Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1998

                       UNION PACIFIC RESOURCES GROUP INC.
                            COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF
                          NORCEN ENERGY RESOURCES LTD.

      FORT WORTH, Texas -- Union Pacific Resources Group Inc. (NYSE-UPR) today
announced the closing of its acquisition of Norcen Energy Resources Ltd.
(Norcen). On January 26, 1998, UPR and Norcen announced that their respective
Boards of Directors had approved the acquisition of Norcen by UPR and that UPR
would initiate a tender offer for the 50.5 percent of Norcen's outstanding stock
that was not owned or controlled by Noranda Inc., a shareholder of 49.5 percent
Norcen common stock.

      Noranda had signed an irrevocable agreement to tender its 49.5 percent of
Norcen stock to UPR. In total, 95.5 percent of Norcen's stock was tendered to
UPR at the purchase price of US$13.65 per share (C$19.80). UPRI now owns
181,076,311 common shares of Norcen being approximately 96.8 percent of the
issued and outstanding common shares of Norcen on a fully diluted basis. The
overall value of the transaction is US$2.6 billion plus the assumption of
Norcen's outstanding debt of approximately US$900 million.

      "We have said Norcen represents an excellent strategic fit for UPR and we
are pleased to have the transaction complete," said Jack L. Messman, UPR's
Chairman and CEO. "UPR is now a well balanced North American company with a
diversified reserve and production base. We are well position for substantial
and profitable long-term growth and are poised to deliver on our number one
objective-building long term shareholder value."

      Union Pacific Resources is one of the nation's largest domestic
independent oil and gas exploration and production companies. Based in Fort
Worth, Texas, UPR has been the #1 domestic driller for the past 6 years.


This press release, other than historical financial information, contains
forward looking statements regarding dilution, cash flow, planned drilling
activity, asset divestitures, equity issuances, expected production efforts and
volumes that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which are
described in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q for
the quarter ended September 30, 1997. Actual results may vary materially.

Media Contact:                                  Analyst Contact:
Pat Doyle                                       David Larson

                                        8





Director, Public Affairs                        Director, Investor Relations
817-877-6527                                    817-877-7294

                              Internet:www.upr.com

                                        9