Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Wells

This map depicts the 4,300 + oil and gas exploration and production wells by year on the North Slope of Alaska. Also depicted is the 80 + proposed wells.

Interest in the oil resources of northern Alaska began with reports in the early 1900s of surface oil seeps along the arctic coast east of Point Barrow. In 1923, the 23-million acre Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 was established in northwestern Alaska to secure a supply of oil for future national security needs. That area was later renamed the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

During World War II, the entire North Slope of Alaska - 48.8 million acres - was withdrawn from entry under the public land laws and thus held for exclusive use by the U.S. government for military purposes. Extensive government-sponsored exploration for oil and gas occurred in the NPR-A during the 1940-1950s.

In the 1950s, post-war construction and accelerating resource development across Alaska raised concerns about the potential loss of this region's special natural values. In 1952-53, government scientists conducted a comprehensive survey of potential conservation areas in Alaska. Their report, "The Last Great Wilderness," identified the undisturbed northeast corner of Alaska as the best opportunity for protection.

The largest oil field in North America was discovered on state land in the Prudhoe Bay area in 1968. Additional petroleum discoveries have been made on Alaska's North Slope, including the major fields of Kuparuk, Endicott and Pt. McIntyre.

Download the PDF (wells_2001.pdf, 912 KB)