Prudhoe bay: Discovery of Alaska's oil giant

Richfield Oil Corp. began running seismic survey crews on the northern coast of Alaska, bordering the Arctic Ocean, in 1963. The Prudhoe structure was discovered the following year.

Prior to the field's discovery, major oil companies already had established various exploration and drilling activities in the region. Wildcats were being drilled throughout Alaska, despite the harsh conditions. Exploration in Alaska proved to be much more expensive and time-consuming than that of other U.S. land operations, due...