Arkoma: Uncovering Its STACKed Pay Potential

Abstract

Arkoma: Uncovering Its STACKed Pay Potential

Growing interest in Oklahoma’s SCOOP/STACK play in the Anadarko Basin has resulted in it being the second-most actively drilled play in the Lower 48, trailing only the Permian Basin. With high entry costs and several large operators already established in the core of the play, a renewed interest in the neighboring Arkoma Basin has emerged. The Arkoma Basin is situated in southeast Oklahoma and western Arkansas. This foreland basin is adjacent to the Ouachita Mountains and heavily impacted by the Ouachita fold-and-thrust belt. The Arkoma Basin is bound by the Chocktaw Fault to the south and terminates to the north in central Hughes County.

The historic Arkoma Woodford play which includes Hughes, Coal, Pittsburg, Atoka, Seminole and McIntosh counties, and drilling was most active between 2008 and 2013. Drilling declined as depressed gas prices made the play uneconomic. The most recent interest suggests “oilier” updip stacked targets that may show reservoir similarities to the formations in the STACK and SCOOP plays within the Anadarko Basin. There are currently eight rigs running in the Arkoma, with most of the activity led by private operators. This study will focus on areas of recent activity in the Oklahoma Arkoma Basin, primarily in Hughes County, and compare the target formations to the well-known SCOOP/STACK play.

This study analyzed 25 key digital wells from the area of interest. Completions and production data was incorporated from over 1,500 horizontal wells drilled in the basin since 2007. Lithology and porosity were two key geological parameters used to determine prospectivty. Lithology was calculated using gamma ray and resistivity cut-offs, while effective porosity was calculated from Vshale and density porosity logs. This study compares and contrasts type logs and cross sections covering similar intervals from both the Arkoma and the SCOOP/STACK plays. Working with an integrated team of geoscientists, finance specialists and engineers, an evaluation of the reservoir prospectivity and the potential for new zones is assessed for this legacy play.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90350 © 2019 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, May 19-22, 2019