OIL, GAS, AND MINERALS 



INTRODUCTION 



The oil, gas, and mineral section provides information on these activi- 

 ties in coastal Alabama and includes pipeline routes, refineries, and 

 drilling sites. The location of other significant deposits of minerals such 

 as clay and gravel are also discussed. 



OIL AND GAS 



Petroleum-related activities in Alabama began in the early 1900's with the 

 discovery of small, shallow gas fields in Huntsville (Madison Co.) and 

 Fayette (Fayette Co.) in northern Alabama, and Mobile in southern Alabama. 

 Located near the Bascomb race track, the two Mobile wells produced over 990 

 m 3 or 35,000 ft 3 of gas per day (Jones 1926, Masingill and Hall 1979). 



After more than 700 dry holes were drilled, the first significant oil dis- 

 covery in Alabama was made in 1944 near Gilbertown in Choctaw County in the 

 Selma and Eutaw Formations (Upper Cretaceous) (Cretaceous period: 135 

 million to 65 million years before present) between 785 and 788 meters (m) 

 (2,575 and 2,585 ft) below land surface (Masingill and Hall 1979). The 

 Gilbertown Field produced 12.1 million barrels ( bbl ) of oil between 1944 and 

 June 1982 (Alabama State Oil and Gas Board 1982). The geologic strata 

 underlying southwest Alabama, with an indication of which strata are impor- 

 tant in petroleum production, are shown in Figure 9. 



Oil was found in 1950 in the South Carlton Field (Atmore quadrangle) of 

 northern Baldwin County, followed by similar discoveries in adjacent Escambia 

 County. These wells produce from the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation (Upper 

 Cretaceous) at depths of about 1676 m (5,500 ft). The South Carlton Field 

 includes about 50 wells in Baldwin and Clarke Counties, with the majority in 

 Baldwin (0 'Neil and Mettee 1982). Between 1950 and 1982 the South Carlton 

 Field produced about 5.0 million bbl of oil (Alabama State Oil and Gas Board 

 1982). Oil production in South Carlton Field has remained high because of 

 new wells beina drilled, even though the field is becoming depleted (Friend 

 et al. 1981). 



One of the larqest oil resources east of the Mississippi River was dis- 

 covered in 1955 at Citronelle in northern Mobile County, at depths ranging 

 from 3,052 to 3,300 m (10,014 to 10,827 ft) in the Lower Cretaceous Forma- 

 tion. The Citronelle Field (Citronelle quadrangle) has produced 135 million 

 bbl of oil and 345 billion m 3 (12.2 trillon ft 3 ) of gas from its 447 produc- 

 ing wells (0'Neil and Mettee 1982, Friend et al . 1981, Alabama State Oil and 



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