Geologist’s new maps detail updated oil-field activity across Oklahoma

A pair of updated maps released by the Oklahoma Geological Survey on Wednesday attempt to document how much the state’s oil and natural gas industry has changed over the past 14 years.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have opened new fields and expanded others as producers have sought to recover oil from throughout the state.

“When you go from one map to the next, it basically shows the expansion of the oil and gas fields over time,” said Brittany Pritchett, the state geologist who spent the past year creating the updated maps. “That is important because it seems as if every decade a new technology emerges that allows us to open up new areas of exploration in Oklahoma.”

The survey’s new Geologic Maps detail expanded drilling in northwest Oklahoma’s Mississippi Lime formation, the Anadarko Basin in western Oklahoma, and in Carter County in southern Oklahoma, as well as other parts of the state.

“There’s growth all over the state, but definitely you see more expansion where

horizontal drilling has become prominent,” Pritchett said.

The new maps also show how production from existing fields has changed, with several areas producing more oil today where natural gas or a more even mix previously was more common.

Pritchett compiled data on the more than 500,000 wells drilled in more than 3,000 fields throughout the state to detail current oil and natural gas activity.

“It’s always surprising to me how many wells are drilled in Oklahoma,” she said.

The map is used by policymakers, industry people, mineral rights owners, as well as members of the public who just want to know whether production is happening where they live, Pritchett said.

The geological survey has published geologic maps since 1928, with updates roughly every 10 years.

Previous versions published in 2002 and 1989 show drilling activity in fewer and smaller areas.

“We need to know where the fields are,” Pritchett said. “They are always growing.”