Historical and early exploration records of hydrocarbon seeps in Kuwait and the surrounding area that led to the discovery of the super giant oilfield - Burgan. A tale of political intrigue and geology.

1. Historical and Early Exploration records of
hydrocarbon seeps in Kuwait and the surrounding area
Dr. Stephen Crittenden
Pearls to Petroleum

2.  INTRODUCTION
 Prospecting in Kuwait
 Political Intrigue
 A mistake of judgement
 A gamble worth taking
 An Open Mind……….Unfettered by any entrenched
geological opinion.
 Hindsight – a good strategy!
 HYDROCARBON SEEPS

3. INTRODUCTION
 The story of the exploration, discovery and exploitation of
hydrocarbons in Kuwait is one of political intrigue, industrial
competition, conflicting geological thought, geological field
work and scientific debate.

4. Kuwait

5. Prospecting in Kuwait
 March, 1913. First Geological Survey of Kuwait by Anglo Persian Oil
Company. Report issued in May 1913. E. H. Pascoe (and S. Lister James).
Additional survey in 1917.
 Eastern General Syndicate geological survey, Sept 1924. Dr Arnold
Heim.
 Frank Holmes. 1926 – 1927, water well drilling but no water found, only
traces of oil in one well.
 APOC Geological survey January 7th to February 7th , 1926. A. G. H
Mayhew and B. K. N. Wylie.
 APOC geological survey mid-December 1931 to mid-January 1932. A. H.
Taitt & P. T. Cox.
 APOC Geological Survey & drilling. 14th February – 13th April, 1932. P. T.
Cox & G. M. Shaw. Kuwait-1 at Bahrah and Kuwait-2 at Burgan.
 KOC Geological survey, Summer 1935. Ralph Rhoades, G. H. Crowell
and P. T. Cox.

6. SEEPS
 These surveys include the record of surface seeps
of hydrocarbons, both oil and gas, in the region
which were used by geologists / prospectors in the
earliest phases of hydrocarbon exploration in
Kuwait.
 The Kuwait seeps are not so prominent as those
recorded in Iran and “Mesopotamia”.

7. Political intrigue
 A marvelous book “The First Kuwait Oil Concession
Agreement – A record of the negotiations 1911 to 1934”
Authored by Archibald H. T. Chisholm (1975), presents and
discusses in detail the political and financial intrigue
associated with the story of the discovery of oil in Kuwait.
Apart from the Sheik of Kuwait, key non-Kuwaiti political
organisations and figures include the British Government
(Foreign Office and Colonial Office), British Political
Resident in the Gulf, Anglo-Persian Oil Company
management and geoscientists, Gulf Oil Corporation
management and geoscientists and Major Frank Holmes
(Abu Neft) of the Eastern and General Syndicate.

8. A mistake of judgement
 Over a period of more than 15 years preceding its discovery
in 1937, then the largest known oil field in the world-
Greater Burgan Field, Kuwait in the Middle East was
offered for a nominal consideration to a number of the
larger companies in the petroleum industry, including the
three leading oil companies—British, Dutch, and
American—in the world;
 The “Management” of all these companies, in turn,
declined the offer despite the geological evidence from
surveys. Not one of them thought it worth while even to
undertake to explore (drill) an area which, once it was
explored (drilled), proved to be the site of an oil field
larger—far larger—than any previously known at that time.

9. A gamble worth taking?
 “Area’s oil chances as highly speculative though on the
whole not unfavourable, recommending the central plain
of Burgan as the best site for test drilling.” Report of E. H.
Pascoe, 7th May 1913.
 APOC, 1917, S. Lister James & G. W. Halse. Their report
recommended test operations at Burgan and Bahrah.
 “Kuwait is a country of some possibility, but not of high
promise.” Arnold Heim, 5th September, 1924.
 “There is a reasonably good chance of finding an
accumulation of oil at depth near one or other of the
seepages….in the territory of Kuwait.” P. T. Cox. 12 May 1932
(APOC).

10. An Open Mind……..
 ''until a discovery well has been drilled the
undiscovered oil or gas field exists at best only as an
idea in the mind of the geologist.'‘ Levorsen quoted by
Wallace E. Pratt, 1952.
 “Where oil is first found, in the final analysis, is in the
minds of men. The undiscovered oil field exists only as
an idea in the mind of some oil-finder.” Wallace E.
Pratt, 1952.

