Saturday, August 6, 2011

Edwards Shelf Edge . . .

The Edwards Shelf Edge is the geological formation that seems to have all the oil in it. A shelf is an ancient beach so to speak. And just like a real current day beach it has gaps, and places where streams cut through it, etc.. When something cuts through the shelf it is bad news, where it does not cut through is good news.

The original False River Field Alma #1 gas well, the big discovery back in the late 1970s, early 1980s is now defined as the beginning of the Edwards Shelf Dip, or where it falls off so to speak. Alma #1 is capped off now, no longer producing anything. But it spawn the infamous Judge Digby Field which lies under Parlange Plantation and the adjacent Wortell holdings. There must be 15 or 20 wells drilled into that bonanza, not all are active but still generating a lot of gas. At one time that was the top producer on land in Louisiana. It does not do as well now days but still a winner. It has been producing since 1980, that's over 30 years now.

The Edwards Shelf is part of the Austin Chalk deal as is the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale. They are down there quite a distance, like a little over three miles or so. Given that the elevation of Pointe Coupee probably averages about 35 feet above sea level that is pretty deep. That means a lot of problems to drill and very expensive. Ergo, the price of oil has to be around a hundred dollars a barrel.

Some folks draw the Edwards Shelf on a map about in the Mississippi River in front of Angeles Plantation. Others show it further north well into the West Feliciana Parish. Only the experts know, the new technology includes three dimensional seismic plots. We of course have no access to that closely held data. But then why is Angeles Planraron being leased ahead of others in our area, eh? Don't get your false hopes up.

There are wells around Angeles, one on the back of LaBarre, one on the LaCour place both considered to be in the Morganza Field. And at one time the Wilbert well on the back of Stonewall, had a tiny corner into Angeles and the family got a lot of money for a while. That well played out in a year or so. Makes you wonder if it is worth reworking. They did that to the LaBarre well and it started producing again.

Our lease includes the Tuscaloosa Trend, a greater royalty involved. So I guess there is some potential that they will go for the Tuscaloosa Trend vice the Austin Chalk. Who knows what they will do.

The way the geology is in east Texas is Austin Chalk, Eagle Ford (that is very hot play in Texas), Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) and finally Tuscaloosa Trend. TMS is the hot play in the Felicianas across to Tangipahoa Parish. The TMS generally follows the Louisiana Mississippi State line with some very nice wells in Mississippi. There is a new field name Ethel (one says e Thel not Ethel as on I Love Lucy) over in East Feliciana. As the crow flies that is about 15 or so miles ENE of New Roads, a little past and below Jackson, LA.

Well you never know where lightening will strike, perhaps we will hit it this time around.

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