Forty seven drilling permits were issued and 30 wells were drilled in 2013. Three companies drilled 27 wells for potash in the area of Petrified Forest National Park east of Holbrook.

Fifteen miles south of Florence, Arizona, preparations for a unique drill hole were completed in late February. The drill hole is unprecedented in its physical dimensions. It will likely smash the Arizona depth record of 12,500 feet set in 1972 by Exxon, 15 miles southeast of Tucson.

Thirty four drilling permits were issued and 16 wells were drilled through June 30, 2012. All but three permits and one well drilled were stratigraphic tests for potash east of Holbrook.

Recent exploitation of shale to extract gas and oil has resulted in a boom of drilling and hydraulic fracturing across the United States. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has mapped the primary shale gas basins in the United States as shown in the accompanying figure. None are in Arizona.