11. …….unfettered by any entrenched
geological opinion.
 A non-open mind for example: Hugo de Bockh –
geological advisor to Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC)
was autocratic, theoretical and had preconceived ideas
about regional geology and prospects for oil (Noble,
quoted from Wellings in Trek of the Oil Finders). His
dictatorial attitude and his basing a negative decision (ie
“no oil in Arabia”, 1920’s) on a geological hypothesis, if other
factors are favourable, before its validity has been tested
held back exploration for a number of years.
 Major Holmes “knew” there was oil to be found in Arabia.
His was a “gut feeling” based on experience and
observation.
 Lesson learned: Think outside the box and assess the
evidence available with an open mind.

12. Hindsight – a good strategy
 The centennial issue of the Oil and Gas Journal
(January 28, 1979) stated:
"Drilling on oil seeps and trends is as good a
way of prospecting today as it was then and
down the years more oil has probably been
found by the use of these simple principles
than from all the new techniques of geology
and geophysics combined."

13. HYDROCARBON SEEPS
 Link (1952) stated:
"A look at the exploration history of the important
oil areas of the world proves conclusively that oil and
gas seeps gave the first clues to most oil-producing
regions. Many great oil fields are the direct results
of seepage drilling."
 Dickey and Hunt (1972) noted:
"It is probable that more oil fields have been
discovered by drilling on or near seeps than any
other prospecting method”.

14. What is a seep?

15. A Seep is……..
 “The surface expression of a migration pathway along
which petroleum is currently flowing driven by
buoyancy from a subsurface origin”
 “All clastic seals will seep / leak: only an unfractured /
unfaulted layered salt or anhydrite will form a perfect
seal”.

16. KUWAIT SEEPS
Hydrocarbon seep (oil and or gas)
approximate location.
Approximate axis of kuwait Arch
Seeps offshore -
submarine
Approximate location of Seeps in
Kuwait
(base map by Colonel Harold Dickson - Political
Agent in Kuwait 1929 – 1936, KOC 1936 – 1959).
From Kuwait City to the wells at
Subaihiyeh is one day camel ride

17. Kuwait and oil and gas fields, 2000

18. Southern Iraq Seeps
 Om Gheir (place of bitumen) near Basra – Tietze, 1879.
 Nahr Umr gas seepage: right bank of the Tigris 20 miles
north of Basrah.
 Described by T. F. Williamson: geologist with Basrah
Petroleum Co Ltd, 1938.
 10 ft x 10 ft x 3 ft deep hole with water in the bottom and
bubbling gas.
 Faint H2S odour but gas could be ignited!
 Yellowish crust at hole edge – sulphur?
 Nahr-Umr -01 well drilled in 1948 on a dome near the seep.
Heavy oil in Miocene (shallow) and light oil in Mid
Cretaceous Nahr Umr sands at c8000 ft.
 Determined by gravity and seismic survey.

19. Neutral Zone (south of kuwait)
Seeps
 Fuwaris seepage oil / gas (P. T. Cox 1934/ 1935).
 Ain el Abd water and gas seep: smell of H2S. 1911 - 1934
field geology parties.

20. Ain El Abd – Gas seep
Arnold Heim 1924.
“At end of a 20 Km wide saltmarsh that
extends to the seashore.
This Spring of the Slave is a round pool 15
to 20 m in diameter in which warm salt
water with strong gas bubbles is coming to
the surface.
Photo 1972
The smell of H2S is noticed from a distance.”

21. Kuwait Seeps
 Foundation (1913) of the American Mission Building south
west side of the town of Kuwait (a rumour documented by
Arnold Heim, 1924)
 Benaid el Oar –(Emil Tietze, 1879) – location near the town
of Kuwait.
 1 Bahra
 2 Burgan
 Subahiya
 4 Magwa
 Wara
 Submarine seeps – oil washed up on the coast

