~0 C, 
Figure 1 .—Value of petroleum and total value of mineral production
in Mississippi. 
396 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1972 
 
 
VALUE, million dollars 
 
 
 
 
ana that were in the aborted sale scheduled December 21, 1971. Environmental
groups which obtained an injunction blocking the December sale planned no
further court action on this offering. Though technically off the coast of
Louisiana, 25,000 acres lie due south of Mobile, Ala., and 45,000 acres lie
south of Mississippi. 
 Oil- and gas-drilling operations declinedin 1972 primarily owing to less
development drilling activity in the Eocene Wilcox and Upper Cretaceous trends.
Explora~ 
tory well-drilling completions increased 18% over those of 1971. The Jurassic
trend had significant development drilling in the Pachuta Creek and Prairie
Branch fields in Clarke County, and the Lake Utopia field in Jasper County,
with four oil wells each. In the Paleozojc area of the Black Warrior Basin,
the Corinne field, discovered in 1972, had three gas wells. The most significant
development drilling in the Lower Cretaceous was at Davis field, Clarke County.
This field, which has multiple pay zones in the Paluxy and Washita-Freder