Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project - Research Active

By Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center November 29, 2018

USGS Research Drilling Rig in Kinney County, TX, in 2018

Vista of Buda, Eagle Ford, and Austin Formations, Terrell County, TX

This site highlights the research on the processes that impact the formation, accumulation, occurrence, and alteration of hydrocarbon energy resources of the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The project also conducts assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources. The Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project focuses on the onshore and State waters portion of the Gulf Coast basin, and maintains the Gulf Coast Source Rock Database.

USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database

USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database Viewer

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.

Launch Viewer

U.S. Gulf Coast Assessments

U.S. Gulf Coast Assessments Map

Scientifically robust assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources in the U.S. Gulf Coast region published in a variety of USGS publications.

View Assessments

Research is a fundamental part of the assessment process, as it provides new data and interpretations to better inform the geologic models that underpin the assessment results. The Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project has ongoing research in several areas, but is generally focused on understanding the stratigraphic and structural evolution of the Gulf Coast region, and/or petroleum system processes in general. We have recently drilled three research cores behind the outcrop in the Eagle Ford Group, which is one of the most productive continuous hydrocarbon plays in North America. The cores were drilled near Waco, Dallas and Uvalde, Texas, and provide important information on lateral variability of this unit. Ongoing research is focused on differences in the mineralogy, geochemistry and trace element content between the cores. We have also partnered with the University of Texas-Austin/Bureau of Economic Geology, Texas A&M University and Texas Christian University for further study of these important cores. Additional ongoing research tasks include characterization of the stratigraphic and petroleum system framework of the Tuscaloosa Group; investigation of the eastern limit of key Mesozoic source rocks of the eastern Gulf Coast; reconstruction of the stratigraphic and structural evolution, and petroleum migration history, of Maverick basin; and the provenance and petrography of Jurassic to Cenozoic reservoir-forming sandstones.  Much of this research is done in coordination with various external collaborators.

Listed on this site are the publications related to our research as well as related data, FAQ's, news articles and more.  Information related Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project's Oil and Gas Assessments are found on Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project - Assessment page. 

 

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link
Extent of Gulf Coast Petroleum System Project and Oil and Gas Wells

Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project - Assessments

This site highlights the assessments of the Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project. Scientifically robust assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources are published in a variety of USGS publications. This project also conducts research on the processes that impact the formation, accumulation, occurrence and alteration of hydrocarbon energy resources. The Gulf Coast...
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center
link

Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project - Assessments

This site highlights the assessments of the Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project. Scientifically robust assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources are published in a variety of USGS publications. This project also conducts research on the processes that impact the formation, accumulation, occurrence and alteration of hydrocarbon energy resources. The Gulf Coast...
Learn More

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track geochronologic and thermochronologic data along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States

This data release contains apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track data for six samples collected along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States, from Virginia to the Georgia-South Carolina border. The data resolve phases of rapid exhumational cooling in the Permo-Triassic, additional cooling in the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and slower cooling since the middle of the Cretaceous. The data
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in Paleogene strata of the Gulf Coast

This data release contains 60 detrital zircon age spectra, based on U and Pb isotope ratio measurements for 9399 single grains. The samples are from Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Of the 9399 single grain measurements, we recommend that 8640 yield ages that are suitable for construction of detrital zircon age spectra. Comments tagged to individual grains explain the reasoning for exclusi
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

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. "Source rock data" are defined in this context as data that include any of the following measured or calculated parameters...

By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Data Release for "Comparability and reproducibility of biomarker ratio values measured by GC-QQQ-MS"

This data release includes biomarker ratio values calculated from measurements made at the USGS for the reference oil NSO-1 that were reported in a journal article entitled Comparability and reproducibility of biomarker ratio values measured by GC-QQQ-MS (French et al., 2020). French, K.L., Leider, A., and Hallmann, C., 2020, Comparability and reproducibility of biomarker ratio values measured
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

Input forms for 2019 water and proppant assessment of the Eagle Ford Group, Gulf Coast, Texas

The input form provides a record of the complete input values required for the quantitative assessment of water and proppant associated with oil and gas production for the continuous oil and gas resource in a geologically defined Assessment Unit. The same input form template is used for all such assessments. Each USGS water and proppant assessment builds from a USGS petroleum assessment that provi
By
Central Energy Resources Science Center

USGS Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems and National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Projects-Louisiana-Mississippi Salt Basins and Western Gulf Provinces, Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa Marine 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 gas hydrate resources on the north slope of Alaska. 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 Petroleum System.
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Geochemistry data for the USGS Gulf Coast #1 West Woodway core - A thermally immature core of the Eagle Ford Group in central Texas

Petroleum source rocks deposited during Cenomanian - Turonian time (late Cretaceous) are major generators of continuous and conventional oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Mexico Basin. The Eagle Ford Shale is a particularly important petroleum system and represents a substantial fraction of total oil and gas production in the United States. Significant lateral and vertical geochemical and miner
By
Energy Resources Program

Petroleum geology data from Cenozoic rock samples in the eastern U.S. Gulf Coast collected 2014 to 2016

The U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered petroleum resources in the downdip Paleogene formations of the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2018. During the assessment new data and information were collected to evaluate thermal maturity, source rock character, and unconventional reservoir rock prospectivity for the Cenozoic-aged section in south Louisiana. Samples were analyzed using multiple analytical ap
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Petroleum geology data from Mesozoic rock samples in the eastern U.S. Gulf Coast collected 2011 to 2017

