Show Oil Magazine Says Uinta Fields Biggest Since 1948 The Uinta Basin Dasin has promise of becoming becoming becoming be be- coming the first onshore billion-barrel billion oil field to be developed in the contiguous contiguous contiguous conti conti- 48 states since 1948 says the prestigious Oil and Gas Journal IN A special article written by Jim West the publications publication's mid-continent mid editor the magazine says the Altamont trend already ranks as the busiest single area for deep drilling in the US U.S. The trend covers more than a dozen fields including Roosevelt Bluebell Altamont Altamont Al Al- Cedar Rim Him and Starvation AUbut All AU Allbut Allbut but one are arc in Duchesne County with Roosevelt being the lone field in Uintah County IF 1 F TH THE E trend eventually emerges as a billion barrel field or cluster of fields it will give the Lower 48 states its first reservoir of this size onshore since the 1948 discovery of 1 Snyder Kelly field in West Texas says the magazine And it would thrust the area into the select company of such other billion billion- barrel plus giants as Hills Wilmington Midway Sunset Yates Vates Wa Watson Wasson son and East Texas the Texas the article says THE ARTICLE says the biggest fields Altamont and Bluebell show every sign of eventually linking up They have claimed most of the activity in recent months and developers have pushed the limits of the two to within three miles of each other IT ALSO quotes James E E. E Wilson a avice avice avice vice president of Shell Oil Cos Rocky Mountain exploration and president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologist as saying that the field could eventually produce a billion barrels of oil His firm discovered the Altamont field two and a half years ago The area is hampered by a number of problems Among them are a rugged isolated terrain wind whipped winter temperatures that plunge to 30 degrees below zero tedious drilling lost circulation circulation tion zones above high pressure pays a limit on flaring and problems problems problems lems of handling a waxy crude with a pour point of 95 to degrees Fahrenheit Fahren- Fahren heit l MOREOVER DRILLING costs are arc high because of the specialized heavy equipment needed Some wells drilling to feet cost more than 1 million Operators presently active along the trend include Shell Chevron Gulf Gas Producing Enterprises Sun Texaco Phillips McCulloch Oil Apache Exploration tion and Brinkerhoff Drilling Co Smaller Utah based companies with leaseholders or royalty interests in northern northern nor nor- thern them Duchesne County include Altex Oil Croff Oil Flying Diamond Corp and National Treasure Mines Mountain Fuel made one of the earlier discoveries in the area in 1969 developing develop develop- ing the Cedar Rim Him some 12 miles west of Duchesne |