Mississippian Play Workshop

The Mississippian Osage of northern Oklahoma has long been an important producing horizon. This zone has been one of the primary reservoirs almost from the beginning of the Petroleum Industry in Oklahoma. However, in its development, geologists were often confronted by many problems when attempting to correlate and develop this reservoir. The early operators learned that the major part of the production seemed to generally occur at the top of the reservoir, in a residual or detrital chert facies, while the bulk of the reservoir appeared to consist of alternating porous and impermeable strata that was often barren, erratic, and random. This set of assumptions lead to a general misunderstanding of the reservoir’s potential, which has lead to bypassed reserves.

In the 1960’s the Mississippian Osage became the major focus for exploration with the discovery of commercial production in north-central Oklahoma. With this development came the discovery that major reserves could be obtained from almost any stratigraphic interval within the Mississippian Osage. But the problems that faced the early explorationist were also encountered by these operators. Correlation of the strata seemed to suggest a random and erratic depositional pattern, and alack of understanding of the depositional geometry can lead directly to bypassed reserves.

Today, operators have brought a new life into this reservoir’s development. Horizontal drilling has demonstrated the ability to produce prolific reserves. However, these wells are expensive and the need to understand the targeted reservoirs depositional and producing characteristics couldn't be more important.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey recognizes the need to understand the various complexities inherent with the exploration, development and production of the Mississippian Osage. One of the Survey's primary responsibilities is to disseminate the information needed to assist operators who wish to successfully exploit this reservoir.

This OGS workshop will therefore consist of subjects that operators should find necessary in their search for reserves from this reservoir. These subjects will include papers on the stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Mississippian Osage; exploration concepts for discovering its reservoirs, electric log evaluation, horizontal drilling techniques, and completion procedures.

Field studies will be devoted to understanding the various types of porosities within the Mississippian Osage and to the importance of understanding fracturing, reservoir drainage and in-fill drilling potential. Cores of the Mississippian Osage will be available that have been chosen to provide lithological examples for many of the concepts presented by the papers.

Informational Brochure (PDF)

Program Agenda (PDF)

Identification of Natural Fractures from Conventional Wireline Logs (PDF)
Cody Knepper, NuTech Energy Alliance

Lower Mississippian Sequence Stratigraphy and Depositional Dynamics: Insights from the Outcrops, Northwestern Arkansas and Southwestern Missouri (PDF)
Walter Manger, University of Arkansas

Attribute Expression of the Mississippi Lime (PDF)
Kurt Marfurt, The University of Oklahoma

Initial Results of a Six Horizontal Well Drilling Program Targeting Mississippi (Osagean) Reservoirs in Northeast Oklahoma (PDF)
Shane Matson, Spyglass Energy Group

Field Examples of Fracturing and Drainage (PDF)
Kurt Rottmann

Field Examples of Osagean/Meramecian ReservoirSystems (PDF)
Kurt Rottmann, Consultant

Stratigraphic Architecture of the Kinderhookianto Meramecian Series (PDF)
Kurt Rottmann, Consultant

Data and Drilling Methods from Horizontal Mississippian Reservoirs Across Northern Oklahoma (PDF)
Carl Vandervoort, Orion Exploration Partners

Historical Overview of Mississippian Production in Northeast Oklahoma (PDF)
Charles Wickstrom and Steve Tilley, Spyglass Energy Group