During the early days of oil exploration, people had no idea why hydrocarbon deposits were found in certain locations and not others.  The drilling of a well, even a relatively shallow one, often took a year or more to complete.  Because of the time and expense involved, early explorationists began looking for ways to limit the number of dry holes.

A university geologist concluded that oil was trapped in subsurface features known as anticlines — large, inverted U-shaped structures formed when sedimentary strata is folded by tectonic activity.  Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company, the forerunner of Cities Service Oil Company, was the first oil company to hire geologists to search for these anticlines.

Before seismic surveys were invented, the only way to get a hint of what was going on in the subsurface was by mapping surface structures.  The theory is that shallow structures are often propagated into the subsurface.  If you can map a closed structural feature at the surface (and I don’t mean topography), you have increased your odds of finding a closed structural feature at depth.  ITIO hired crews of geologists to map the surface of Kansas and Oklahoma.

One of the fields found by this method was the supergiant Oklahoma City Field.  The OKC Field will ultimately produce just under a billion barrels of oil.  It’s discovery was quite by accident.

25 dry holes had been drilled in Oklahoma County by the late 20’s and many “experts” were ready to deem the County dry.  ITIO had mapped several structures in the area and weren’t ready to give up quite yet.  They had several crews mapping the surface.

Oklahoma County is a large, relatively flat county.  To map the surface, a geologist needs to find exposed rock beds.  In mostly flat Oklahoma County, the only place to do this, usually, is in road cuts and riverbeds.

Today, in Oklahoma, the temperature reached the upper 90’s.  Rampant humidity, raised by an approaching front, made it feel like 102 degrees.  In 1927, there were no air conditioners in Oklahoma, few fans and little relief from the heat.  Mapping generally reached a crescendo before noon.  Crew members would then try to find someplace dark to cool off and avert heat stroke.

During his time in Oklahoma County, one ITIO geologist had become friendly with a widow who had a place just south of what is now downtown Oklahoma City.  After his crew shut down for the day, he began frequenting the widows farm.  Anyone that knows anything about Oklahoma has heard that it is called Tornado Alley.  This is for good reason.  There are probably more tornadoes here than anyplace on earth.  Because of this fact, the widow, and likely everyone else in Oklahoma County at the time, had a storm shelter.

The widow’s storm shelter was dug down into red Oklahoma earth and covered by large timber beams.  She and her new beau would go down into the shelter during the heat of the day and enjoy a nip of corn whiskey and maybe a little hankey pankey.  It was during such a hot, humid and generally oppressive Oklahoma summer day that the geologist made a discovery (no, not that the widow was sweet on him.  He already knew that).  Somewhere in his whiskey-hazed brain, he noticed something that would ultimately change the face of Oklahoma, and the entire world, for awhile.

The Permian-aged rock strata was dipping east instead of west.  I wasn’t there, but I can imagine him getting a big grin on his face, kissing the widow, and dancing her around the storm shelter.  Like spouses of explorationists even today, she probably thought he was crazy (she had likely already figured that out by now).

Shortly, the nearby #1 Foster was drilled, coming in for 5,000 BOPD.  It was soon overshadowed by the drilling of the Wild Mary Sudik #1, a well that blew out at a rate of 3,000 BO per hour, covering every house in the town of Moore with a coat of oil.  The well was reported on around the world.

I heard this story from a geologist whose name I no longer remember.  I don’t know if it’s true, but I suspect it is.  Growing up, exploration geologists were my heroes.  I still haven’t changed my mind.

http://www.ericwilder.com