Developments in Arkansas and North Louisiana in 1946

Abstract

In all, 1,000 wells were drilled in the area in 1946. This is a 45% increase in drilling activity over the 1945 total of 692 wells. One hundred seventy-two wildcats were drilled, of which 55 were in Arkansas and 117 in North Louisiana. This is comparable with 34 in Arkansas and 81 in North Louisiana in 1945. Wildcatting thus increased by 50%. In Arkansas 5 new oil fields and 9 new oil-producing zones in old fields were discovered. North Louisiana had 5 new oil fields, 1 new gas field, 2 new distillate fields, 2 new oil-producing zones in old fields, 1 new gas-producing zone in an old field, and 1 new distillate producing zone in an old field. This is a total of 26 new discoveries. Subsurface work led to most of the new discoveries. In Arkansas and North Louisiana 61,642,142 barrels of crude oil were produced. This is an increase of 7,372,472 barrels over 1945 figures. Geophysical activity in Arkansas totaled 470 crew weeks, with the seismograph contributing 333 crew weeks to the total. In North Louisiana crew weeks totaled 1,779, with the seismograph contributing 913 and the gravity meter 859 crew weeks.