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Wiggins Arch, Southern Mississippi: New Exploratory Data from 3-D Seismic

¹ Petroleum Consultant, 1511 18th Avenue East, Seattle, Washington 98112; scott.montgomery{at}prodigy.net

Scott L. Montgomery is a petroleum consultant and author residing in Seattle, Washington. He received his B.A. degree in English from Knox College in 1973 and his M.S. degree in geological sciences from Cornell University in 1978. He is widely published in the geosciences, and since 1996 he has been principal author of the E&P Notes series in the AAPG Bulletin. His other publications include seven books on topics in petroleum geology, science education, and the history of science, plus articles and monographs related to frontier plays, new technologies, field studies, and reservoir characterization.

Newly released data from a 65 mi² (168 km²) 3-D (three-dimensional) seismic survey on the south flank of the Wiggins arch reopens the question of exploratory opportunity in this sparsely drilled region. Although surrounded by significant production from deep Jurassic and more shallow Cretaceous reservoirs, the Wiggins has not yet been the site of successful exploration. Only nine deep tests, however, exist within an area over 2000 mi² (5180 km²) in size; thus, previous interpretations of low potential on the Wiggins suffer from limited data. The recently completed 3-D survey, in conjunction with systematic evaluations of existing sample, well log, and 2-D (two-dimensional) seismic information, shifts the focus of attention from the Smackover Formation to overlying Haynesville and Cotton Valley intervals. Data suggest that large-scale oolite shoals exist in the upper Haynesville, immediately below the Bossier Shale. Potential shoals coincide in occurrence with a major northeast-southwest-trending anticlinal structure. Changes in the character of the Haynesville reflector imply significant porosity development, while time structure mapping and isochron thinning in the Haynesville-Cotton Valley interval indicate an important degree of potential entrapment in Cotton Valley sandstones. A well planned for an updip portion of the anticline should yield extremely valuable information for future analyses of Wiggins arch geology.