Houston company conducts survey in the search for oil and gas
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
A Houston, Texas company has been collecting data the last couple of months to gather information which could lead to future gas and oil drilling in Presque Isle County. Antares Exploration has been working from a base area along West 638 Highway, southeast of Millersburg since early June.
?We are acquiring a three dimensional seismic survey,? said Keith Hatch, vice president of exploration. ?The purpose of the survey is to locate potential drilling targets at approximately 4,000 to 4,500 feet of depth. What we?re doing is basically taking an MRI, or a CAT scan of the earth.?
The firm used miles of cord, pontoon boats and a helicopter to transport equipment to tough to get areas of the county.
AFTER COLLECTING the data, it goes to a processing center where high-powered computers will be working for approximately 10 weeks, attempting to create a three dimensional image.
?Then we?ll examine that, using some fairly sophisticated software for another few weeks, attempting to make a series of subsurface maps, showing us what it looks like underneath the area where we?ve acquired the data,? said Hatch. ?Then from there, we?ll attempt to determine whether we have some good drillable targets.?
The company centered on this corner of the state because of past exploration. Companies have come through northern Michigan in the past and have had success, said Hatch.
At the height of the survey, there were 68 people (14 to 16 locals) working on the project, said Hatch. THE COMPANY believes it pumped $2.5 million into the loca
?The first part of the process is we go out and actually seek all of the people who have not only the mineral rights, but also the surface rights to the properties we would like to survey. We use a lot of time and money actually locating these people,? said Hatch. ?We go to great lengths to try and avoid any problems. By and large, people have been very cooperative, very kind. They?ve brought out food and drinks to our crew members, encouraged us, hoping we find a well on their property.?
Crews will be wrapping up their work in the next week, if the weather cooperates, while decisions about potential drilling sites might be determined some time by the first of the year. ?If, and that?s a big ?if?,? said Hatch, ?if we find potential targets up there, we could start drilling sometime in the spring.?