., by Ruth Nuxoll. The #1 BKW and #2 BKW are planned for offsetting surface locations in Section 32-6n-6w. The #1 BKW is permitted to 4,400 ft. and targets Devonian pay. The #2 BKW is scheduled to reach 3,500 ft. and targets Carper sand. The most recent nearby test was completed in 1984 – #1-A Thompson was abandoned at 2,938 ft. in St. Louis. Ruth Nuxoll is based in Effingham, Ill.
7 A White County, Ill., deep wildcat is underway in Crossville Field. Woolsey Operating Co. spud #1-110410-193 Brown and the planned 8,000-ft. exploratory test is targeting Knox oil pay from a site in Section 11-4s-10e. The nearest well in Crossville Field is about one mile southwest of Woolsey’s venture: #1 W.F. Lamont was tested in 1981 pumping 18 bbl. of crude and 65 bbl. of water per day from Salem perforations at 3,640-54 ft. If Woolsey Operating hits its target total depth of 8,000 ft., the Wichita, Kans.-based operator’s wildcat would be one of the deepest in White County.
8 Navitas Land & Mineral Corp. reported that the company encountered multiple hydrocarbon shows at a 7,008-ft. exploratory test in Kentucky. The #2 Otho Babb Heirs is in Section 8-n-23e of Webster County. During logging, it had 17 shows from multiple formations with four hydrocarbon shows above 4,000 ft. that are producible and multiple shows below 4,000 ft. The #2 Otho Babb is awaiting completion pending rig availability. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based company also plans to drill five additional oil wells that are permitted to around 4,000 ft. One of the wells, #4 Pruitt in Section 9, has already been completed and is producing an unreported amount of oil after drilling to 3,499 ft. Wells in this part of Webster County produce from Poole Consolidated Field.
9 A Ventex Operating Corp. vertical Smackover wildcat is under way in Monroe County, Ala. The #1 Craft-Scott 23-13 is an exploratory test in Section 23-5n-4e. The projected total depth is 15,500 ft. in Paleozoic. Nearby oil production is four miles east-southeast in Section 28; #1 Uriah Land 28-12 was drilled to 14,302 ft. in 2008. It was tested flowing 278 bbl. of 35-degree-gravity crude and 1.8 million cu. ft. of gas per day from Smackover perforations at 13,902-20 ft. The #1 Uriah 28-12 is the sole producer in Jeddo West Field. Further southeast is more Smackover oil production in Baileys Creek, Palmers Crossroads, Uriah and Wallers Creek fields. Ventex is based in Dallas.
10 According to State College, Pa.-based Rex Energy Corp., the company has brought online the second well on the company’s Warrior No rth prospect. The Carroll County, Ohio, well, #1H Graham , has been placed into sales following its 60-day resting period. It produced at a five-day sales rate of 1,710 bbl. of oil equivalent per day (41% natural gas liquids, 30% gas and 29% condensate, assuming full ethane recovery and a gas shrink of 36%). The Washington Township, Section 30 venture was drilled to 12,098 ft. with a lateral length of 3,973 ft. and was completed in 27 stages. Rex has 16,000 acres in Carroll County with more than 110 potential drillsites.
11 According to IHS Inc., Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. has started drilling the first of up to 18 wells on a drilling pad (Stadler) in Monroe County, Ohio. The #3 Uh Stadler Unit A is in Section 4, Lee Township, Round Bottom 7.5 Quad, in Morton Field and is targeting Marcellus shale, followed by a second test targeting the deeper Utica shale. The Stadler pad has been designed and permitted to drill 10 Marcellus wells and eight Utica wells. The first two wells will fracture stimulate both Marcellus and Utica, The rig will be used exclusively to drill shale wells on the Houston-based company’s acreage in southeastern Ohio. Magnum Hunter holds nearly 160,000 net acres of exploration land in the Appalachian Basin. Magnum Hunter operates and holds a 50% stake in the drilling unit.
All data in the Exploration Highlights section is based on sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The prudent investor intending to act upon any particular data is urged to verify it with all other available sources. In no way should the publication of these items be construed as an express or implied endorsement of a company or its activities.
Most land in the U.S. is divided into townships—rectangular tracts six miles square. The township, in turn, is divided into 36 numbered sections, each a one-mile square. The lines running north-south and dividing east from west are called range lines. The lines running east-west and dividing north from south are township lines.
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