NORTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Wilson M. laird, Stote Geologist Report of Investigation Number 22 NORTH DAKOTA'S NESSON ANTICLINE by Wilson M. laird and Clarence B. Folsom, Jr. Reprinted from World Oil, March, 1956, and June, 1956 GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA, 1956 A 2 J-year search for oil ended in J95J• Now additional important fields are focusing at­ FIGURE I-Location of the Nesson anticline tention on ... in the Williston Basin. North Dakota's Nesson Anticline Here is a discussion of the geologic and production characteristics of the area and a detailed description of operating problems. By W. M. LAIRD and C. B. FOLSOM North Dakota Geological Survey, Grand Forks, N. D. THE NESSON ANTICLINE is a geo­ ~issouri River. The only crossing of the present Capa field. The earlier logic freak subdividing the vast Willis­ available to vehicles are the bridges at well did not penetrate deep enough ton Basin. Exploratory effort seeking Sanish and 50 miles to the west at to test the Madison formation which petroleum reserves has combed the Williston. is now the principal producing surface and subsurface secrets of this The Missouri river cuts through the horizon. structure for the past three decades. Nesson anticline about 30 miles east The Kamp well of the California Yet, production in commercial quanti­ of Williston. The river being the prin­ Company was drilled in 1938 to 10,­ ties was not uncovered until 1952. cipal route of trappers and explorers, 281 feet before finally being aban­ The structure extends roughly in a it is probable that the gentle arching doned due to stuck drill pipe. The north-south direction from the Cana­ of the sedimentary beds along the geologists, at that time, were unable dian border to the Little Missouri north bank was noticed in the early to correlate the forma tions in the River, although the northern part of 1800's. It was not until 1920 that a lower half of the hole and it was not the structure is not known from sur­ well was drilled in the Williston area, until several years later that these face indications. seeking oil and/or gas. This early well formations were identified positively. From the Canadian border to the was drilled by the Pioneer Oil and It is possible that the well could have Missouri River, the area is a typical Gas Company about two miles south­ yielded commercial production from glaciated plain on which dry land east of Williston. It was completed the Madison had not an unfortunate agriculture is the principal industry. in 1920 as a dry hole and little else is chain of circums tances occurred. In the immediate vicinity of the Mis­ known about it. When the well reached the depth at souri River and the Little Missouri In 1935 and 1938 two more wells which it is possible that oil might have River, the topography becomes more were drilled within a half mile of been encountered, the crew was en­ rugged with sharp ravines cutting into each other about 1Y2 miles northeast gaged in changing from rock bit to the plateau surface. In this region, of the town of Hofflund. The first core bit and jetting pits. The samples numerous buttes stand out promi­ well was the Big Viking Kamp I, and from this interval are noted as "badly nently above the general level of the the second was the California, Kamp contaminated." terrain and grazing is the primary I. Although both wells were aban­ On the third of September, 1950, industry. doned as dry holes, they are only a the Amerada Petroleum Corporation The producing area of the Nesson mile from present production and are spudded its Number 1 Clarence Iver­ anticline extends to both sides of the direct offsets to the field boundaries son, five miles north and 2)12 miles east R96W R95W R94W son well totaled 3092 barrels of oil from the Silurian. After plugging back, the well produced 17,408 bar­ , rels of oil from the Duperow (De­ , " vonian). In December, 1951, the Iver­ son well was plugged back and re­ completed in the Mission Canyon for­ mation of the Madison group for initial production of 677 barrels of oil per day. The Amerada Bakken 1 was spud­ ded in June, 1951, about 12 miles north of the Iverson and drilled to 13,709 feet. Casing was run and sev­ ',I eral intervals were tested. The well ............. was completed as a producer through " ... perforations in the Mission Canyon from 8312 to 8350 feet on April 14, 1952. -P The field discovered by the Clar­ ~ enCe Iverson was named the Beaver Lodge, although the first production from the Beaver Lodge-Madison pool was obtained from the Palmer Dil­ J... land 1. The Bakken well is considered the discovery well for the Tioga field. ,~..,.