This data release contains Rock-Eval pyrolysis, organic petrographic (reflectance), and X-ray diffraction mineralogy data for subsurface Mesozoic rock samples from the eastern onshore Gulf Coast Basin (primarily Mississippi and Louisiana). Samples were analyzed in support of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of undiscovered petroleum resources in the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine s
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 51

Geochemical and mineralogical properties of Boquillas Shale geochemical reference material ShBOQ-1

The ShBOQ-1 geochemical reference material is relevant to studies of the organic geochemistry and mineralogy of petroleum source rocks containing high concentrations of carbonate minerals and organic sulfur-rich, oil-prone marine organic matter. ShBOQ-1 is geochemically and mineralogically similar to the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Shale.
By
Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Characterization of the unconventional Tuscaloosa marine shale reservoir in southwestern Mississippi, USA: Insights from optical and SEM petrography

This study presents new optical petrography and electron microscopy data, interpreted in the context of previously published petrophysical, geochemical, and mineralogical data, to further characterize the Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) as an unconventional reservoir in southwestern Mississippi. The basal high resistivity zone has a higher proportion of Type II sedimentary organic matter than the ov
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Reston Electron Microbeam Laboratory

Oil-source rock correlation studies in the unconventional Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) petroleum system, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA

The U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered unconventional hydrocarbon resources reservoired in the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) of southern Mississippi and adjacent Louisiana in 2018. As part of the assessment, oil-source rock correlations were examined in the TMS play area where operators produce light (38–45° API), sweet oil from horizontal, hydraulically-fractured wells
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Correlation of the Tuscaloosa marine shale in Mississippi, Louisiana, and east Texas, U.S.A.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable unconventional petroleum resources in the Upper Cretaceous marine shale of the Tuscaloosa Group (Tuscaloosa marine shale; TMS) in 2018. As part of the geologic characterization in preparation for the assessment, a series of wireline log cross sections were constructed to illustrate TMS thickness tre
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Extended Abstract: Geologic evaluation of regional production trends in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk

The Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk, which extends across Texas and Louisiana, is characterized by reservoirs that produce oil, gas, and in some cases, anomalously large amounts of water. Reservoirs typically have low matrix permeability and contain natural fractures. Horizontal drilling has been used to enhance and connect these fracture systems to drain the reservoir more effectively. Although the
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Carbon dioxide sealing capacity of the Tuscaloosa marine shale: Insights from mercury injection capillary pressure analyses

No abstract available.
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Methodology for correcting bottomhole temperatures acquired from wireline logging measurements in the onshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico Basin to characterize the thermal regime of total petroleum systems

Characterization of the subsurface thermal regime is critical for understanding many facets of the petroleum system, from thermal maturation of organic-rich source rocks to thermal preservation and non-degradation of hydrocarbon accumulations. On a broad scale, paleo-heatflow has been mapped for the North American continent (Blackwell and Richards, 2004) as well as the contiguous United States (Bl
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Methodology for correcting bottomhole temperatures acquired from wireline logging measurements in the onshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico Basin to characterize the thermal regime of total petroleum systems

Characterization of the subsurface thermal regime is critical for understanding many facets of the petroleum system, from thermal maturation of organic-rich source rocks to thermal preservation and non-degradation of hydrocarbon accumulations. On a broad scale, paleo-heatflow has been mapped for the North American continent (Blackwell and Richards, 2004) as well as the contiguous United States (Bl
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Geopressure gradient maps of Southern Louisiana, state, and vicinity

This series of five maps characterizes the subsurface pressure system of southern Louisiana, including the associated State and Federal waters. These maps were generated using the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) comprehensive geopressure-gradient model (Burke et al., 2012b, 2013) that delineates the regional pressure system spanning the onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico basin, USA. Previously, t
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

A synoptic examination of causes of land loss in southern Louisiana as related to the exploitation of subsurface geologic resources

During the last 80 years, Louisiana has been losing wetlands at an average rate of 62 km2/y (24 mi2/y) for an accumulated loss of approximately 4900 km2 (1900 mi2). The loss seems to be the combined result of natural and anthropogenic causes that are behind primarily land subsidence averaging about 10 mm/y (0.4 in/y) coinciding with a sea level rise now at 3 mm/y (0.1 in/y), both contributing to c
By
Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Regional maps of subsurface geopressure gradients of the onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico basin

The U.S. Geological Survey created a comprehensive geopressure-gradient model of the regional pressure system spanning the onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico basin, USA. This model was used to generate ten maps that included (1) five contour maps characterizing the depth to the surface defined by the first occurrence of isopressure gradients ranging from 0.60 psi/ft to 1.00 psi/ft, in 0.10-psi/ft
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Challenge theme 5: Current and future needs of energy and mineral resources in the Borderlands and the effects of their development: Chapter 7 in United States-Mexican Borderlands: Facing tomorrow's challenges through USGS science

Exploration and extraction activities related to energy and mineral resources in the Borderlands—such as coal-fired power plants, offshore drilling, and mining—can create issues that have potentially major economic and environmental implications. Resource assessments and development projects, environmental studies, and other related evaluations help to understand some of these issues, such as powe
By
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Below are news stories associated with this project.

link

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...

Read Article