Union Oil
Interpreting Geophysicist
Offshore lease-sale seismic evaluation, including West Cameron Area Block 536.
About
An exploration career.
A company built on it.
Steven Anderson founded Kinnickinnick Exploration in 1996 after a career in interpreting geophysics, geophysical management and exploration management.
Steven Anderson
Founder · Kinnickinnick Exploration Inc.
Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1975. His background also includes graduate coursework in geology at the University of Southwestern Louisiana while working in industry.
Career & project timeline
Experience through the work.
Ada Exco
Onshore Geophysicist
Quintana Petroleum
Geophysical Manager
2D interpretation associated with Lyons Point, Wright, Bayou Severe, South Lake Arthur and Andrew discoveries. At Andrew, interpretation of an antithetical fault supported the Anne May Simon No. 1.
Flores & Rucks
Geophysicist and Exploration Manager
Identified Eastbay S Sand and High Five opportunities using Shell’s 3D data. Supervised the Eastbay 3D survey and helped secure Mobil’s participation in a Mallard Bay survey.
Kinnickinnick Exploration
Company established
Prospect generation, survey initiatives and partnerships behind the company’s producing-well interests and Louisiana project history.
Past work · before Kinnickinnick
Earlier industry experience.
The following work was completed by Steven Anderson while employed by other companies, before Kinnickinnick was established in 1996.
1995 DISCOVERY TEST · FLORES & RUCKS
Eastbay S Sand discovery
Steven identified an undrilled west-flank amplitude using Shell’s 3D data while working for Flores & Rucks. The prospect became the F & R SL 15016 No. 1.
On November 8, 1995, the well tested at 2,020 barrels of oil per day and 15.162 million cubic feet of gas per day. Cumulative production reached 1 million barrels of oil and 8.2 BCF of gas within only a few years of production.
FLORES & RUCKS · EASTBAY
High Five & survey management
An amplitude anomaly in an undrilled fault block led to four wells. The fault block produced at rates exceeding 1,000 barrels of oil per day and 10 million cubic feet of gas per day.
This was the High Five Prospect and demonstrated to Shell that Flores & Rucks could find “virgin” reserves. Steven completed this work while employed by Flores & Rucks.
PRIOR-EMPLOYER WORK · FLORES & RUCKS
Eastbay & Mallard Bay surveys
Supervised Western Geophysical’s Eastbay 3D survey and helped secure Mobil’s participation with Flores & Rucks in a Mallard Bay 3D survey.
Previously, Shell had only shot the southern half of Eastbay Field. Working with Western Geophysical’s research group, Steven supervised a 3D survey using three separate crews: a marsh crew in the north using marsh phones and dynamite; a shallow-water crew in the middle using mudboats, cables and airguns; and a deep-water crew in the south using ocean-bottom cables and larger airguns.
As the cables and sources had slightly different signatures, Western was hired to process the field data. The technical challenge was extreme: organic material in the sediment resulted in velocity lower than that of water.
For Flores & Rucks, Steven supervised the process of presenting the Mallard Bay 3D survey concept to industry partners. Management intended to find a partner to pay for half. Mobil reviewed the project and agreed to participate, with Flores & Rucks as operator.
QUINTANA PETROLEUM · 1982–1992
South Louisiana 2D exploration
Steven’s prior-employer work included 2D interpretation associated with Lyons Point, Wright, Bayou Severe, South Lake Arthur and Andrew discoveries.
UNION OIL · 1975–1981
Offshore lease-sale evaluation
Steven worked on 2D interpretation for offshore lease-sale evaluation, including West Cameron Area Block 536. Union Oil bid $106 million for the block. The first two wells encountered 150 and 250 feet of pay, supporting an estimated 75 BCF discovery.
Industry partners
Partners in our current prospects.
Cypress Energy is our partner in leasing various exploration prospects. They identify lease owners, resolve defects and handle paying rentals for Kinnickinnick Exploration.
Jack Hardy
Jack is Kinnickinnick’s partner in various projects. He owns a large farm in Arnaudville and was the largest working-interest owner in the Zachry Big Oak Farms No. 1 well. He is a working-interest partner in Termo’s No. 29 well and has taken an interest in the Bogard project in North Cankton Field.
Jack is the former president and owner of ISSI, a worldwide service company called on when a well loses circulation and is in danger of blowing out. Jack sold ISSI to Superior.
Pat Donais
Pat is a geophysicist with access to Lumina Geo’s software. He has worked as a data processor conditioning gathers and doing post-processing, and recently acquired the Paradise software package from Tom Smith. Pat modelled the deep project to estimate the thickness of potential sands.