One of Utah's most experienced petroleum geologists said Monday that the central Utah oil and gas province, discovered last year, could be bigger than the famous Wyoming Thrust Belt.

How big is that? Another expert said the Wyoming overthrust system, which extends into northern Utah, is estimated to have at least 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Much of that has been pumped out since the Wyoming discoveries of the 1970s, but the fields are still producing.

If the newly discovered Central Utah Thrust Belt has 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil, at today's price the crude would be worth $60 billion. If the reserves are twice that, the value jumps to $1.2 trillion.

Floyd C. Moulton, a consulting geologist who has 54 years of experience in Utah petroleum, spoke at a meeting of the Utah Geological Association, held in the state's Natural Resources Building, 1594 W. North Temple.

He is a consulting geologist who has overseen the drilling of hundreds of oil wells and also was involved in the development of the gas and condensate fields. The author of 14 important papers, he has given 26 professional presentations on the geology of central Utah, according to the association.

Moulton refused to cite numbers of barrels of oil that might be found in the region but said the find could be larger than the Wyoming Thrust Belt. He added that as many as 15 oil fields may be developed in central Utah.

The discovery was made by Wolverine Gas and Oil, which drilled into an underground trap formed of Navajo sandstone. The area is about eight miles east of Richfield.

Over the prior half-century, 115 wells had been drilled in the general vicinity — but none tapped the Navajo sandstone formation reservoirs far underground. Wolverine's strike was the 116th well. Since then the company has drilled nine other producing wells.

"This is a fantastic oil and gas prospect area in central Utah," Moulton said. Wolverine's wells may produce 13 million to 15 million barrels per well, with 150 million barrels total pumped in the next 40 years. "And we're going to find a bunch more just like it, just like it, up and down central Utah," he said.

The potential oil-rich region extends along the ancient Ephraim fault, westward toward the Nevada border. The fault stretches for 85 miles north and south, roughly along U.S. 89. Oil reserves trapped by the fault apparently reach to the west toward the Delta desert, 50 miles away.

Oil migrated there because of overlying layers of salt and rock. About 8,000 to 10,000 feet of rock is needed to form the right conditions for the migration and trapping of the oil.

A thick canopy of salt makes seismic studies difficult. But since the discovery, new studies have been launched.

Moulton predicted that in a few years, the discovery would exceed the production of the Wyoming Thrust Belt. By then there could be five or six new fields the size of the initial Wolverine strike.

"There might be a super-giant" field, he added.

In Wyoming, about half of the potential sites drilled turned out to be oil fields. If that ratio holds up in central Utah, with 30 prospects, Moulton said, eventually 15 fields could be developed.

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