By Steve Richert With tremendous opportunities for profit, there is reward for drilling deep lateral wells into formations that previously were drilled vertically. However, drilling unconventional wells into these deep formations (10,000 feet-13,000 feet vertical depth) presents risk that may not be encountered in traditional shale gas and tight oil plays. Specifically, many of the indicators used to spot a kick do not appear or become so subtle they look like expected behaviors or less dangerous issues. Kicks can be detected while drilling deep horizontals in legacy formations, but to minimize the risk of accidents, the industry needs to become aware of the kick indicators that remain effective and discard the common assumption that a negative flow check means everything's fine. Two exemplary formations where more caution regarding kicks may be necessary are the Austin Chalk of eastern Texas and western Louisiana, and the Turner sandstone formation in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. Opportunities abound in the PRB's deep wells. DECEMBER 2019 71