1: A deep-pool wildcat has been scheduled by Paragon Oil Co. in an unincorporated county in Illinois’ Johnston City East Field. The #1 Illinois Minerals LLC will be in Section 17-8s-3e with a planned depth of 6,600 ft. to Trenton. According to IHS Inc., Paragon’s venture is surrounded by shallower oil wells in Johnston City East Field, which came online in 1959. Reservoir output comes from numerous Mississippian pays and from shallower Palestine to deeper Mc-Closky. Wells in the field were drilled to total depths of 2,600-2,700 ft. West of Paragon’s proposed venture is Stiritz Field; Johnston City Northeast Field is to the northeast. Oil and gas wells in those two fields reached total depths of 2,600-3,000 ft. Paragon’s headquarters are in Mt. Vernon, Ill.

2: Two Silurian exploratory tests have been staked in Randolph County, Ill., by West Drilling Co. The #1 Adams is scheduled to be drilled to 2,425 ft. in Section 2-5s-5w. Illinois regulators initially placed #1 Adams in Section 2-6s-5w, about five miles south of the corrected surface location. In the same section, a Silurian test by West Drilling, #1 Bergians, was completed drilled to 2,428 ft. in mid-2011, but no details were released. In Perry County, about two miles east of West Drilling’s new location, is a shallow coalbed gas well. West Drilling is based in Mt. Carmel, Ill.

3: In Washington County, Ill., Oelze Equipment Co. has scheduled a deeper-pool test. The Irvington East Field venture, #1 Beckmeyer, is scheduled to 3,700 ft. in Section 13-1s-1w. Two nearby wells are operated by Resolve Exploration Corp., #2 Ohlemeyer and #1 Ohlemeyer, but no details are available for #2 Ohlemeyer. The #1 Ohlemeyer is in Section 24 and was tested in March 2010 flowing 58 bbl. of crude per day from Benoist at 1,950-55 ft. Through July 2011, the well, which extended Irving-ton East Field to the north-northwest, produced 9,275 bbl. of crude. July output from the 1,994-ft. well totaled 790 bbl. of crude. According to IHS Inc., Irvington East Field produces from Pennsylvanian at 1,030 ft., Cypress at 1,750 ft. and Benoist at 1,950 ft. Oelze is based in Nashville, Ill.

4: According to IHS Inc., Presidium Energy LLC has started drilling a 5,300-ft. exploratory test in Section 28-22n-6w of Missaukee County, Mich. The #28-D3 Baas wildcat is targeting pays in Richfield. The nearest previous drilling in the county is one mile southwest at a 3,955-ft. test drilled in 1941: #1 C. Blue in Section 33 encountered some oil and gas shows at 3,260 ft. in Traverse. Missaukee County’s Prosper Field produces primarily from Dundee Lime, although some production comes from deeper pays in Richfield. A Richfield pay completion is three miles east-southeast of Presidium’s drillsite. The #1 Merrill-Palmer School was drilled to 5,254 ft. in 1954 and was tested flowing 40 bbl. of crude per day through Richfield perforations at 5,128-43 ft. First production from the field was reported in 1942. Presidium Energy’s headquarters are in Traverse City, Mich.

5: Devon Energy Production Co. has filed an application with Michigan regulators to drill a horizontal wildcat in the A-1 Carbonate play. The proposed #1-18 HD1 Wiley is one of several horizontal tests planned in the liquids-rich play. The #1-18 HD1 Wiley will be drilled in Section 18n-18n-2w in Gladwin County, Mich. Following a 9,500-ft. vertical pilot hole, the well will be horizontally drilled to a bottomhole about one mile northeast in the same section; the proposed total depth is 14,900 ft. To the south is Dundee oil production in Bard Field and to the east is Grout Field, which produces from Dundee, Detroit River and Prairie du Chien. Devon holds approximately 300,000 net acres in the A-1 Carbonate play and in the Michigan portion of the Utica shale play.

