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United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources Active

By Central Energy Resources Science Center April 19, 2019

Explore US Undiscovered Oil and Gas Assessment Provinces

Assessment results, publications, data and more are available

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USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World.  This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

Assessment Overview

Image shows a map of the assessment units of the 2018 Delaware Basin oil and gas assessment

The USGS assesses potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources in priority geologic provinces in the United States.  This website highlights conventional and unconventional (continuous) oil and gas assessments.

Summary of Continuous Assessments

Interactive map and chart highlighting USGS Domestic Continuous (Unconventional) Oil & Gas Assessments, 2000-Present

This applications shows maps and tables of all continuous assessments in the United States.

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Recent Assessments

Below are the latest US Assessments:

Browse Assessments

National Oil and Gas Assessment Methodology

The U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program assesses the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources in priority geologic provinces in the United States and around the world (click here for information about World Oil and Gas Assessments). Two methodologies are used by the USGS; one for assessing conventional oil and gas resources and one for assessing unconventional (continuous) oil and gas resources (such as shale gas and coalbed gas).  USGS publications detailing and explaining the conventional and continuous assessment methodologies are provided below.  These methodologies have been subjected to rigorous peer reviews by non federal panels, and the two panel reports are provided on this page.

 

Conventional Resources

USGS Reports

U.S. Geological Survey Assessment Concepts for Conventional Petroleum Accumulations
By James W. Schmoker and T.R. Klett

U.S. Geological Survey Input-Data Form and Operational Procedure for the Assessment of Conventional Petroleum Accumulations
By T.R. Klett, James W. Schmoker, and Ronald R. Charpentier

A Monte Carlo Simulation Method for the Assessment of Undiscovered, Conventional Oil and Gas
By Ronald R. Charpentier and T.R. Klett

 

Continuous Resources

USGS Reports

U.S. Geological Survey Assessment Concepts for Continuous Petroleum Accumulations
By James W. Schmoker

U.S. Geological Survey Input-Data Form and Operational Procedure for the Assessment Of Continuous Petroleum Accumulations, 2002
By T.R. Klett and James W. Schmoker

Analytic Resource Assessment Method for Continuous Petroleum Accumulations—The ACCESS Assessment Method
By Robert A. Crovelli

FORSPAN Model Users Guide
By T.R. Klett, and Ronald R. Charpentier
 

Methodology Revisions

Improved USGS methodology for assessing continuous petroleum resources.
Charpentier, R.R., and Cook, T.A.

Applying Probabilistic Well-Performance Parameters to Assessments of Shale-Gas Resources
By Ronald R. Charpentier and Troy Cook

Assembling Probabilistic Performance Parameters of Shale-Gas Wells
By Cook, Troy, and Charpentier, R.R.

USGS Methodology for Assessing Continuous Petroleum Resources
By Ronald R. Charpentier and Troy Cook

New U.S. Geological Survey Method for the Assessment of Reserve Growth
By Timothy R. Klett, Emil D. Attanasi, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Philip A. Freeman, Donald L. Gautier, Phuong A. Le, Robert T. Ryder, Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, and Mahendra K. Verma (Reserve Growth Assessment Team)

Variability of Distributions of Well-Scale Estimated Ultimate Recovery for Continuous (Unconventional) Oil and Gas Resources in the United States 
By U.S. Geological Survey Oil and Gas Assessment Team

Peer Review

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Committee on Resource Evaluation (CORE) Subcommittee to review the United States Onshore Continuous (Unconventional) Gas Assessment Methodology Used by the USGS

 

Reserve Growth Methodology

USGS Reports

New U.S. Geological Survey Method for the Assessment of Reserve Growth
By Reserve Growth Assessment Team

Reserve Growth of Oil and Gas Fields - Investigations and Applications
By Troy Cook

Peer Review

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Committee on Resource Evaluation (CORE) Subcommittee to review the Growth-to-Known Reserves

 

Below are a list of recent assessment areas.  You can also use the National Oil and Gas Assessment Map to browse these assessments.

Filter Total Items: 59
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Province 5043 Palo Duro Basin National Oil and Gas Assessments

Palo Duro Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Palo Duro Basin Province 5043 in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Palo Duro Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Palo Duro Basin Province 5043 in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
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Province 5032 Sioux Arch National Oil and Gas Assessments

Sioux Arch Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Sioux Arch Province 5032 in South Dakota.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Sioux Arch Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Sioux Arch Province 5032 in South Dakota.
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Province 5040 Las Animas Arch National Oil and Gas Assessments

Las Animas Arch Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Las Animas Arch Province 5040 of southeastern Colorado.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Las Animas Arch Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Las Animas Arch Province 5040 of southeastern Colorado.
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Province 5033 Powder River Basin National Oil and Gas Assessments

Powder River Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Powder River Basin Province 5033.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Powder River Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Powder River Basin Province 5033.
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Province 5025 Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico National Oil and Gas Assessments

Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Basin 5025.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Basin 5025.
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Province 5029 Southwest Montana National Oil and Gas Assessments

Southwest Montana Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Southwest Montana Province 5029.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Southwest Montana Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Southwest Montana Province 5029.
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Province 5026 South Central New Mexico National Oil and Gas Assessments

South-Central New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the South-Central New Mexico Province 5026.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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South-Central New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the South-Central New Mexico Province 5026.
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Province 5038 Park Basin

Park Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Park Basins Province 5038 of Colorado.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Park Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Park Basins Province 5038 of Colorado.
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Province 5042 Pedernal Uplift National Oil and Gas Assessments

