American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc.
Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation's Well 9674-T was located and drilled on the North Kermit Prospect on Mineral Tract No. 10, in Harvey District, Mingo County, West Virginia. (See Fig. 1).
The North Kermit Prospect is situated on the south flank of the Rome Trough in association with a major northeast-southwest trending down-to-the-north basement fault (see Fig. 2). It was anticipated that a southern platform, located south of the major fault would have been exposed to erosion during the formation of the trough resulting in deposition of clastic units adjacent to and north of the fault. These units would then have acted as reservoir beds. This supposition was based on seismic data, structure and stratigraphy observed along the northern hinge line.
Well 9674-T had as its primary objective the testing of the Rome and Basal Sand formations with a secondary objective of testing all units below the Tuscarora Sandstone.
Seismic data indicated structural closure of 600 feet against the fault on the basement surface. A closure of 200 feet was indicated near the top of the Rome.
The Rome was expected to contain massive marine sandstones with interbedded dark shales and some limestones. Both lenticular and blanket type sands were expected north of the fault, affording structural and stratigraphic possibilities, with maximum sand development along the fault scarp. The well was spudded on September 30, 1971, and was the first of several wells which have since been drilled to basement within the deeper portion of the Rome Trough.
The well was drilled by Loffland Brother's Rig 111 which is capable of drilling below 20,000 feet (see Fig. 3). Rig 111 was located near Laurel, Mississippi, and it required 14 days to move to the location.
Due to terrain, the well site was 140 × 200 feet, rather than the recommended 400 × 400 feet. The location was surrounded on three sides by a creek which could not be relocated.
