Oil and Gas in Arbuckle and Ellenburger Formations, Mid-Continent Region

Abstract

The Arbuckle formation of Cambro-Ordovician age has been a most important producer of oil in central Kansas for many years, and the Ellenburger formation of nearly equivalent age is now being actively developed in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico and is yielding many new and very large pools. It is interesting that oil and gas have accumulated in these two widely separated areas, generally under different geological conditions, and in a wide intervening area few pools of much importance have been developed. These different conditions are shown by regional structure and isopach maps and by cross sections. It is hoped that the paper will encourage discussion on these areas that have failed to produce in the Arbuckle and Ellenburger, and also on deeper possibilities in the same formation.