Underground Kansas / LJWorld.com

Underground Kansas

Unseen economic resources make big impact on Kansas economy

Each day, workers blast, scoop up, crush and haul tons of salt to the surface — part of an underground operation that’s been mining away at a massive vein of sodium chloride that shows no signs of slowing down.

Oil and gas at Ted’s Z Bar Ranch

Ranch manager Keith Yearout sees value and opportunity in all the oil and natural gas buried beneath Ted Turner's Z Bar Ranch in Kansas.

Keith Yearout: ‘We're expected to make a profit’

Keith Yearout discusses how each of the wells on Ted Turner's 43,000-acre Z Bar Ranch may produce oil or natural gas for 30 or 40 years, but all such good things must someday come to an end.

Natural gas study

The Kansas Geological Survey, with industry partners, put together the Hugoton Asset Management Project, which models an area that includes the Hugoton gas field.

Each colorful line in this graph represents a different gas well in the Hugoton Asset Management Project study area. Shown are 1,600 of the wells in the study area, which includes a portion of Oklahoma.