BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Dozens of fruitful wells beneath the rich Bakken shale in
North Dakota continue to fuel a hunch among oilmen and geologists that another vast crude-bearing formation may be buried in the state's vast oil patch.
Lynn Helms, director of the
state Department of Mineral Resources, said recent production results from 103 newly tapped wells in the Three Forks-Sanish formation show many that are "as good or better" than some in the Bakken, which lies two miles under the surface in western North Dakota and holds billions of barrels of oil.
"I think it's a big deal and we're pretty fired up about it," Helms said.
Companies have reported some Three Forks wells recovering more than 800 barrels daily, considered decent by Bakken standards.
Denver-based
Whiting Petroleum Corp. has drilled two wells in the Three Forks formation, with one that recorded more than 1,000 barrels of oil a day, said
John Kelso, a company spokesman.