-+--+-~=I--I--I~f __-L+~__. >~, "~-----f---+--A--------b-~r-~_ I : ~/:.t-l-:1/ Development continued rapidly in .._I;/( these new fields and new discoveries I ( /1, ~,/: / I I -L,-----j T 156N were made during 1952, when the Charlson and Croff fields were opened south of the Missouri river. The Croff field was at the southern end of the anticline about eight miles north of the Little Missouri river. In 1953, the East Tioga field found production on ~ the east flank of the anticline and \~f~ TI55N the Hofflund field was opened south­ c'. east of Beaver Lodge. The McGregor ',1 1 t-· field on the west flank was opened in ~L_I [\, 1954, and the Capa field was dis­ covered in 1953 to the south of the 1,1--:-LJ--H·····'rr-rTYTT/f I': Beaver Lodge, and west of the Hoff­ lund field. " At the present time and under cur­ " Tl54N rent orders of the North Dakota State Industrial Commission, the oil and gas regulatory authority for the state, the Beaver Lodge and Tioga-Madison pools are almost completely developed. Regional Geology. The Nesson anti­ cline is a structure which has been known for many years. From the be­ FIGURE 2--Structure on top of the main porl/sity, north half. ginning of history probably many of the early travellers crossing this terri­ of the 1938 well. The well was drilled Drilling was reswned and the well tory looked at this area without know­ to 11,744 feet and casing was set. Sev­ was deepened to 11,955 feet. It was ing the exact meaning of this large eral intervals were perforated, tested, plugged back and perforated in the fold. It was first mapped geologically and plugged before oil was recovered Devonian from 10,490 to 10,530 feet by Collier in 1918 and his report was from perforations at 11,630 to 11,660 and the rig was released July 22, 1951. published as one of the Bulletins of feet in the Silurian. The well flowed Initial production from the Devonian the U. S. Geological Survey. 307 barrels of oil and 25 barrels of was 290 barrels of oil during the first It will be noted by looking at the water in 17 hours ending at 5 a.m. 24 hours. index map of the area (Figure 1) April 5, 1951. The first production from the Iver­ that the Nesson anticline is located in the approximate center of the Willis­ R96W R95W R94W ton Basin. The structure is more or "t I I 1--, r.. II« • ::':"-4"DD~ I\ 1/ less isolated and not apparently re­ / lated to any other fold in the basin. l-n Its structural trend diverges from the b /, :;jJ " ~ TI54N nearest large structure in the general area, namely the Cedar Creek anti­ cline. It will be noted that the Cedar Creek anticline trend is in a north­ west-sou theast direction whereas the '" ' ' .... 17' trend of the Nesson anticline is almost i due north and south. Undoubtedly, there is some genetic relationship be­ /1 il I tween this fold and other folds in and on the margins of this basin but as yet evidence is not sufficient to make a . I positive statement as to this relation­ \ / f7 ship. As more geophysical work is " , , =tIl done and more wells are drilled bring­ 0 f\ :1 \1\ I #0.,0 ' ing more information to light, more \, ~'i--- JI I 1/ accurate hypotheses as to the relation­ '. T152N ship of the various folds in the basin can be made. ~ I I / The Nesson anticline is a rather f"\ '0 low, broad regional type of structure ~ with a closure of probably less than 100 feet. On this structure, however, rtf are smaller domes which are some­ ,./ what higher structurally. (See Fig­ \ 1 i ' Tf51N F\" ... " I I ,/ ure 2.) f\-. v "'T-::T. '8£8/. When the structure contours are "­ / drawn on various horiwns in the area ----r 1\ ,l' / of the Nesson anticline, it has been '" 1/ ~_L.T' ~ found that there is a migration of the 1/ axis of the fold with depth. The struc­ - ture on the Greenhorn formation in ". ," the Cretaceous section is approxi­ ,­ TI50N n "- .~ mately a mile east of the structure on fili~ top of the pay horizon in the Mission /"'1/' .. :/' /, , Canyon formation. Insufficient evi­ =k\ " \ .......:... - dence is at hand to indicate whether ~' the axes on the lower formations par­ ,,/ I ticularly in the Devonian and Silurian '" '\ l/ diverge from the position of the Mis­ llllJ-j ~T149N sion Canyon axis. However, from the m few wells which had been drilled in "D/=tH++-+ ± the area, it is suggested that the top 1--+..··1 I I 1 1 I I I I I I I I of the structure on the Devonian and D Silurian may even be farther west than that of the top of the Madison.