Deep Test Well in Lawrence County, Indiana: Drilling Techniques and Stratigraphic Interpretations

Abstract

The Indiana Farm Bureau Cooperative Association, Inc. No. 1 Luther Brown well in Lawrence County established a new depth record for Indiana of 6,806 feet. The Farm Bureau No. 1 Brown well was drilled proficiently. Although the drilling cost of $92,541 is high as compared to the cost of the typical test well drilled in the Illinois Basin, drilling probably was effected at a near minimum cost figure. Appropriate equipment was employed, and special emphasis was placed on the mud program and the types of bits used. The Farm Bureau No. 1 Brownwell is far removed from other deep test wells. As a consequence, important new data on the lithologic character and thickness of the Knox Dolomite, Eau Claire Formation, and Mt. Simon Sandstone were obtained from it. This lower Ordovician and Cambrian rock section is 4,290 feet thick in the well. This report has been prepared with two objectives in mind, namely, the presentation of operational data and the presentation of stratigraphic information.