Central Energy Resources Science Center
Central Energy Resources Science Center
Interdisciplinary Research on Energy Systems
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC) addresses national and global energy geoscience issues and conducts interdisciplinary research on energy systems. You can explore the projects that are based here using the 'Science' option to the left.
Location
We are located on the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, CO. For more information, please call 303-236-1647
Science Topics
We conduct research and assessments to advance the understanding of the Nation's energy resources. To read more about our what we do, visit the Science tab or select from the links below.
News
Test Well Confirms Two Gas Hydrate Reservoirs in Alaska North Slope
In the far north of Alaska, near the giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, an international research consortium has been studying the potential of an altogether different energy source. In late December of 2018, drilling operations confirmed the existence of two high-quality reservoirs that were fully saturated with a potential alternative fuel source: gas hydrate.
USGS Announces Largest Continuous Oil Assessment in Texas and New Mexico
Estimates Include 46.3 Billion Barrels of Oil, 281 Trillion Cubic feet of Natural Gas, and 20 Billion Barrels of Natural Gas Liquids in Texas and New Mexico’s Wolfcamp Shale and Bone Spring Formation.
USGS Estimates Oil and Gas in Texas’ Eagle Ford Group
The Eagle Ford Group of Texas contains estimated means of 8.5 billion barrels of oil, 66 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.9 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, according to a new assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. This estimate consists of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources in continuous accumulations.
Publications
Assessment of continuous oil resources in the Eastern Great Basin Province of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, 2018
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quantitatively assessed the potential for undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous oil and gas resources in the Eastern Great Basin Province (Anna and others, 2007) of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho (fig. 1). The assessment focused on the area of the province between the Roberts Mountains and...
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.; Kinney, Scott A.
Hydrocarbons in upland groundwater, Marcellus Shale Region, Northeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New York, USA
Water samples from 50 domestic wells located <1 km (proximal) and >1 km (distal) from shale-gas wells in upland areas of the Marcellus Shale region were analyzed for chemical, isotopic, and groundwater-age tracers. Uplands were targeted because natural mixing with brine and hydrocarbons from deep formations is less common in those areas...
McMahon, Peter B.; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Conlon, Matthew D.; Hunt, Andrew G.; Belitz, Kenneth; Jurgens, Bryant; Varela, Brian
Assessment of shale-oil resources of the Sirte Basin Province, Libya, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 23.7 billion barrels of shale oil and 23 trillion cubic feet of associated gas in the onshore part of the Sirte Basin Province of Libya.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Le, Phuong A.; Pitman, Janet K.; Drake, Ronald M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Finn, Thomas M.