American oil engineers would be forced to drill wells in seven different areas before making a significant discovery of oil, almost five years after drilling first began.
That major discovery was thanks in large to one American geologist, Max Steineke. Steineke was the chief geologist for the US oil prospectors from 1936 onwards, and spent years surveying the Arabian peninsula for clues about the locations of possible oil reserves.
"The success of the Saudi Arabian oil enterprise rests on Well No. 7. After five years of fruitless drilling, Well No.7 seems like a dead end," Saudi Aramco's official website says of the discovery.
"Socal department heads seek advice from renowned geologist Max Steineke. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the Saudi desert and his own encyclopedic knowledge, Steineke tells them to keep drilling."
After his death in 1952, an obituary of Steineke called him "the man who more than anyone else… is entitled to credit for discovering the large oil reserves which have been found in Saudi Arabia."