# Aux Vases Sandstone Mineral Rights in the Illinois Basin

**TL;DR:** The Aux Vases Sandstone is the dominant Late Mississippian oil-producing formation across the Illinois Basin, typically found at 1,500-3,000 feet depth. It supports active waterflood operations across southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana, and Western Kentucky, with royalty payments appearing on thousands of mineral owner statements spanning nearly a century of continuous production.

## Key Takeaways

- **Primary Illinois Basin Producer**: The Aux Vases is the most important oil-producing sandstone unit across the Illinois Basin, with production history dating back nearly 100 years
- **Shallow Production Depth**: Formation depth ranges from approximately 1,500 to 3,000 feet TVD (true vertical depth) across the basin
- **Multi-State Production Footprint**: Major production occurs across 30+ counties in Illinois (White, Wayne, Hamilton, Saline, Gallatin, Marion, Clay), Indiana (Posey, Gibson, Knox, Daviess), and Western Kentucky (Henderson, Daviess, Hopkins, Webster)
- **Active Waterflood Operations**: Hundreds of fields maintain continuous waterflood production using enhanced recovery techniques
- **Stacked Pay Potential**: Commonly co-produced with other formations including the Cypress Sandstone (above) and McClosky Limestone (below) in the same wellbore
- **Late Mississippian Age**: Geological age of approximately 340 million years with fine- to medium-grained sandstone lithology featuring high porosity and good permeability

## Page Highlights

**Geological Characteristics**: The Aux Vases is a Late Mississippian (Chesterian Series) sandstone with fine- to medium-grained lithology, high porosity, and good permeability. It sits stratigraphically beneath the Cypress Sandstone and above the Renault Limestone and McClosky formations.

**Geographic Distribution**: Production concentrates in three state regions—southern Illinois (counties including White, Wayne, Hamilton, Saline, Gallatin, Marion, Clay, Effingham, Edwards, Richland, Jasper, Wabash, Crawford, Lawrence), southwestern Indiana (Posey, Gibson, Knox, Daviess, Pike, Sullivan, Greene, Vigo, Warrick), and Western Kentucky (Henderson, Daviess, Hopkins, Webster, Union, McLean, Ohio, Muhlenberg).

**Major Producing Fields**: Top fields include Clay City Consolidated, Salem Consolidated, Loudon, New Harmony Consolidated, Mt. Carmel, Lawrence, Bridgeport, Olney Consolidated, and Westfield fields.

**Production Operations**: The formation supports extensive waterflood operations that have maintained production for decades, with royalty interests held by thousands of mineral owners across the basin.

## Related Topics

- [Illinois Basin Definitive Guide](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (referenced in content)
- [How to Sell Mineral Rights](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (related guide)
- [What Are My Minerals Worth?](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (valuation guide)
- [Should I Sell Mineral Rights?](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (decision guide)
- [Beginner's Guide to Mineral Rights](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (educational resource)
- [Getting a Fair Price for Mineral Rights](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (pricing guide)
- [US Drilling Activity Index](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (market data)
- [Oil & Gas Market Data Hub](https://www.buckheadenergy.com/aux-vases-mineral-rights) (market analysis)

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