22. 1 Bahra oil and gas seep
 North shore of Kuwait Bay
 South-east of the Jal es Zor escarpment exposing Kuwait Group sediments.
 1913, 15th November. E. H. Pascoe (geologist, Indian geological Survey) and Mr S. Lister
James (chief geologist APOC) fail to reach the seep (29o.37’.30”N, 48o.2’.0” E).
 1913, November. Samples of oil from the seep forwarded by the Kuwait Political Agent
(Capt Shakespear) to Adml Sir E. J. W. Slade.
 1913/ 1914 reported by S. Lister James, chief geologist Anglo-Persian Oil Co.
Recommended shallow structure drilling.
 1917 G. W. Halse, geologist APOC. Heavy viscous oil seep. Recommended drilling holes
300 – 400 ft depth for geological data.
 1924, Arnold Heim, geologist with Eastern & General – drilling would be a gamble!
 1931 / 1932 P. T. Cox and A. H. Taitt APOC. Oil seep and an active gas seepage (2 acre
area) ¾ mile south of the oil seepages . Gas seep indicated by “gach-i-turush” (sour soil,
acrid smell, acid taste, with sulfur & gypsum ppt from gas).
 1932 P. T. Cox & Driller John Green. 84 ft drill hole on the gach-i-turush with numerous
gas shows. Kuwait N0.1 well.
 1935 P. T. Cox (APOC) & Ralph Rhoades (Gulf) & G. H. Crowell (Gulf) recommend test
well at Bahrah.
 Well drilled 1936 / 1937 abandoned at 7,950 ft with shows in the Mid Cretaceous
limestones. Bahra-01 well.

23. North Side of Kuwait Bay:
Jal Az-Zor Escarpment - seep
 Clastic coastal
sabkha
 View NW
Supratidal flat sabkha covered by mobile sand sheet,
small dunes anchored by vegetation
Jal Az-Zor
SC 2010

24. El Bohara
 Heim. June 27th ,1924. Seepage at El Bohara. “ A
roughly oval hole of about 8 by 5 metres, dug out of
the sandy muddy ground to a depth of some 2 ½
metres below the surface….filled with yellowish salt
water…..oil is rising at more or less regular intervals in
the form of black drops……lighter parts entirely
evaporate and black tar is accumulated.”

25. Kuwait No.1 (1932)
 Located on surface gas seep 1250 yds SSW of the main oil
seep.
 On the Bahrah gach-i-turush at M’dairah.
 87 ft TD.
 TD within loose friable “running” sands.
 Lithology encountered: alternating bands of loose sand,
clayey sands, clay and thin beds of hard sandstone.
 Numerous gas shows to TD.
 At and below 25 ft to TD sands contain some gas, oil and
bitumen.
 At 49 ft small gas accumulation under slight pressure.

26. Bahrah -1
 Small anticline around the seepages
 Drilled 1936 / 1937
 TD at 7,95o ft in Middle
to lower Cretaceous sands.
 Minor oil shows.
 Resident geologist:
Ralph Rhoades.

27. Bahrah-01

28. 2 Burgan bitumen deposits
 Plain of Burgan 28 miles south of Kuwait Bay
 Known by local population. Used by wandering Bedouins to waterproof
their tents. Used by seafarers to waterproof their boats.
 Edwin H. Pascoe, 2nd – 5th March 1913 (Report 7th May 1913). Geological
survey: low flat dome structure with a north south long axis, and
bituminous earth in the central plain. Recommended tests as deep as
possible, in the central plain area of Burgan.
 Sheik Mubarak had promised to show it to the British Representative in
1913.
 His son Sheik Jabar took Admiral Sir Edmond Slade, Mr E. H. Pascoe
(geologist, India geological Survey), Mr James (APOC), Prof John
Cadman, and Mr Blundstone (geologist) to the seep on 12th and 13th
November, 1913.
 S. Lister James, 1913 / 1914 – chief geologist Anglo- Persian Oil Co.
Recommended shallow structure drilling.
 Formed a substantial bitumen lake beneath a few feet of aeolian sand.
 Associated with a small active seep of hydrocarbon gas.
 Associated with sour gypseous earth – Gach I Turush.

29. Burgan (continued)
 Geological survey by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company: 1917 confirmed bitumen
deposits at Burgan - Lister James and G. W Halse: recommended to drill
shallow wells and pits / trenches to determine provenance of bitumen.
 1924 Dr Arnold Heim. Did not find the seep at Burgan or at Subahiya (5 miles S
520 W).
 Confirmed by shallow dug pits and shallow drilling by Anglo-Persian Oil
Company 1931 – 1932 P. T. Cox, G. M. Shaw and A. H. Taitt:
 Bitumen in the surficial sediments – a lake 200 yds diameter.
 Active gas seepage indications; gach-i-turush.
 Sulphurous water in wells nearby.
 1932 P. T. Cox & Driller John Green. Kuwait – 02, 218 ft drill hole on edge of
lake: with bitumen in Kuwait Series all way down.
 KOC geological report 1934 / 1935 P. T. Cox & Rhodes, R. O. confirmed
bitumen. Recommend drilling.
 1936 Gravity and seismic reflection survey confirmed structural high.
 Burgan-01 drilled in 1937 /1938 – successful. A good example of a play /
discovery associated with surface deposits of bitumen and gas but location
determined by geophysics – gravity and reflection determine structural crest at
Burgan Bitumen location.

