This morning, Golden State said four new gas shows have been encountered over the interval 10,377-10,418 feet (3162-3175m) in a porous sandstone of the Desert Creek member.

Last month, the company reported that the well, which is targeting 11 potential pay zones and 3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas, encountered a 20ft oil interval and minor gas shows in shallower objectives.

Houston-based Trend Exploration Consultants this week undertook a review of the well results achieved to date.

“The current information is very positive in my opinion …To date the well has drilled the section almost as predicted,” TEC’s Neville Henry was quoted by Golden State as saying in a statement.

“In fact, I think with any significant porosity this well might produce significant gas. Although no quantitative predictions can be made, the Paradox Basin-1 well continues to have increasing levels of background and connection and trip gas and that is very positive.”

This morning, the Paradox-1 Basin well was drilling ahead at a depth of 10,470ft in the Desert Creek secondary objective in the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation.

The Desert Creek member, which is a sequence of sandstone, dolomite and shale, is one of the producing horizons at the giant Greater Aneth field, 170km away in the south of the Paradox Basin. To date, Greater Aneth has produced 448 million barrels of oil and 390Bcf of gas.

Drilling is continuing towards Paradox-1’s primary targets, the Barker Creek and the Leadville Limestone, a potential 3 trillion cubic feet reservoir at a depth of 13,700ft. Golden State expects the well to reach the objective Leadville Limestone in about two weeks’ time.

Golden State is operator and holds an initial 100% interest in the well through its wholly-owned US subsidiary, Golden Eagle Exploration. Denver-based joint venture partner Eclipse Exploration has the right to back-in with a 16.67% working interest after Golden State finishes drilling two wells.