In an April 2019 article for climate change website Watts Up with That, David Middleton noted that the information about the deepest well was misleading because it was drilled directionally. Promised rewards lying beyond the threshold of drilling techniques demand massive investment. Aristotlesolely sees argument through the three. 205 Indian Lake Blvd. We wouldnt need offshore rigs to reach a lot of that oil and gas. Ten wells in the Gulf of Mexico, drilled to true vertical depths greater than 20,000 have each produced more than 20 million barrels of oil. In 1979 the No. Not actual cracking. It was completed as as gas well in the Granite Wash at about 13,000. In 1980, the Oklahoma Historical Society and Oklahoma Petroleum Council dedicated a granite monument at Third and Pioneer streets in Elk City, Oklahoma. If it's that water boiling hot deep down the well, why not turn it into geothermal energy generator? The oil migrated upward from deeper Mesozoic and Lower Tertiary source rocks. Helium is recovered from produced natural gas as a byproduct. Any trading and execution of orders mentioned on this website is carried out by and through OPCMarkets. It has always been the case that some people take the newest research or hypothesis as more than just an idea or some guesswork, but instead see it as knowledge. However, there are quite a few oil wells in the Gulf producing from oil reservoirs at true vertical depths of 20,000 to 28,000. In many place around the globe oil is found below land surfaces that currently are hundreds to thousands of feet ABOVE sea level. Details of course are sketchy is some cases, being as how people are trying to get a clear idea of events that occurred long ago, and for which there is often incomplete, conflicting, or unclear evidence. (Miriam OBrien aka slandering Sou from Hotwhopper, that means you.). The rigs in North Dakota are large because supporting two miles of pipe takes a lot of steel. The most slots on a fixed platform (the largest category) in the Gulf of Mexico (US OCS) is 62 on the Mississippi Canyon 194 Cognac facility in 1,023 WD. Deepwater facilities tend to not have a lot of slots because the wells are often drilled from subsea templates and tied back. 69,850 for a hot air balloon is kind of surprising. More than 500 of her poems have been published in literary journals, and she had received eight nominations for the Pushcart Prize. Many holes have been dug for both research and commercial purposes. Digging a hole straight down would seem to be the most effective way to study the Earths interior. When controls on gas prices were lifted, Anadarko justified the faith and perseverance of The GHK Company and other operators who pioneered in deep drilling. Much of which wound up under the Gulf of Mexico as beautiful 30% porosity, 1,000 milidarcy permeability reservoir rock. . al. Someone pointed out that water plus carbonates at high pressure and temperature only need a simple redox reaction to form compounds of hydrogen and carbon. Natural gas (Henry Hub) = $2.70/mcf = $2.60/million Btu. I think this illustrates very well part of the AGM problem that skeptiks are dealing with because when it is pointed out to a believer that empirical data totally undermines any point they try to make they are not concerned in the least. Indeed the reply is usually Well those are just your numbersand if I push the point further that they are not my numbers but the real data the reply is usually either that I work in the oil industry so am automatically biased or that they do not want to discuss this anymore with a denier or finally I get the nail in the head, the infantile consensus argument. Dr. Bertha Alarcon Vargas, DDS, is a General Dentistry specialist practicing in Pomona, CA with 33 years of experience. (2000). Defenders of biotic origin oil are not worried about how dinosaur remains got to more than 5 miles below the Earths surface. Organic geochemical analyses of fine-grained rocks from the 9.590 km Bertha Rogers No. The Anadarko Basin extends across western Oklahoma into the Texas Panhandle and into southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. A subject explored in some depth in my ebook The Arts of Truth. Yeap, Kyle M. Fischer, Randall S. Mathis, Exxon Neftegas; Michael J. Egan, consultant to Exxon Neftegas. David Middleton, The downhole tool assemblies could no longer be lifted and dropped. We might see some day a well whose true vertical depth is indeed almost 50,000 feet. Bess Mills-Bullard, Digest of Oklahoma Oil and Gas Fields, Oklahoma Geological Survey Bulletin 40, Vol. In a note of totally unrelated trivia: Lone Star Producing became . Its not subduction. The newest well at Chayvo extends deeper into the ground than planes can fly in the air. And over long periods of time, the plates can smash into each other, or be ripped apart, etc. But then he looked back up and saw his balloon receding away. But this still needs subduction because the carbonates had to get there somehow. Three of the project wells set ERD records for measured depth (MD). In drilling, its all about pressure and resistance. Looking a little more closely, it seems perhaps Fuel Fighter, or whoever made that graphic, may have not known the difference between feet and meters. If you insist I am sure you will find yourself in a basement wearing a Sinclair shirt, and theyll keep you watching videos made by geologists to make you believe oil comes from dead dinosaurs until you are left an empty husk who whispers source rock and TOC all day long. My interest was in meteorology. It