Niobrara Chalk
From ESER oil and gas
Summary
- The Niobrara Chalk was laid down between 87 and 82 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous.
- The chalk formed from the accumulation of microorgansms living in what was once the Western Interior Seaway, an inland sea that divided the continent of North America during much of the Cretaceous.
- It underlies much of the Great Plains and extends north into Canada.
- The Kansas-Nebraska-Colorado "tri-state-play" constitutes the bulk of shallow natural gas wells drilled in the Niobrara Chalk.
- However, Niobrara Chalk shows have been recorded in wells drilled in South Dakota.
- Further advances in low-cost drilling technologies are required to make the South Dakota Niobrara Chalk economic.
Where is the Niobrara Chalk located?
What does the Niobrara Chalk look like?
- The Smoky Hills of western Kansas contain outcroppings of several types of stone from the Cretaceous Period, including the Niobrara Chalk -- which was formed by sediment in the deeper portions of the Western Interior Sea about 70-80 million years ago.
- Type logs for the Niobrara Chalk formation:
How large is the North-American Niobrara Chalk natural gas play?
Nebraska Niobrara Chalk natural gas well economics
- TD: 2,500ft
- well capex (D&C, flowlines, SWD): $220,000
- spacing: 40 acres
- EUR: 200MMcf
- Gross IP: 88 Mcfpd
- long-term production rate: 30-50 Mcfpd for 30-50 years
- probability of drilling success with 3D seismic: 95%
- Western Nebraska Niobrara Chalk well-head gas price: PLATTS Inside F.E.R.C Gas Report first-of-month Colorado Interstate Gas price minus $0.50
Niobrara Chalk Decline Curve
Eser Corporation southwestern Nebraska Niobrara Chalk drilling locations
- Drilling locations: 16
- Total EUR (estimated ultimate recovery): 3.2 bcf (billion cubic feet of natural gas)