NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION FROM GLACIAL OUTWASH IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA

Prior to the discovery of oil in north central North Dakota in 1951, usable and therefore economic amounts of natural gas had been produced in the Souris River area of the State.

In 1907, natural gas was discovered in Bottineau County, in north central North Dakota, approximately nine miles south of Westhope. The gas was produced with artesian water flow at a depth of approximately 170'. The producing zone was a sand present at the base of glacial outwash. The sand is described as greenish black in color, medium to fine grained and rounded. The color has been attributed to decomposing carbonaceous material in the reservoir. The initial producing pressure is reported to have been 64 psi. Exact production rates are not known, but most wells are believed to have initial open flow producing rates between 400 and 1000 mcfgpd. Additional discoveries were made in the region, locally supplying natural gas to farms and some municipalities. As reservoir pressures declined, gas production ceased.

Gas production in Bottineau County was confined to an area outlined by the present course of the Souris River, an area coincident with the approximate position of glacial Lake Souris. The surface of the Souris River gas area is covered by glacial deposits underlain by bedrock of Tertiary and Cretaceous age. The source of the natural gas is believed to be either from organic materials within the glacial or glacial lake sediments, or from the underlying bedrock. Another possibility is that the gas was sourced from underlying lignite beds.