100 years of Exploration and Production at Jennings Field

J. A. Spencer¹ and B. Miller^2
1Osprey Petroleum, Houston, TX
²Basin Research Energy Section - Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, LA

The Jennings Field of Acadia Parish, Louisiana is the first commercial oil discovery in Louisiana. The Jennings Field was discovered just 9 months after the Spindletop discovery in Texas, making it one of the earliest discoveries in the Gulf Coast. The field has produced over 118 MMBO and 51 BCFG from Miocene through Oligocene Anahuac and Frio age sands associated with the supercap and flanks of a shallow salt dome. The field is still producing today, with 1999 annual production of 141 MBO and 224 MMCFG. Initial production from supercap hydrocarbon accumulations yielded spectacular gushers and prolific flow rates estimated at 7000 barrels per day for the discovery well. Supercap production peaked in 1909 at 9 MMBO. Supercap production from the Jennings Field accounted for 67% of Louisiana’s cumulative oil production for the years 1901 to 1920. The Yount-Lee Oil Company established production on the flank of Jennings dome in 1928 after discovering hydrocarbon accumulations on the salt flank of Spindletop dome in 1926. Development of the flank acreage revived field production to a peak of 8 MMBO in 1939.

The Jennings dome has a slightly elliptical northwest-southeast orientation to the salt with the steepest salt face on the northwest flank. The salt exhibits an overhang on the east flank with associated hydrocarbon production. A shallow Miocene mineralized sand section is also associated with this eastern flank. The dome has not been adequately evaluated seismically. Limited seismic control includes a 1996 3D seismic survey over the southern half of the dome and a few older 2D seismic lines.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90901©2001 GCAGS, Annual Meeting, Shreveport, Louisiana