Documents were filed in the Anderson County Deed Records Friday in which Drake Exploration and BTP Operating assigned their Anderson County leases to Chesapeake Exploration, LLC, a leasing entity associated with Expand.  This is the first confirmation that Expand is active in this new play.  Drake also has leased acreage in Houston and Leon Counties, so assignment documents should be filed in those counties soon.

Estimated gross acreage leased and recorded so far:


Anderson:  8,765
Leon:  16,233
Houston:  32,185

Total:  58,147

Drake continues to lease in Houston County, reportedly east of Grapeland.  More than 55,000 acres has been leased by someone in Cherokee County.  Consensus guess is Expand, but that remains to be seen, as no assignments have been filed.

Here's a map of the surveys in Anderson, Leon, and Houston Counties that contain acreage leased by Expand:

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Replies to This Discussion

Thanks, Alan.  I look forward to some well results.  This is a major extension of the play area.

I would expect that we see the trend / play move slowly east into this area. We may not see new permits here for 12-18 months.

Moving in the deepest and hottest part of the trend (plus the extreme overpressure).

Would anticipate D&C costs around $30 Million for any reasonable Hz wellbore.

Thanks, Rock Man.  I find it a little surprising that moving east-northeast is deeper and hotter than the current core of the Western Haynesville.

Moving into the Anderson Co area puts one in the core of the East Texas Embayment and the axis of the structural low that runs roughly N to S thru this area.

Did my AI geologist get this right?

The 

East Texas Embayment is a regional geologic feature in Texas and Louisiana known for controlling depositional patterns and for containing significant resources, particularly the East Texas Oil Field, a massive oil reserve that played a role in World War II. It is also associated with other mineral resources like lignite, iron ore, and industrial materials, and a portion of the region is a major lithium deposit. 

Geological Significance
  • Deposition: The embayment's location within the major deltaic depocenter of the Gulf of Mexico significantly influenced regional depositional patterns over geological time.
  • Structure: The East Texas basin is defined by the Sabine Uplift, which shelters the embayment on its eastern and southern sides. 
Resource Significance
  • Oil and Gas: The East Texas Embayment is home to the famous East Texas Oil Field, one of the largest oil fields in history, which was crucial for the Allied forces during World War II.
  • Other Minerals: The area is rich in various mineral resources, including:
    • Mineral fuels like lignite and natural asphalt.
    • Metallic minerals such as iron and aluminum ores.
    • Industrial rock and minerals like clay, sand, gravel, salt, and limestone.
  • Lithium: Parts of Northeast Texas, located within this embayment, contain some of the world's largest lithium deposits, with ongoing development for lithium extraction facilities. 

AI comments here are grossly incorrect with respect the East Texas Embayment (Salt Withdrawal Basin) that I am talking about.

AI is not the all-encompassing answer for everything. 

That's why I wanted to run it by you.  I set the curve in my college Geology 101 class and still find the subject of interest.  I fit the old saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  :-)

As the Western Haynesville footprint expands I think more members will be curious in the subsurface geology.

There are some great technical references in print for public to view. Most too large to post here. But this link to a 2011 publication is a good high-level view of this situation.

See Figure 6.

AAPG%202011%20Stenholl%20et%20al%20E%20Tx%20Bossier%20HV%20Regional...

Thanks.  Just what I was looking for.  Figure 2 includes my favorite island.  Natchitoches Island.  I will enjoy digging through the paper and, as always, looking up the meaning of much of the geologic lingo.

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