Pete Matuszczak spent his entire career working for Pan American (later Amoco Production). In 1967, he discovered the Wattenberg Field in the Denver Basin by using concepts he learned from the basin-centered gas accumulation in the San Juan Basin. Pete studied numerous wells in the Denver Basin penetrating the tight “J” Sandstone (Lower Cretaceous) that had gas shows with no water. Using Amoco’s technique of massive hydraulic fracturing, gas was produced economically from the low permeability, tight gas sandstone reservoirs. Initially, Amoco calculated the reserves as 1TCF. However, by decreasing the well spacing, increasing the volume of the hydraulic fracturing, and developing overlying stratigraphic levels, the ultimate reserves are now considered to be greater than13TCF.

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Bert Bally - Research Scientist, Explorationist, and Professor (Part 3)
Bill Zagorski - Discovery and Development of the Marcellus Shale (Part 2)