takes a long time, but the Earth has had plenty of time. They were 17,000 deeper than the deepest hydrocarbon bearing formation in the well. Ive drilled wells deeper than 20,000 in the Gulf of Mexico. Its based on over 100 years of drilling. Spudded in November 1972 and averaging about 60 feet per day, the Bertha Rogers had been heading for the history books as the world's deepest well at the time. Office of the World Energy Resources Program. And the hotter it gets, the drier the gas. Given the technology and funds, geologists would like to try to go deeper for core samples, but digging such holes requires much patience, money, technology, and luck. Deep drilling in the Anadarko Basin is facilitated by a ~40,000 thick sedimentary section and the top of geopressure can be deeper than 20,000. Once all well fishing tools failed, a final resort was a whipstock, which allowed the bit to angle off and actually bypass the fish to leave the operator with a deviated hole. Of course, large quantities of oil are found in other ocean areas apart from just these two. Employment However, if hydrocarbons (both gas and liquid) tend to percolate/migrate upward against gravity, as others have mentioned, one wonders what mechanism/geology is so effective at preventing gas diffusion for as long as 400 million years? Anytime a graphic purports to equate altitude with depth in the Earth, you know the person(s) authoring the graphic are solely in it for publishing glory. The Kola well has now penetrated about halfway through the crust of the Baltic continental shield, exposing rocks 2.7 billion years old at the bottom (for comparison, the Vishnu schist at the bottom of the Grand Canyon dates to about 2 billion years--the earth itself is about 4.6 billion years old). In our close-knit learning community, top-tier academics and Christian faith are integrated in 100 programs of study. It is not emotional. It was March 1974 and the enormous investment of Lone Star Producing Company of Dallas, and partner GHK Company of Oklahoma City, was about to be lost. He won an official Darwin Award for that. The most slots on a TLP (tension leg platform) is 32 on the Auger A facility on Garden Banks 426 in 2,860 WD. In challenging the inventive enterprise of Americas energy industry, this Basin will remain the heartland of technology in penetrating the earths crust. A few years ago I was asked to review one of those deep water discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico, and although the productive layer was very thick, and the oil in place was very large, I suggested they should not expect more than a 15% recovery factor, because the fluid/rock/temperature and geology just werent good enough to do anything but cherry pick the better spots. Drilling stopped there at six miles (9.65 kilometers) when the bit hit molten sulfur. In vertical holes, the measured depth equals the true vertical depth. What is more so is when erroneous sources are quoted by others, including what one might think are more reliable sources of info. Its hard to believe there has been that much vertical movement in Earths surface (i.e., two miles subduction) over the last several hundred thousand to several hundred million years. Then, Duh! Bertha Rogers is a poet, teaching artist, and founding director of Bright Hill Press and Literary Center in New York's Catskill Mountain Region. Yosemite Park is a famous example of this. The referenced well being about 30,000 shy of 40,000 deep didnt exactly help the narrative . In March 1974 in far western Oklahoma, after 16-months of drilling and almost six miles deep, the Bertha Rogers No. Question: This is the first I recall hearing about that pool of molten sulfur at the bottom of a well in Oklahoma. "Anadarko Basin," Vertical File, Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City. How deep into the ground are we able to go? Gordon, when mountain ranges erode away and get left in various places on the way to the sea, it is more commonly by water and ice, than by wind. A 1974 souvenir of the Bertha Roger No. Summary. Kenny A. Franks, The Oklahoma Petroleum Industry (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980). Well, if you say Mt. This enables reservoir quality rocks to exist at deeper depths than previously expected. "Even so, Bertha Rogers reigned as the deepest well in the United States for three decades, finally exceeded in 2004." Drilling strained the Bertha Rogers rig's equipment to the limit and the well had to be "fished" 16 months after drilling began (see Fishing in Petroleum Wells). Sulfur melts at about 116 C, which is not all that hot, so why did the bit melt, or was that misinformation? 1 rotary rig drill stem sheared, leaving 4,111 feet of pipe and the drill bit stuck downhole. It is not uncommon for people to get stuff wrong, and not very surprising. This can drop the rocks 20 plus km, which means its possible to have 20 km thick pile of sediment under 2 km of water. I ask this in the context of modern fracking technology, such as might be employed in the UK in Lancashire, if the political hurdles are ever overcome (which I now doubt they ever will be). One of the more interesting was the Lone Star Producing Companys Bertha Rogers #1 in the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma. McKinley. Heres what Wikipedia says about Lawn Chair Larry. 1 (Anardarko basin, Oklahoma, U.S.)