Oil and Gas Developments in Northeastern States in 1966

Abstract

The area covered by this report includes the New England states and the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Ohio. There was no drilling activity in the New England states during 1966. The only drilling along the Atlantic Coastal Plain was in North Carolina, where 11 exploratory wells, all dry holes, were drilled, with a combined total footage of 15,397 ft. In New York state there were 3 Medina gas discoveries, all in Yates County. Major exploratory emphasis was on Silurian and pre-Silurian prospects south of Lake Ontario and in the Finger Lakes region. Exploration in Pennsylvania resulted in 3 new deep gas discoveries and 1 shallow oil discovery. Drilling was for gas production from the Oriskany Sandstone in the west-central and southern counties, and from Lower Silurian and older formations in Crawford and Erie Counties. Developments continued in the old shallow-sandstone oil area of Warren and Venango Counties, with waterflooding in the Bradford district, McKean County. The deepest well in the eastern United States, an unsuccessful deeper pool test in the Leidy gas-storage field (Potter County), reached a depth of 18,834 ft. in the Cambrian. Five active areas in West Virginia are of particular interest: Big Injun Sand (Middle Mississippian) developments in Roane County accounted for a large increase in oil well completions; several large gas wells in the Newburg Sand (Upper Silurian) were completed in southwestern Kanawha County; Barbour and Upshur Counties were the site of active drilling for gas in the Riley-Benson Sands (Upper Devonian); 8 successful gas wells were completed in southern Monongalia County in the Onondaga-Oriskany interval (Lower Devonian); in Hampshire and Hardy Counties, in the Ridge and Valley section of the Appalachians, Oriskany drilling was active, and the largest recorded gas well in the state (90,000 Mcf. open flow) was completed. Drilling activity in Ohio was directed toward the Cambrian (Copper Ridge Dolomite, Trempealeau) in central Ohio, the Silurian Clinton sandstones and the Lower Mississippian Berea Sandstone in southwestern Ohio. A new depth record of 11,442 ft. was established in Noble County. Table