372 



bidding increased the Department's optimism regarding these deep 

 structures and other deep potential stratigraphic traps. 



In April 1982 updated resources estimates were developed for the Sale 52 

 SID and in designing appropriate alternative bidding systems to use in 

 the sale. These conditional mean resource estimates were 56 million 

 barrels of oil and 280 billion cubic feet of gas. The dramatic decrease 

 in resource estimates was a result of additional geophysical and 

 geological information and a different scope of potential hydrocarbon 

 prospects being considered in this appraisal. In the period between 

 January and March 1982 the Department acquired new seismic data on 

 approximately a 1 x 3 mile grid that were of a significantly better 

 quality than the data used to develop resource estimates for the EIS. 

 Analysis of the newly acquired geophysical and geological data indicated 

 that many previously mapped prospects were smaller or did not exist and 

 that others were much more questionalbe and, therefore, more risky. 

 The April 1982 resource estimates incorporate the data obtained from 

 three dry holes drilled in the Sale No. 42 area. These wells indicate 



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