Thread: North Dakota Oil

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From what I've been reading, the Bakken field has been known about since the late 1950's, but no one could figure out a cost effective way to recover the oil. Willowbilly could probably give you more on drilling specifics, but all the articles I have read said the big breakthrough has something to do with the ability to punch a shaft down 10,000 feet and then turn the drill 90 degrees and continue drilling horizontally. The next problem they had was the Bakken field holding its oil in the cracks between a type of shale that swells up when you pump water in to force the oil out. when the shale swells, it cuts off the flow of oil.

http://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/...-drilling/1366