30. Burgan – the place of bitumen
BP archive photo apparently showing the Burgan oil seep
location.
However, more
likely to be the
seep described
at El Bohara.

31. Kuwait – 02 (1932)
 Edge of bitumen lake at Burgan.
 3870 ft, bearing 335.5o (mag) from highest point of Burgan
Hills.
 218 ft. 06 ins. TD.
 Lithologies similar to Kuwait-01 well at Bahrah but more
firmly cemented and more clay. Hard sandstones occur and
below 170 ft thin alternating beds of hard calc sst and soft
sticky blue marl.
 TD within Kuwait series sands.
 Heavily impregnated with plastic bitumen at intervals to
TD.

32. Burgan Discovery Well

33. Burgan-01 well
 Penetrated a near-surface section of undiff sands and
gravels (Kuwait Group) underlain by Eocene to upper
Cretaceous carbonates and minor shales.
 Section contained extensive shows of heavy oil, asphalt
and sulphur.
 Thin sliver of Cretaceous shale - cap rock shales
(Ahmadi Fm), above the oil bearing Middle
Cretaceous Burgan sands (3,672 ft).

34. 4 Magwa (Madanayat)
 Gas seepage (both active and dead seeps in the area)
 Arnold Heim report 1924. Reports of sulphur from digging.
 1931 / 1932 P. T. Cox, G. M. Shaw and A. H. Taitt, Gach-i-
turush at Madanayat. Recommended drilling a deep test
well east of the seepage.
 October 1951 well located c 7 miles north of the
northernmost part of the Burgan Field
 Gas seep.
 Seismic survey.
 Structural drilling.
 Structural location of well – dome subsidiary to Burgan.
 Magwa Field: small primary gas cap.

35. 6 Submarine Seeps and Pock Marks
 E. H. Pascoe, May, 1913. “A floating tract of naptha coinciding no
doubt with a submarine seepage was described by Captain
Constable as occurring between the islands of Qaru and Kubbar,
some 56 miles south east of Burgan. Also noted by Arnold Heim
(not seen by him).
 The oil spring of Karu, 6 – 8 miles a little west of north from
Karu, the oil rising from a sea bottom of 16 fathoms.
 March 1932 (P. T. Cox, 1932): bitumen on shore at Kuwait town,
Ras al Ardh & Ras Ajuza, Fintas, Abu Halifa and Qasr al Abid:
small flakes of soft pitch from recent storms.
 Pervasive throughout the seafloor of the Gulf is an extensive
network of pockmarks formed by seepages of thermogenic gas
(Elazar Uchupi, S. A. Swift and D. A. Ross. 1996. Gas venting and
late Quaternary sedimentation in the Arabian Gulf. Marine
Geology, 129, 237-269 )

36. P. T. Cox 1932
 An intuitive as well as logical scientific interpretation of the
known hard evidence to arrive at the decision to drill for
hydrocarbons in Kuwait.
 Oil and / or gas seepages aligned from north to south: Bahrah,
Madanayat, Burgan and Fuwaris.
 Structural: a long broad high aligned north to south through the
seepages from Fuwaris to north of Kuwait Bay.
 Despite the positive evidence and the positive encouraging
interpretation of various geologists, particularly P. T. Cox (1932) “to
drill for oil in Kuwait”, oil company management / politicians did
not pursue a concession or sanction drilling.
 The discovery of oil in Bahrain in 1932. In an area considered non-
prospective!!
 Scramble for a concession in Kuwait!
 The discovery of Burgan.

37. First oil shipment June 30th 1946
Sheik Ahmed al Jaber Al Sabah opening the silver valve wheel

38. THE END

39.  Chisholm, A. H. T., 1975. The First Kuwait Oil
Concession Agreement. Frank Cass & Co London.
 Owen, Edgar Wesley., 1975. Trek of the Oil Finders: A
history of the exploration of petroleum. AAPG Tulsa.
 Unpublished thoughts from George Carman.
 Other references