Gulf Coast Geologic Energy Research
USGS Research Drilling Rig in Kinney County, TX, in 2018
Vista of Buda, Eagle Ford, and Austin Formations, Terrell County, TX
The Gulf Coast Geologic Energy Assessments and Research (GEAR) project also conducts research on the properties and processes relevant to the Gulf Coast Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary composite total petroleum system (TPS). This research aims to improve ongoing and future undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources assessments on the onshore and State waters portion of the Gulf Coast basin. Important research avenues include the nature and distribution of source rocks, reservoirs, traps, and seals as well as how the temporal evolution of the TPS affected petroleum migration and accumulations.
USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database
The USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (GCSRD) is an online repository for all publicly available source rock data (outcrop and subsurface) from the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
U.S. Gulf Coast Assessments
Scientifically robust assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources in the U.S. Gulf Coast region published in a variety of USGS publications.
Research efforts on the Gulf Coast GEAR project include a focus on Jurassic and Cretaceous petroleum source intervals and charged reservoirs to support the prioritization of hydrocarbon resources assessments in Mesozoic strata. The project also plans to investigate potential energy resources in the Atlantic Coastal Plain provinces and adjacent offshore areas as they are analogous to the Gulf Coast region.
The Gulf Coast GEAR project is also constructing a subsurface geoscience database that will include type logs across the U.S. Gulf Coast basin and contain geophysical logs, interpreted geologic formation top depths, and paleontological data. This effort is a response to the 2018 review of the USGS Energy Resources Program by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which indicated that the program should improve its ability to make petroleum resource data publicly available in a timely manner. Data from the subsurface geoscience and source rock databases are vital for the characterization of hydrocarbon plays by the stakeholder as well as for potential geologic carbon sequestration, subsurface energy store, or paleoclimate reconstruction.
Another research goal is to conduct more robust and interdisciplinary source rock studies on organic-rich mudstones, which can be considered the foundations of petroleum systems. Source rock properties vary both vertically within a stratigraphic unit and geographically across a basin or region. These spatial patterns of source rock composition variability influence the development of hydrocarbon assessment unit boundaries. Increased understanding of controls on source rock formation, compositional variability, and thermal maturity trends can inform the development of geologic models used in USGS petroleum resource assessments. This research on organic-rich mudstone source rocks may also provide insights into paleoclimate, carbon cycling, and oceanic conditions to better understand how conditions in the past varied and changed over time.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Gulf Coast Geologic Energy Assessments
The Gulf Coast Geologic Energy Assessments and Research (GEAR) project also conducts research on the properties and processes relevant to the Gulf Coast Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary composite total petroleum system (TPS). This research aims to improve ongoing and future undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources assessments on the onshore and State waters portion of the Gulf Coast basin. Important research avenues include the nature and distribution of source rocks, reservoirs, traps, and seals as well as how the temporal evolution of the TPS affected petroleum migration and accumulations.
USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database
The USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (GCSRD) is an online repository for all publicly available source rock data (outcrop and subsurface) from the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
U.S. Gulf Coast Assessments
Scientifically robust assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources in the U.S. Gulf Coast region published in a variety of USGS publications.
Research efforts on the Gulf Coast GEAR project include a focus on Jurassic and Cretaceous petroleum source intervals and charged reservoirs to support the prioritization of hydrocarbon resources assessments in Mesozoic strata. The project also plans to investigate potential energy resources in the Atlantic Coastal Plain provinces and adjacent offshore areas as they are analogous to the Gulf Coast region.
The Gulf Coast GEAR project is also constructing a subsurface geoscience database that will include type logs across the U.S. Gulf Coast basin and contain geophysical logs, interpreted geologic formation top depths, and paleontological data. This effort is a response to the 2018 review of the USGS Energy Resources Program by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which indicated that the program should improve its ability to make petroleum resource data publicly available in a timely manner. Data from the subsurface geoscience and source rock databases are vital for the characterization of hydrocarbon plays by the stakeholder as well as for potential geologic carbon sequestration, subsurface energy store, or paleoclimate reconstruction.
Another research goal is to conduct more robust and interdisciplinary source rock studies on organic-rich mudstones, which can be considered the foundations of petroleum systems. Source rock properties vary both vertically within a stratigraphic unit and geographically across a basin or region. These spatial patterns of source rock composition variability influence the development of hydrocarbon assessment unit boundaries. Increased understanding of controls on source rock formation, compositional variability, and thermal maturity trends can inform the development of geologic models used in USGS petroleum resource assessments. This research on organic-rich mudstone source rocks may also provide insights into paleoclimate, carbon cycling, and oceanic conditions to better understand how conditions in the past varied and changed over time.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.