Grant Canyon Oil Field, Nye County, Nevada

H. D. Duey, Harry K. Veal, Louis C. Bortz, Norman H. Foster

The Grant Canyon field is located on the east side of Railroad Valley, Nevada, 8 mi south of the Eagle Springs oil field. The discovery well, 1 Grant Canyon Unit (SW1/4 NW1/4, Sec. 21, T7S, R57E), was completed by Northwest Exploration Company on September 11, 1983, flowing 1,816 BOPD, probably from the Devonian Simonson Dolomite (4,375-4,448 ft). Two additional wells have been completed in the field. Cumulative oil production through December 31, 1986, is 5,260,430 bbl of oil. During December 1986, wells 3 and 4 flowed an average of 5,189 BOPD. Well 4 averaged 4,065 BOPD for a recent month. The discovery well has been shut-in. The productive area is about 240 ac.

The trap is a "high" fault block in the boundary fault zone that separates Railroad Valley from the Grant Range to the east. The Devonian Simonson reservoir is an intensely fractured, vuggy dolomite with some intercrystalline porosity. The top seal is the Tertiary valley fill, which unconformably overlies the Simonson Dolomite.

The oil column is about 400 ft and the field apparently has an active water drive, inasmuch as the 1 Grant Canyon Unit had to be shut-in because of water production. The oil is black, 26° API gravity, with a pour point of 10°F and 0.5% sulfur. Estimated ultimate recoverable oil reserves are 13,000,000 bbl.

The adjacent Bacon Flat field is a one-well field (SW1/4 SW1/4, Sec. 17, T7N, R57E) that was completed by Northwest Exploration Company on July 5, 1981, for 200 BOPD and 1,050 BWPD from the Devonian Guilmette Limestone (5,316-5,333 ft). Cumulative production through December 31, 1986, was 209,649 bbl of oil. This well averaged 215 BOPD during December 1986.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91035©1988 AAPG-SEPM-SEG Pacific Sections and SPWLA Annual Convention, Santa Barbara, California, 17-19 April 1988.