The Fouke field is near the western margin of the Gulf Coastal Plain in Miller County, Arkansas. Subsequent to seismic exploration, the field was discovered, June 6, 1940, upon completion of an oil well in the Paluxy formation. On the basis of subsurface geology, a second productive formation was discovered on March 6, 1947, upon completion of a gas-condensate well in the Kilpatrick limestone of the Rodessa formation. Cumulative production from the Paluxy formation through January, 1947, was 3,568,137 barrels from 46 wells having an average depth of 3,550 feet. The total area capable of producing is an estimated 1,600 acres.

The accumulation of gas and oil is believed to be due to closure on both the upthrown and downthrown sides of a northeast-southwest-trending fault zone. The fault zone is a part of the arcuate graben system extending west and east across southwest Arkansas. Closure in the Paluxy formation is approximately 150 feet.

Development has been on staggered 20-acre spacing except when restricted to 40-acre units by Petroleum Administration of War regulations. The Paluxy crude oil is black, sweet-smelling, and has a corrected gravity of 32.1° A.P.I.