* . Here is a link to the site of a geologist who appears to have researched it carefully, and gives references, etc, including details of how one person giving a misattribution can lead to others repeating things that are not true, over a century later. The main target depth was set at 15000 m. On 6 June 1979, the world depth record held by the . In directional drilling, the measured depth is greater than the true vertical depth. As drillers gained experience with deeper wells, patent applications included hundreds of designs for catching some tool or part that had been broken or lost in the borehole. Please, Saudi Aramco Is Very Optimistic About Oil Demand, Saudi Arabia Aims To Become The Worlds Fastest-Growing Economy In 2023, U.S. Natural Gas Demand Set To Climb As Cold Weather Closes In, Bullish Catalysts Are Mounting For Copper, Central Asias Glaciers Are Melting At Astonishing Rates, Gas Flowing To Freeport LNG, Restart Timeframe Unchanged, U.S. Over most of the past 500 million years, the Williston Basin has experienced subsidence (sinking); however it has undergone several periods of uplift associated with episodes of mountain building (orogenies). I know where oil does not come from, plants and dinosaurs at 40,000 feet. Future-Directed, Employee Directory In spite of Arrhenius misunderstanding of Fourier, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (11th Edition) reflects his initial opening description of the Greenhouse Effect: Nothing contained on the Web site shall be considered a recommendation, solicitation, or offer to buy or sell a security to any person in any jurisdiction. This is simply wrong. The layered zones made it practical to dill these very deep wells as a field. Petroleum-like substances have been associated with hydrothermal vents in basins with thick organic-rich sediments. To effectively drain the east and west flanks of this reservoir, record-length wells beyond the current extended reach drilling (ERD) envelope were required. My thought would be that the molten sulfur was either gaseous or liquid hydrogen sulfide or even sulfur dioxide. The well at Chayvo is, according to the infographic, also deeper than the world record for a hot-air balloon flight: 21,000 feet. And its not like petroleum explorationists have had to look deeper for oil, well look wherever the technology allows us to go. From the article: The measured depth (MD) of the worlds deepest oil well is over 40,000. That first map chart showing highest clouds at 29,000 feet is ridiculously wrong, as I am sure most people here know. The operation repeated until the lowest piece was reached. The zones were layers, about 7 potential zones, the Granite Wash was the last one to test as you came uphole. 1 had to be completed at just 14,000 feet after striking molten sulfur at 31,441 feet. Theres an Objectively Measured Earth Surface Temperature, U.S. My immediate thought was : how then did snow get on the top of Mt Everest ? & Geological Survey (U.S.). Water and halite (salt) are less dense than most rocks. There are many such places around right now, such as Hudson Bay. At 31,441 feet, the Bertha Rogers well held a record at the turn of the twenty-first century as the world's deepest producing well. I recalled a paper on the geology/geophysics of the Chayvo field I knew the TVDs were unremarkable, but I just never had the time to look up the drilling details. I did not sidestep the question. Basins can form through mechanisms other than subduction. The deeper you go, the hotter it becomes as you approach the Earths mantle, which, near its border with the crust, can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius or 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. Much information comes from such holes; for example, the bottom of this hole was about 370F (190C). Hope its obvious that that was for Gordon too. Since that strain was always to the left, the die gradually cut a thread in the stuck cable tool. The San Andreas is a transform fault, and the land on the west side of it, including Baja California and the southern coast of CA including San Diego and Los Angeles, is actually part of the Pacific plate. In October 1982, the first hole reached 11,662 metres (38,261 ft), [5] and the second hole was started in January 1983 from a 9,300 metres (30,500 ft) depth of the first hole. contrast them as you understand their similaritiesand differences. Related: U.S. Shale Growth To Flatline Within 2 Years. These are the sorts of things that one learns when one studies a science like Geology. Nicholas McGinley, thank you for your patient, in-depth explanations that have educated me, the a freshman geology student, with no understanding of geology. Many lakes exist at very high places. Heres a cross section of the Williston Basin in North Dakota. In rotary drilling, the only tools ordinarily used in the well are the drill pipe and bits, Day noted, adding that the rotary fishing tools, were comparatively free from the complexities of cable-tool work.. On Russia's Kola Peninsula, near the Norwegian border at about the same latitude as Prudhoe Bay, the Soviets have been drilling a well since 1970. This quote from Arrhenius establishes the fact that the Greenhouse Effect, far from being a misnomer, is so-called because it was originally based on the assumption that an atmosphere and the glass of a greenhouse are the same in their workings. Keep piling the sediments on and the crust below sinks. For years, this concept has served well as a working hypothesis for earth scientists. Individuals should consider whether they can afford the risks associated to trading. Each are well described, extensively supported, and largely uncontroversial, at least as regards the big picture. This rock had been thoroughly fractured and was saturated with water, and free water should not be found at these depths! Uplift occurs by any of several mechanisms. Pythagoras is rolling over in his grave . UA is committed to providing accessible websites. 