Oil Drilling for Dummies

We've had a lot of interest lately in North Dakota oil well technology, particularly since the strike on Grandma and Grandpa Rolfsrud's old claim near Keene. There is a special process used to coax the stubborn oil from the Bakken Shale. We've visited the well site, looked at rigs, heard explanations (see Stan's home movie on the left), but never really understood how the process works. Until now.
That's because we have our North Dakota Cousin Guy Rolfsrud and this new video. Guy sent us a link to a really great five minute video that does an excellent job of explaining just how you drill sideways for oil, then penetrate and fracture the shale and rock formation a couple miles underground. Click here to see it.
(That's Stan, Virg and Steve in the photo above taken by Cousin Harold during the official Bakken Shale inspection and golf expedition conducted 18 months ago. There's a home movie of that over on the left side of this blog too.)
Some say there's more oil in the western North Dakota area than there is in Saudi Arabia, if you just could get at it. This video shows you how they're trying to do just that.