Subsurface Geology of Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina

This paper presents a summary of the geological and geophysical methods used and data obtained in eastern North Carolina during the petroleum exploration program (1945-1947) of Esso Standard Oil Company on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. During the exploration venture two wells were drilled: Hatteras Light well No. 1 as a stratigraphic test on the easternmost promontory of Cape Hatteras, and North Carolina Esso No. 2 as a stratigraphic and structural test. Hatteras Light well No. 1 is the deepest well drilled to date along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Maine to Florida. The considerable data obtained during the venture have made possible new interpretations of the subsurface geology of eastern North Carolina.