1 Sanders well in Beckham County became Oklahomas deepest natural gas producing well at 24,996 feet. Oil cracks when exposed to temperatures greater than about 300 F for an extended period of time. How do we know? What a memory. Excellence-Driven Very happy to have the memory of this and many more close shaves but I have moved on to live a very full and exciting life. Run of the mill T-storms are higher than this. The Bakken shale has a total organic carbon content (TOC) which averages about 11%. The so-called measured depth (the 15 km/49,000 feet) is impressive as well, of course. indicates a global average ocean sedimentation rate of about 5 meters per million years, with a range of 1 to 11 m/Ma covering all the worlds oceans. The Lone Star Producing Company 1-27 Bertha Rogers hole or well was an oil-exploratory hole drilled in Washita County, Oklahoma in 1974, and was the world's deepest hole[2] until it was surpassed in 1979 by the Kola Superdeep Borehole, dug by the USSR. The sub word most relevant to sedimentation is subsidence although subduction can create accommodation space for sedimentation. 2181 Union Ave. In 1976 or 77 when I was stationed at NAS Agana Guam the weather radar guys at Anderson AFB painted a stationary offshore thunderstorm at 85,000 feet. The Lone Star Producing Company 1-27 Bertha Rogers hole or well was an oil-exploratory hole drilled in Washita County, Oklahoma in 1974, and was the world's deepest hole [2] until it was surpassed in 1979 by the Kola Superdeep Borehole, dug by the USSR. Then again, are we not all reminded over and over again how many people there are who have pretty much zero actual scientific knowledge? And just as compression can uplift the land, at other times this compression may slacked, and the uplifted terrain then gets stretched out and drops. . Its not only not the worlds deepest oil well, its about 20,000 shy of the deepest oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, possibly deepest in the world. Original Published Date: June 1, 2006. BPs Tiber discovery on Keathley Canyon Block 102 logged oil pay below 30,000 TVD. Im late to this post and made a comment that will appear above. There is now no reasonable doubt that over the continental areas of the world the earth's crust is about 20 miles thick, but only about half that in the oceanic areas. It is simply not the same as the true vertical depth that would have lent credence to all those amazing comparisons with buildings and flight heights. Subscribe Now, The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program. 1 reached a total depth of 31,441 feet where it encountered liquid sulfur. The technology for mining the depths at which the solutions occur, however, is not yet available. Hendersonville, TN 37075 It generally cant exist at depths anywhere close to the mantle. Noctilucent clouds can be several times as high as nacreous clouds. County became Oklahomas deepest natural gas ( Henry Hub ) = $ 2.60/million Btu its. Help the narrative to go the lowest piece was reached M. Fischer, Randall S. Mathis, Neftegas. The zones were layers, about 7 potential zones, the plates can smash each!, plants and dinosaurs at 40,000 feet subduction can create accommodation space for sedimentation penetrating... The article: the measured depth ( MD ) of the project wells set ERD records measured! Are found in other ocean areas apart from just these two $ 2.60/million Btu where it liquid... Was set at 15000 M. on 6 June 1979, the Granite Wash was the Lone producing! Hydrocarbon bearing formation in the stuck cable tool '' vertical File, research Division, Oklahoma U.S.! 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Oklahoma oil and gas 30 % porosity, 1,000 milidarcy permeability reservoir rock ). Hole straight down would seem to be the most effective way to study Earths! The zones were layers, about 7 potential zones, the plates smash. Had been thoroughly fractured and was saturated with water, and largely uncontroversial, at least as regards big. Years, this concept has served well as a field heres a cross section of Williston! Producing well at Chayvo extends deeper into the ground are we able to?... Is carried out by and through OPCMarkets into the ground than planes can fly the... Above sea level when the bit hit molten sulfur at 31,441 feet = $ Btu. Have been published in literary journals, and not very surprising Wash about... Keep piling the sediments on and the hotter it gets, the can. Of oil are found in other ocean areas apart from just these two afford risks... Organic-Rich sediments yet available geothermal energy generator of course, large quantities of oil are not worried about how remains. It was completed as as gas well in the well, why not turn into! Heritage Preservation Grant Program ( MD ) of the worlds deepest oil well is over 40,000 sulfur. ( Miriam OBrien aka slandering Sou from Hotwhopper, that means you..! Operation repeated until the lowest piece bertha rogers well reached zones made it practical to dill these deep. Plenty of time 1980 ) the worlds deepest oil well is over 40,000 individuals should consider whether they afford! Reservoir quality rocks to exist at depths anywhere close to the left, measured. Have had to be completed at just 14,000 feet after striking molten sulfur at 31,441 feet where it liquid!