Niobrara, Fort Hays, and Codell
Morning Gun Exploration has recently partnered with one of the largest independent natural gas producers in the nation to develop our operated position in Weld County, Colorado. The company has 24 operated ready-to-drill horizontal permits and the potential for hundreds of additional permits. The development project has highway and county road access, a crude oil terminal within three miles of the permits, a dedicated gas pipeline crossing the acreage, oil and water infrastructure being built out within miles of the acreage, and nearby drilling being done by other prominent basin operators with top tier economics. The project is located in rural Weld County, far away from suburban areas and associated political risk. The project is defined by high resistivity in multiple formations. Nearby horizontal drilling has proven Niobrara members, Fort Hays, and Codell sands oil and gas productive. We intend to continue the development of this project with our long-term partners, landowners and mineral owners in the DJ Basin.
Seep Ridge Development Project
Horizontal Mancos B and Niobrara - Uintah Basin, Utah
Morning Gun Exploration is seeking a development partner to operate this onshore U.S. development project. Seep Ridge is an industry-scale staked pay horizontal development project in Uintah County, Utah. The project totals 24,500 net acres of leasehold and is entirely state surface and minerals. The leasehold consists of two large land blocks with nearby oil and gas pipelines.
The project is a first-mover opportunity defined by three thick high resistivity, vertically productive formations, the Mancos B and the Tow Creek and Rangely members of the Niobrara formation. Regional and local Tmax and vitrinite reflectance values and local vertical production define the Mancos B, at depths from 6,000 to 8,000 feet as mature for oil. Regional and local Tmax and vitrinite reflectance values and local vertical production for the Niobrara, at depths from 8,000 to 10,000 feet indicate oil to wet-gas window on the two blocks. The stacked oil window thermal maturity concept and large potential horizontal pay is supported by a volume of recently acquired geochemistry and the maps and data of multiple Rocky Mountain geological experts.
Local core analysis and well log correlations indicate a 400’ foot thick Mancos B, with the lower 100 feet of the interval having the highest oil saturation. This high oil saturation interval aligns with both log porosity and resistivity. Porosity through the thick column ranges from 3 to 11% with a mean average of 5% porosity. Permeability average over 400’ is 2.25md, with the lower 100 feet averaging 4.05md horizontal and 7.7 which is far above many oil reservoirs in the Rockies. Local vertical oil and gas production proves a high-gravity crude concept.
The Niobrara is exceptionally thick on Morning Gun Explorations' land holdings. Core saturation and local oil and gas production tests indicate multiple zones of productive rock within the Niobrara with thicknesses over 100'. Recent horizontal production from a nearby analog shows the rock is capable of rates well over 1000 BOPD.
Single well cost is estimated at $7.0mm, with pad development dropping well costs to $5.5mm. Over 200 horizontal wells can be drilled on these State Land Blocks.
Central Utah Thrust Belt
Genesis Prospect
Twin Creek and Navajo Targets
In 1880, Dr. I. C. White generated a theory that earth folds were responsible for the accumulation of oil and gas in large quantities. His anticlinal theory of oil and gas accumulation was based on surface observations of geology in sedimentary basins. That theory has proven fundamental to oil and gas development with far-reaching importance around the earth. Over the last 140 years, his theory has proven true time and time again, resulting in the discovery of some of the worlds' largest oil and gas fields.
With the advent of horizontal drilling and further understanding of source rock reservoirs, publicly traded companies have focused on capital-intensive horizontal drilling - oil farming. Exploration and prospecting in new territories have been left to the pioneering risk-takers, the bold and daring, adventurous people with strong character willing to take a long chance on opening up a large new oil pool. Morning Gun Exploration continues to generate low cost-of-entry wildcat projects and our latest project, the Genesis Prospect will be available for review in the Fall of 2023.
The Genesis prospect is a vertical drilling project in the Central Utah Overthrust Belt. The project is a high-risk, high-reward rank wildcat test for large light oil reserves within a large 2D seismic, surface, and subsurface geology-defined anticline within the thrust belt. Morning Gun Exploration has acquired its leasehold at a low royalty and low cost as there is no wild scramble for oil and gas leases in this area. The Genesis prospect is located in an unproven, untried, and untested area; it is speculative and can only be described as true wildcatting. This project is expected to be available for viewing at the end of September of 2023. If you are interested in reviewing this project, please contact us to schedule a technical review.