Identifying Areas of Hydrocarbon Potential in South Dakota

Anthony K. Petres

The state of South Dakota has within its borders parts of large sedimentary basins containing proven reserves of oil and gas. Within these basins, other large areas are essentially unexplored for hydrocarbons. In addition, some areas that have drawn interest from explorationists are difficult to lump into known geologic provinces.

The state's major oil- and gas-producing region lies in the northwest in the Williston basin. The geology of this region follows closely the flat or pancake sedimentary features of the rest of the basin. Exploration centers chiefly on rocks of Paleozoic age. Drilling in this established area continues at a steady pace and, until recently, Harding County accounted for the majority of the state's drilling permits. The new leading area for drilling activity is the southwest corner of the state, an area that forms the southern flank of the Black Hills uplift. Most of the wells drilled here are wildcats and the plays center on a paleo sand-dune system that underlies the area and on structurally related features associated with the Black Hills uplift. Recent discoveries in Fall River County have confirmed the potential of the region to rival the northwest in production of oil.

The vast area east of the Black Hills uplift has over the years generated interest. Much of this area "sits on the fence" between structural basins and is largely poorly understood and relatively unexplored.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91033©1988 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section, Bismarck, North Dakota, 21-24 August 1988