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The Miracle of Bakken Formation: Why Did It Become America's Oil-Producing Powerhouse?
The Bakken Formation covers approximately 200,000 square miles (520,000 square kilometers) and is located beneath the Williston Basin in the United States. The mineral formation covers Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Part of Manitoba. This geological unit, whose origins date back to the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous, was first described by geologist J.W. Nordquist in 1953. The Bakken formation is famous for its abundant crude oil reserves, which can become an important source of oil especially when thermally mature.
Although the formation has no surface exposure, the land around it hosts communities that have sprung up as a result of the oil fields, giving people new hope.
Oil was first discovered within the formation in 1951, but previous production efforts failed due to technical difficulties. By 2008, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the amount of crude oil recoverable from the Bakken formation is expected to be approximately 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels (680,000,000 cubic meters), with an average of approximately 3.65 billion barrels. These data show that despite technological setbacks, Bakken formation still shows worrying potential.
In order to extract this oil, hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling technology have been widely used since the beginning of the 21st century, which has brought unprecedented prosperity to Bakken's oil and gas production. By the end of 2010, the region's daily production reached 458,000 barrels, indicating that the operating pressure of the equipment has exceeded the transportation capacity.
As production increases, there are concerns about the safety of transporting this crude by train, especially after the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013.
The accident occurred when a train loaded with heat-sensitive Bakken crude oil derailed, causing a massive explosion that destroyed 30 buildings and killed 47 people. This incident has caused people to have deeper doubts about the safety of Bakken oil. By 2015, oil price fluctuations caused oil extraction in North Dakota to face varying degrees of economic challenges. At this time, the differences in various estimates of extraction costs became increasingly apparent.
Geological structure and oil and gas potential
The Bakken formation consists of three main parts: lower shale, middle dolomite, and upper shale. These shales were deposited in relatively deep, anaerobic marine environments, while the dolomites formed in shallower, well-oxygenated waters. The central dolomite is the main oil and gas storage layer, with a depth of about two thousand meters, and the upper and lower shale is organically rich marine shale.
As of 2013, oil production from the Bakken has exceeded 10% of total U.S. production. Production in North Dakota and Montana exceeded 1 million barrels per day in 2014.
As production from the Bakken field surges, North Dakota has rapidly risen in U.S. oil production, becoming the second-largest oil-producing state after Texas in 2014. This is due to the introduction of advanced technologies such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, making the development of the Bakken oil field no longer a fantasy in the 2040s.
Industrial status and challenges
However, as highly profitable fields and production expand across the globe, the Bakken has revealed challenges, including safety issues and infrastructure bottlenecks. Due to the surge in demand, local pipeline transportation capacity was quickly overwhelmed, leading to the creation of many unsafe transportation methods. The dangers of using trains to transport crude oil have caused concern among residents in many areas, especially when shipments from these oil fields, which are considered emergencies, get out of control.
Furthermore, production work in the Bakken oil fields is not entirely safe. From 2009 to 2013, North Dakota's oil and gas industry investigation report showed that at least 40 workers in the region died due to work review and excessive production progress. This excessive pursuit of productivity in a work environment may bring hidden dangers to employee safety that cannot be ignored.
Although the future economic prospects are exciting, the social costs and human safety hidden behind this prosperity have become inescapable considerations.
In summary, the formation of the Bakken is undoubtedly a miracle for the U.S. oil industry. It has changed the U.S. energy market with its rich resources and amazing production. However, the security and social challenges it has brought about at the same time make us have to think deeply. : How should we balance the development of resources and the protection of environmental safety?
