Discovery of the Dammam No. 7 oil well
Descubrimiento del petróleo de Dammam No. 7
- Date
- 1938 · confidence high
- Place
- Dhahran, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
- Credited to
- California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc); chief geologist Max Steineke
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
After six dry holes, Dammam well no. 7 produced oil in commercial quantity in March 1938, from Jurassic limestones. It started Saudi Arabia's production and the exploitation of the world's largest fields.
The well was completed in early March 1938 (the 3rd is often cited); initial production figures vary by source.
What it led to
- discovery of giant fields (Abqaiq, Abu Hadriya, Ghawar)
- Aramco and the Saudi oil economy
- Saudi Arabia's role in oil geopolitics