The Kentucky Geological Survey announces the
availability of a new listing of deep oil and gas well data. Cambrian and Deeper Tests, open-file report OF-00-01, is intended to accompany a previously published map, Cambrian and Deeper Tests of
Kentucky (Map and Chart 1, Series 12). The list provides identifying data for more than 200 of the deepest wells in the state and includes depth information for the rock units penetrated by each
well.
Since its beginnings, the oil and gas industry has depended on and benefited from detailed subsurface information. These data allow geologists to formulate models for the underground occurrence of petroleum. As prospective rocks are drilled, the shallower, easier deposits are found, produced, refined and manufactured into the products we depend on: fuels, lubricants, medicines, plastics, herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and others. The demand for these products outweighs our nation's capacity to produce the required amounts of crude oil and natural gas. To meet these demands, there are three alternatives: drill offshore, buy petroleum from other countries, or drill deeper.
In the 1990's a major oil company drilled two wells in western Kentucky to depths of more than 10,000 feet. Currently, several companies are exploring at depths below 6,500 feet for natural gas in eastern Kentucky. Some of these companies have funded a KGS project to investigate the geology of those deep gas-bearing rocks. The map and new well list provide an important reference for exploration and economic development of Kentucky's deeper oil and gas potential. For more information contact the Kentucky Geological Survey, Publication Sales office at (606) 257-5500. Hard copy of the list is available for $15; the cost of the Deep Test map is $12.
A pdf file of the map is available online, or click the image (580kb, requires E-size color plotter to print).
The deep test list is also available online (734kb, 92 pages if printed).
Page created 28-Feb-2000, Brandon C. Nuttall