6: Range Resources Corp. of Fort Worth, Texas, is drilling the first of several planned Niagaran tests in Ingham County, Mich. The #2-12 Brown is being directionally drilled out of a test abandoned 30 years ago in Section 12-2n-1e. The exploratory test is planned to bottom to the south beneath the same section. Proposed total depth is 4,460 ft., 4,370 ft. true vertical. The #2-12 Brown is being drilled out of #1 Showers Unit, which was originally drilled to 4,270 ft. The #2-12 Brown well is immediately east of oil production in In - gham Field.

7: Chesapeake Operating Inc. of Oklahoma City reported results on its Utica shale exploration program in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Chesapeake drilled 12 horizontal wells in the wet-gas and dry-gas phases of the play and is still evaluating the oil phase. In Harrison County, Ohio, #8H Buell had a peak flow rate of 9.5 million cu. ft. of gas and 1,425 bbl. of oil and natural gas liquids per day. The well has a lateral length of 6,418 ft. In Car-roll County, #8H Mangun flowed at a peak rate of 3.1 million cu. ft. of gas and 1,015 bbl. per day of liquids. It was drilled to a lateral length of 6,231 ft. In Carroll County, #3H Neider had a peak rate of 3.8 million cu. ft. of gas and 980 bbl. of liquids per day. It has a lateral length of 4,152 ft. In Beaver County, Pa., #3H Thompson had a peak rate of 6.4 million cu. ft. of gas per day. It was drilled to a lateral length of 4,322 ft. The remaining eight Utica shale wells are being completed.

8: Rex Energy Corp. has completed several Butler County, Pa., wells. On its three-well Behm pad, the five-day flow rate for each well averaged 6.6 million cu. ft. of gas equivalent per day. The 30-day flow rate for each well was 5.3 million cu. ft. of gas equivalent per day. Each well had an average lateral length of 4,200 ft. per well. Also, Rex has completed fracture stimulation and completion operations on its Upper Devonian shale test, #11-HB Gilliland. The #11-HB Gilliland had a 2,700-ft. lateral length with a five-day flow rate of 3.1 million cu. ft. of gas per day. According to the State College, Pa.-based company, gas produced from the Gilliland well is similar in composition to the gas produced by Marcellus shale wells in the area. Rex plans to drill and complete additional Upper Devonian/Burkett shale wells during its 2012 drilling program.

9: Sklar Exploration Co. has permitted a Conecuh County, Ala., wildcat along the southern flank of Little Cedar Creek Field in Section 30-4n-13e—a rapidly expanding Smackover oil pool. The #1 Ralls 30-8 is expected to be vertically drilled to an undisclosed total depth in Paleozoic. It is about two miles north of the Escambia County line in Section 30-4n-13e. A nearby completion by Sklar, #1 Hamiter 32-3, was completed in 2011 through Smackover perforations at 11,665-11,702 ft. and flowed 540 bbl. of oil and 627,000 cu. ft. of gas daily. Fletcher Petro - leum Corp. and Pruet Production Co. are also active at Smackover tests in the area.

10: A Smackover exploratory test by Pruet Production Co. in Alabama’s southern Conecuh County, along the southern flank of Little Cedar Creek Field, has expanded the Smackover oil pool. The #32-2 Cedar Creek Land & Timber flowed 435 bbl. of crude and 448,000 cu. ft. of gas per day through perforations at 11,598-11,624 ft. Tested on a 16/64-in. choke, the flowing tubing pressure was 780 psi. The vertical well is in Section 32-4n-13e and was drilled to 11,950 ft. Pruet is waiting on completion tools at another test one mile northeast: #29-8 Boothe & Casey was drilled to 11,775 ft. in October 2011. Pruet’s headquarters are in Jackson, Miss.

All data in the Exploration Highlights section is based on sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The prudent investor intending to act upon any particular data is urged to verify it with all other available sources. In no way should the publication of these items be construed as an express or implied endorsement of a company or its activities.

Most land in the U.S. is divided into townships—rectangular tracts six miles square. The township, in turn, is divided into 36 numbered sections, each a one-mile square. The lines running north-south and dividing east from west are called range lines. The lines running east-west and dividing north from south are township lines.

A well in Section 15-Township 4 north-Range 3 east is abbreviated: 15-4n-3e.