Oklahoma Shale Gas/Tight Oil Plays
By Abbas Seyedolali, Oklahoma Geological Survey, Norman, Oklahoma,USA
Note: It should be noted limited activity Information on Oklahoma shale resource plays is available on the Oklahoma Geological Survey web site (http://www.ou.edu/ogs/research/energy/oil-gas). The site includes an Oklahoma shale gas and tight oil well completions database, currently containing 5,995 records. Wells completed during 2020 include 127 Woodford Shale, 1 Caney Shale, and 2 Goddard Shale records (Fig. 1). Note the dominance of the Woodford Shale wells drilled.
A Woodford Shale completions map showing wells by year illustrates wells in the STACK (Sooner Trend Anadarko Canadian Kingfisher), SCOOP (South Central Oklahoma Oil Province), Cherokee Platform, Arkoma Basin, and Ardmore Basin areas (Fig. 2). Initial potential oil/condensate rates of Woodford Shale horizontal wells completed during 2020 range from a trace to 1,142 barrels of oil per day (bopd) at up to 1.5% vitrinite reflectance. Four of the highest rate wells (922-1,142 bopd) were in McClain County at vertical depths of 9,687 to 9,729 ft and lateral lengths of 9,024 to 10,166 ft. Woodford Shale-only wells in north-central Oklahoma may be in fracture contact with Mississippian-age reservoirs above (Wang and Philp, 2019). The Caney Shale and Springer (Goddard) Shale well completions map is shown in Figure 3. Note the dominance of the Caney Shale wells in the Arkoma, Ardmore and the Marietta Basins.
Of 15 operators active in Oklahoma shale resource plays during 2020-2021, the top nine operators (for number of wells drilled during 2020-2021) are: (1) Continental Resources (42), (2) EOG Resources (15), (3) XTO Energy (14), (4) Ovintiv Mid-Continent (13), (5) Calyx Energy (13), (6) Citizen Energy (7), (7) Warwick-Jupiter (6), (8) Camino Natural Resources (5), and (9)Trinity Operating USG (5).
References
Cardott, B.J., 2017, Oklahoma shale resource plays: Oklahoma Geological Survey, Oklahoma Geology Notes, v. 76, no. 2, p. 21-30. Northcutt, R.A., and J.A. Campbell, 1998, Geologic provinces of Oklahoma, in J.P. Hogan and M.C. Gilbert, eds., Basement tectonics 12, central North America and other regions: Boston, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Basement Tectonics, p. 29-37. OU, 2018: http://ou.edu/content/dam/ogs/documents/data/2018_Oklahoma_Shale_Gas_and_Tight_Oil_Well_Co mpletions_Map_1939_2018.pdf OU, 2018_2:
http://ou.edu/content/dam/ogs/documents/data/2018_Woodford_Shale_Completions_Map_by_Year_ 2004_2018.pdf OU, 2018_3:
http://ou.edu/content/dam/ogs/documents/data/2018_Woodford_Shale_Completions_Map_by_Year_ 2004_2018.pdf). Wang, T., and R.P. Philp, 2019, Oil families and inferred source rocks of the Woodford-Mississippian tight oil play in northcentral Oklahoma: AAPG Bulletin, v. 103, p. 871-903.
Wang, T., and R.P. Philp, 2019, Oil families and inferred source rocks of the Woodford-Mississippian tight oil play in northcentral Oklahoma: AAPG Bulletin, v. 103, p. 871-903.