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Permalink Reply by Bill R on August 7, 2019 at 5:05

Thank you... I was wondering about that myself.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on August 7, 2019 at 10:09

Both the Haynesville and the Bossier intervals were laid down during the Jurassic Period.  So any of the formations/zones in the Jurassic portion (far left column) of the stratigraphic column could be called Jurassic.  Encana was exploring the Haynesville Shale in 2006 as was Chesapeake and chose to use Jurassic as their name for the Haynesville/Bossier drilling units they formed in NW LA.  The Commissioner of Conservation decided that all Haynesville units should have the same common name and Encana switched to using HA along with all other operators.  Those Woodbine units are oil units, not gas units.  That is why they are so much smaller on average.  Natural gas being a smaller molecule than oil can migrate over a longer distance to reach a well bore.  So a 640 acre gas unit might be effectively drained by one well while an oil well would only drain ~40 acres.  This is the best I can do - hope it improves your sanity.

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Permalink Reply by GoRicky on August 7, 2019 at 16:43

Thanks, Skip - my wife claims that NO MATTER WHAT, my sanity will never improve; - - but... yes; at the beginning of the play, some older language & Stratigraphic Columns preferred to use "Bossier" as the go-to description for thousands of feet of sediments [hence the now-defunct "Bossier" fields that were transferred into the Carthage (Haynesville Shale) Field].

I'm over here in Texas & don't know a lot about LA rules.  As it would be in Texas, could I request copies of the LA Conservation Commission regarding the designated "Jurassic" activity?

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on August 8, 2019 at 0:38

I guess you could but you would be disappointed as they would say they have none.  You see LA Haynesville drilling units have depth interval designations that include the Mid-Bossier so whether a horizontal unit well is landed in the Haynesville or the Bossier, the well designation is Haynesville.  This is of course unlike Texas where the well name indicates the well is producing from the Haynesville or the Bossier.  Over here the only other Jurassic formations with historic production are the Smackover in far north LA and the remainder of the Cotton Valley Sands (about 14 separate sands with historic production).  The Cotton Valley group is a 1500 to 1800'  interval.  As you can see, the Bossier is actually part of the Cotton Valley Group, the basal or deepest member.  Since the Haynesville and Bossier are both shale in a portion of NW LA, the Office of Conservation allows companies to create a single unit that includes both.  For a little background on Texas, ask Julie (jffree1).

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Permalink Reply by GoRicky on August 13, 2019 at 13:25

Well, that's the way it is in Texas, also. An operator can (and it is the 'norm') drill a Haynesville Shale well, then skid the rig over 15' and drill a "stacked lateral" Bossier Shale well on top of the Haynesville well.  The Haynesville well is just a little deeper (vertically).  The first Haynesville well in a large gas unit is commonly called the 1H or H1 & the Bossier well is called the 1B or the B1. out of .. let's say the 900 ac. unit.  The combined output is reported under ONE Lease# & eventually, there might be something like a 140 acre PRORATION unit area designated along the path of the 'stacked' wells, and reported under the Carthage (Haynesville Shale) field.  The reason for my question is that I've seen a play (?LA designated field?) called - "Jurassic" - and is apparently being drilled with Hz wells.  Is this zone (?field?) a separate and - deeper than Haynesville Shale - horizon / play ?? - Thanks for the comments!

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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on August 13, 2019 at 13:47

In NW LA, the Jurassic (JUR), as a drilling unit designation, and the Haynesville (HA) are one and the same.  They are the exact same formation and depth interval.  The Jurassic is not a separate horizon.  Many don't realize that Encana was a step ahead of Chesapeake in testing the Haynesville Shale and they named their early units Jurassic possibly because they were including the Mid-Bossier Shale in the unit depth definition.  The Commissioner of Conservation had to choose between JUR and HA as the official abbreviation for the Haynesville Shale drilling units and chose HA.  In LA there is no well name designating the Haynesville from the Bossier.  They are all Haynesville wells.  You have to compare the lateral landing depth to tell which formation the well is producing from.  I don't know how many ways I can explain this.  There is not separate Jurassic formation or play.  Period.

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Permalink Reply by Bill R on August 9, 2019 at 9:43

Skip - 

Thanks for the chart... that clears up a lot of questions that I had about the Plays they talk about.

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