Circular 52—Petroleum developments in New Mexico during 1958

By R. A. Bieberman, R. W. Foster, and J. K. Huenergardt, 1960, 103 pp., 16 figs.

Also in this series are Circulars 48, 50, 72, and 96. Crude oil and distillate production in NM amounted to 98,514,926 barrels in 1958, an increase of 3,887,121 barrels over 1957. The production of natural gas declined from 728,645,000,000 ft³ in 1957 to 726,236,763,000 ft³ in 1958. New Mexico ranks 7th in oil and 4th in natural gas production in the U.S. A total of 1,819 wells were drilled during the year, a decrease of 408 from 1957. Drilling activity in the nonproducing counties increased from 15 wells in 1957 to 22 wells in 1958. A discussion of developments in NM during 1958 is included, together with maps showing the location of new discoveries. Subsurface completion data are given for the 1,819 wells drilled for oil and gas during 1958.

This report is a summary of production and drilling statistics for NM during 1958. It combines the subsurface completion data and development reports that were issued separately in previous years. In the eight counties from which there was some oil and gas production, the status of each well drilled has been determined on the basis of its proximity to other producing wells or established pool boundaries. Development wells are those wells located within 1 mi of a producing well or field and test rocks of the same geologic period or formation as the producing well or field. Wells spudded more 1 mi from production, or which tested rocks previously nonproductive for a distance of at least 1 mi, are considered wildcats.
A total of 1,819 wells were drilled in NM in 1958, a decrease of 408 from 1957. All the producing counties except Roosevelt County showed decreases in the number of wells drilled. The total number of wells drilled was down 250 in southeastern NM and 165 in northwestern NM. The biggest decreases in drilling activity were in Lea, San Juan, and Rio Arriba Counties. Lea County, however, led in the number of wells completed, followed by San Juan, Rio Arriba, Eddy, Chaves, Roosevelt, McKinley, and Sandoval Counties.

Eighty percent of the total wells drilled in the state were successful. San Juan County led in successful completions, with 87% of its total wells completed successfully. San Juan County was followed by Lea County, where 82% of the wells were successful. Of the 278 wildcat wells drilled, 80 were completed as producers. The average depth of wells drilled in NM in 1958 was 4,647 ft, compared with 4,947 ft in 1957. The total footage drilled amounted to 8,453,268 ft.