Pedernal Uplift Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Pedernal Uplift Province 5042.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Pedernal Uplift Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Pedernal Uplift Province 5042.
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Province 5024 Northern Arizona National Oil and Gas Assessments

Northern Arizona Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Northern Arizona Province 5024.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Northern Arizona Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Northern Arizona Province 5024.
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Province 5018 Western Great Basin National Oil and Gas Assessments

Western Great Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of the Western Great Basin Province 5018.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Western Great Basin Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of the Western Great Basin Province 5018.
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Province 5023 Albuquerque-Santa Fe Rift National Oil and Gas Assessments

Albuquerque-Santa Fe Rift Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Albuquerque-Santa Fe Rift 5023.
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
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Albuquerque-Santa Fe Rift Oil and Gas Assessments

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Albuquerque-Santa Fe Rift 5023.
Learn More

Below are datasets related to the National Oil and Gas Assessments.  

Legacy downloadable data
Filter Total Items: 34

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Wind River Basin, Mowry Shale Formation Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Mowry formation of the Wind River Basin Province in Wyoming. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Gulf Coast Mesozoic Province, Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk Group and Tokio and Eutaw Formations Assessment Units and Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of oil and gas resources in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk Group and Tokio and Eutaw Formations in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Arkansas. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - San Juan Basin Province, Fruitland Total Petroleum System Assessment Units and Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of gas resources in the Fruitland Total Petroleum System of New Mexico and Colorado. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total P
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - San Juan Basin Province, Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System Assessment Units and Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of gas resources in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of New Mexico and Colorado. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - San Juan Basin Province, Mancos-Menefee Composite Total Petroleum System and underlying Todilto Total Petroleum System Assessment Units and Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of Oil and Gas Resources in the Mancos-Menefee Composite and Underlying Todilto Total Petroleum Systems of New Mexico and Colorado. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Assessment Project-Sacramento Basin, Conventional and Continuous Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of undiscovered gas resources of the Sacramento Basin province in California. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total Petroleu
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Appalachian Basin Province, Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale Assessment Units and Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Appalachian Basin Province, Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total Petroleum System. The Assessment Unit is shown herein as a geographic bou
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Michigan Basin Province, Collingwood-Utica Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Ordovician Collingwood Shale and Utica Shale formations in the Michigan Basin province. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Eastern Great Basin Province, Delle Phosphatic Member Shale Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Delle Phosphatic Member of the Mississippian Woodman Formation, western Utah, eastern Nevada and southeastern Idaho. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. Th
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Southwestern Wyoming Province, Phosphoria Shale Gas Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms

This data release contains the boundary of the assessment unit and input data for the assessment of continuous gas resources in the Phosphoria formation of the Southwestern Wyoming province. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-lev
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

LAS digital data files for the U.S.Geological Survey Alcova AR-1-13 core hole, Natrona County, Wyoming

In 2013 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drilled and logged a continuous core located on the northeast flank of the Alcova anticline in the southeastern part of the Wind River Basin, Wyoming to evaluate the source rock potential of the Lower and lowermost Upper Cretaceous marine shales (fig. 1). The well, named the Alcova Reservoir AR-1-13, was spud in the lower part of the Frontier Formation and
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 93

Structure contour and isopach maps of the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, New Mexico and Texas

A series of structure contour and isopach maps for the Wolfcamp shale and the Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, were generated in support of the U.S. Geological Survey 2018 assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources. The interpreted formation tops used to generate the maps are from the IHS Markit® PRODFit™ database, a commercial proprietary datab
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 6.9 billion barrels of oil and 41.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in conventional and continuous accumulations in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations onshore and in State waters of the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 2.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered gas resources of the Fruitland Total Petroleum System, San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 39 trillion cubic feet of gas within continuous and conventional reservoirs of the Fruitland Total Petroleum System in the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Mancos-Menefee composite and underlying Todilto Total Petroleum Systems of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 12 million barrels of oil and 27 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Mancos-Menefee Composite and underlying Todilto Total Petroleum Systems of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered gas resources of the Sacramento Basin Province in California, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 512 billion cubic feet of gas in the Upper Jurassic–Neogene Total Petroleum System of the Sacramento Basin Province in California.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Steps taken for calculating estimated ultimate recoveries of wells in the Eagle Ford Group and associated Cenomanian–Turonian strata, U.S. Gulf Coast, Texas, 2018

In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey published an assessment of technically recoverable continuous oil and gas resources of the Eagle Ford Group and associated Cenomanian–Turonian strata in the U.S. Gulf Coast of Texas. Estimated ultimate recoveries (EURs) were calculated with production data from IHS MarkitTM using DeclinePlus software in the Harmony interface. These EURs were a major component of
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Ordovician Collingwood Formation and Utica Shale of the Michigan Basin Province, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 290 milllion barrels of shale oil and 7.9 trillion cubic feet of shale gas in the Ordovician Collingwood-Utica Shale Total Petroleum System of the Michigan Basin Province.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Mississippian Delle Phosphatic Member of the Woodman Formation in the Eastern Great Basin Province of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 144 million barrels of shale oil and 559 billion cubic feet of shale gas in the Mississippian Delle Phosphatic Member of the Woodman Formation in the Eastern Great Basin Province of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of continuous gas resources in the Permian Phosphoria Formation of the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 1.4 trillion cubic feet of continuous gas in the Phosphoria Formation of the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming.
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 96.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province.
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 1.8 billion barrels of oil and 117.2 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province.
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Below are datasets related to the National Oil and Gas Assessments.  

Below are news stories associated with this project.

Below are FAQ associated with this project.

Below are partners associated with this project.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)