1 In Moffat County, Colo., Axia Energy LLC reported a horizontal Niobrara wildcat producer. The Denver-based company's #26-34H-894 Bulldog is in Section 26-8n-94. The venture produced 5,744 bbl. of oil and 110.5 million cu. ft. of gas between September and November, 2012, while November output averaged about 67 bbl. of oil and 1.2 million cu. ft. of gas per day. It was tested in a horizontal lateral drilled to 16,563 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 23-8n-94w and the true vertical depth is 11,605 ft. The company has released no additional completion details. Axia has location staked for a 12,364-ft. horizontal Niobrara wildcat at #27-34H-894 Bulldog in Section 27-8n-94w. No activity has been reported at this site.

2 A Niobrara discovery was announced by Double Eagle Petroleum Co. in Wyoming's Cow Creek Field. The #1692-41-12-N Cow Creek initially flowed 327 bbl. of oil and 840,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. The 9,450-ft.discovery is in Section 12-16n-92w, of Carbon County, and produces from an undisclosed Niobrara interval. According to Double Eagle, the reported production rate does not include any potential production from the deeper Frontier and Dakota gas formations, which have already been perforated and fractured. The Casper, Wyo.-based company is waiting on additional permitting to begin production from these deeper gas formations.Currently, the company is installing a pumping unit on the well. Double Eagle owns approximately 95% interest in the discovery, and currently has approximately 37,000 net acres (69,000 gross acres) in the Atlantic Rim area.

3 SM Energy Co. completed a horizontal Niobrara producer in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. The #1-36H Moonlight-State is in Section 36-41n-76w of Converse County. It produced 334 bbl. of 44.3-degreegravity oil, 464,000 cu. ft. of gas and 94 bbl. of water per day. Production is from a horizontal Niobrara lateral extending from 12,629 ft. north-northeastward to 17,211 ft. Gauged on a 20/64-in. choke, the flowing tubing pressure was 400 psi after 15-stage fracturing. The true vertical depth is 12,214 ft. The Denver-based company's discovery is on the southern flank of Finley Draw Field and is the area's first Niobrara producer.

4 According to IHS Inc., ConocoPhillips Co. has recovered oil from Niobrara at a horizontal wildcat drilled outside the company's Lowry Bombing Range site in the Denver-Jules-burg Basin. The #32-3H Tebo is in Section 32-4s-64w, Arapahoe County, Colo. The venture was completed in August 2012. January 2013 output averaged about 77 bbl. of oil, 184,709 cu. ft. of gas and 11 bbl. of water per day. The Houston-based company has not released completion details. The horizontal venture targeted Niobrara C chalk with a planned depth of 11,868 ft. The planned true vertical total depth was 7,745 ft.

5 Mountainview Energy Inc. has completed a horizontal Three Forks exploratory test that initially flowed 427 bbl. of oil, 838,000 cu. ft. of gas and 1,004 bbl. of water per day. The #3-10-1H Leininger is in Section 3-162n-101w of Divide County, ND It flowed for three days during the completion program at an average rate of 380 bbl. of oil, 230,000 cu. ft. of gas and 1,088 bbl. of water per day. The company completed the well by milling out 25 bridge plugs from the 26-stage plug-and-perf fracture stimulation. An artificial lift system was installed and now averages 348 bbl. of oil, 636,500 cu. ft. of gas and 772 bbl. of water daily from Three Forks. Cut Bank, Mont.-based Mountain-view holds an 88.28% working interest in this venture.

6 Two horizontal wildcats were completed by Hunt Oil Co. from a common drillpad in Section 1-160n-101w in Divide County, ND The venture produced 233 bbl. of 39.4-degreegravity crude and 490 bbl. of water per day. The #1-33-28HTF Alexandria produces from a horizontal lateral in Three Forks extending from 9,402 ft. northward to 19,472 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 28-161n-100w. The true vertical depth is 8,879 ft. and the well was tested following a 25-stage fracturing. The #1-1-12H Sioux Trail is in Section 1-160n-101w and initially pumped 160 bbl. of oil with 75,000 cu. ft. of gas and 445 bbl. of water per day. Production is from a horizontal Middle Bakken lateral extending from 9,153 ft. to 18,498 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 12-160n-101w. The true vertical depth is 9,041 ft. and was tested following 25-stage fracture stimulation. The well's vertical pilot hole was drilled to 9,270 ft. Hunt is based in Houston.

7 A horizontal Three Forks producer by Denver-based QEP Energy Co. was announced on the southern Nesson Anticline in North Dakota. The #13-17-16H Moberg is in Section 17-149n-95w in McKenzie County, and is “free flowing 1,248 bbl. of oil per day at an unchoked rate,” according to the company. Production is from a fractured Three Forks lateral extending from 11,416 ft. eastward to 20,840 ft. at a bottomhole location in Section 16-149n-95w. The true vertical depth is 11,128 ft. The producer is in the Grail/Croff/Bear Den Field area.

8 London-based Nighthawk Energy Inc. has disclosed details on a Lincoln County, Colo., discovery. The #6-2 John Craig is in Section 2-10s-56w and flowed 603 bbl. of 37-degree-gravity oil, 125,000 cu. ft. of gas and 151 bbl. of water per day during initial tests of Pennsylvanian Cherokee at 7,354-66 ft. The well was tested following a small acid cleanup. Designated the Old Homestead Field opener, it was drilled to 8,250 ft. The discovery is two miles west of the two-well Riverbend Field.

9 ConocoPhillips Inc. is under way at a wildcat in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) on Alaska's North Slope. The #1 Cassin is in Section 28-12n-1w, Umiat Meridian, on the 5,585-acre federal lease AA081754 within the Bear Tooth Unit. Houston-based ConocoPhillips has locations staked for nine other Cassin wells in the area, none of which have been drilled. The #1 Cassin is southeast of Teshekpuk Lake and about 24 miles west of Alpine Field, an approximate 430 million-bbl. oil reservoir in the Alpine sand east of the NPR-A within the Colville River Unit.

10 According to Brisbane-based Linc Energy Ltd., the company hit 100 ft. of net oil pay in Lower Grandstand at a well in the Umiat Field area on Alaska's North Slope. The #18 Umiat is in Section 3-1s-1w of Umiat Meridian. Linc expects to encounter a deeper gas target at the site, which the company plans to plug back to perform a flowtest of Lower Grandstand. Additional completion information is not currently available. Linc Energy also plans to drill a horizontal Lower Grandstand well at #23H Umiat. The #18 Umiat is the first well to be drilled in the Umiat Field area since 1979.

11 According to IHS Inc., Madrid-based Repsol is drilling at a North Slope wildcat 12 miles northeast of the village of Nuisut, Alaska. The #3 Qugruk is in Section 6-11n-6e of Umiat Meridian. It's being directionally drilled southward to a bottomhole location in Section 7-11n-6e. Further details are not yet available. Rep-sol was recently granted a drilling permit for #3A Qugruk, a sidetrack that will be directionally drilled northwestward to a bottomhole location in Section 31-12n-6e. In late 2011, Repsol in late 2011 filed permit applications with the state for four exploratory tests to be drilled on its Qugruk prospect—#1 Qugruk, Section 28-13n-6e; #2 Qugruk, Section 25-13n-5e; #3 Qugruk, Section 31-12n-6e; and #4 Qugruk in Section 15-13n-4e. The Qugruk project kicks off a multi-year North Slope exploration joint venture between Rep-sol and GMT Exploration LLC and 70 & 148 LLC. Rep-sol's working interest in the project is 70%.

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 US 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.