I found myself in Arkansas sitting a well for a few days in the mid-December rain and red mud, while Inga arrived home for Christmas break from U of Oregon. Inga and Sue decorated the house with holiday festiveness. When it comes to the hanging of the stockings over the hearth, I have two version to choose from; the green felt stocking that I recall my mother sewing for me back in 1962, and a later Christmas stocking "Professional" version, again sewn by my mother featuring a stylized olden day drilling derrick. Lately, the derrick stocking has hung in hopes of being filled flush with success by some of my end of the year prospecting. I did not select the derrick stocking this year, but since it was put up on my behalf, I let it stay in hopes that Saint Nick would soon be there.
However, I received the following:
To: Mark
From: Santa
I have been keeping a list and I know who has been naughty and who has been nice. Unfortunately, the vagaries of subsurface geology do not always align themselves based on human behavior - whether congenial or despicable. Therefore, I regret to inform you that I am unable to fill your stocking at this time with your request of oil royalties and revenue checks from your Dixie Prospect as stated on your submitted 2011 Christmas wishlist. Perhaps it is best if you stick with visions of sugar plumbs dancing in your head like the rest of the boys and girls. Enclosed please find a tangerine, a bag of pistachio nuts and a chocolate bar as a token of Christmas cheer from us here at the North Pole. I have also included a lump of coal (lignite, as you geologist call it) for good measure.
Best of luck in the future with your oil prospecting. May I suggest that you get in touch with an acquaintance of mine who goes by the name of Yukon Cornelius; he has some success in the prospecting business and may be able to offer a few pointers on how to properly sniff and taste your way to successful exploration and prospecting.
I generated and sold the Dixie Prospect to a company in Tyler, Texas this summer, and after some delay to iron out some issues with the 84 mineral owners, the well spudded December 12. Of course I think highly of all my oil prospects, but the Dixie Prospect in southern Arkansas seemed like an especially good one. Shallow and quick drilling (only 3,200 feet deep), potential for huge reserves of oil, and lots of other wells nearby to help me map the geology, so there is little chance for any surprises - in a bad kind of way. So I was surprised by the surprise (in a bad kind of way) when we found the sandstone we were looking for to be down dip from a key oil well only 394 feet away and filled with water rather than oil. I was hoping to find about 45 feet of sandstone that was deposited by an ancient river that flowed through the area about 75 million years ago. I found only 17 feet of sandstone.
However, I received the following:
To: Mark
From: Santa
I have been keeping a list and I know who has been naughty and who has been nice. Unfortunately, the vagaries of subsurface geology do not always align themselves based on human behavior - whether congenial or despicable. Therefore, I regret to inform you that I am unable to fill your stocking at this time with your request of oil royalties and revenue checks from your Dixie Prospect as stated on your submitted 2011 Christmas wishlist. Perhaps it is best if you stick with visions of sugar plumbs dancing in your head like the rest of the boys and girls. Enclosed please find a tangerine, a bag of pistachio nuts and a chocolate bar as a token of Christmas cheer from us here at the North Pole. I have also included a lump of coal (lignite, as you geologist call it) for good measure.
Best of luck in the future with your oil prospecting. May I suggest that you get in touch with an acquaintance of mine who goes by the name of Yukon Cornelius; he has some success in the prospecting business and may be able to offer a few pointers on how to properly sniff and taste your way to successful exploration and prospecting.
| Yukon Cornelius Successful Prospector for Silver & Gold |
For the Jolly ol' Elf,
Sincerely,
Psoriasis the Elf
Vice President of Correspondence
I generated and sold the Dixie Prospect to a company in Tyler, Texas this summer, and after some delay to iron out some issues with the 84 mineral owners, the well spudded December 12. Of course I think highly of all my oil prospects, but the Dixie Prospect in southern Arkansas seemed like an especially good one. Shallow and quick drilling (only 3,200 feet deep), potential for huge reserves of oil, and lots of other wells nearby to help me map the geology, so there is little chance for any surprises - in a bad kind of way. So I was surprised by the surprise (in a bad kind of way) when we found the sandstone we were looking for to be down dip from a key oil well only 394 feet away and filled with water rather than oil. I was hoping to find about 45 feet of sandstone that was deposited by an ancient river that flowed through the area about 75 million years ago. I found only 17 feet of sandstone.
While on location, I had the mudlogger pay special attention to the rock samples in intervals where I expected there to be oil trapped in the old river channel sandstone. He found a few specks that glowed gold under UV light (indicating oil), but he also found we had drilled through a coal seam. I hate to find lumps of coal in my Christmas stocking and in my cutting samples when what I really want is oil.
The company who bought my Dixie prospect asked me to remap the Cretaceous age sandstone river channel deposit based on the data from the latest well so that they can decide whether they want to drill another well on our mineral lease. I have finished that work and await their decision as to whether we take a second shot or not.
Ever the optimist. Dig and Delve in 2012!
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| Dixie Prospect - Mason Heirs #1 Well Drilling in the pine woods of Arkansas |
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| Mid-December Location turns wet and filled with thick, sticky red mud |
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