Why have some estimates of undiscovered technically recoverable oil or gas changed so much from previous estimates?
Petroleum geologists have long known that oil and gas resources were present in “tight” or impermeable formations such as shale. But there was no feasible way to extract that oil and gas, so they were not “technically recoverable” and were not included in USGS assessment results.
Thanks to new technologies, oil and gas can now be extracted from “tight” formations, so they can be counted in assessments of undiscovered technically recoverable resources.
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Re-Assessing Alaska's Energy Frontier
Less than 80 miles from Prudhoe Bay, home to the giant oil fields that feed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, lies the site of USGS’ latest oil and gas assessment: the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and adjacent areas. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the NPR-A covers 22.8 million acres, more than the entire state of South Carolina.
Forecasting the World’s Energy Resources
It is difficult to overstate the importance of energy to the American economy. Managing this vital sector depends on knowing how many energy resources we have, how many we use and need, and how these resources are transported.
USGS Estimates 20 Billion Barrels of Oil in Texas’ Wolfcamp Shale Formation
This is the largest estimate of continuous oil that USGS has ever assessed in the United States.
USGS Estimates 66 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in Colorado’s Mancos Shale Formation
This is the second-largest assessment of potential shale & tight gas resources that the USGS has ever conducted.
USGS Estimates 53 Trillion Cubic Feet of Gas Resources in Barnett Shale
The Barnett Shale contains estimated mean volumes of 53 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas, 172 million barrels of shale oil and 176 million barrels of natural gas liquids, according to an updated assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. This estimate is for undiscovered, technically recoverable resources.
USGS Estimates 21 Million Barrels of Oil and 27 Billion Cubic Feet of Gas in the Monterey Formation of the San Joaquin Basin, California
The Monterey Formation in the deepest parts of California’s San Joaquin Basin contains an estimated mean volumes of 21 million barrels of oil, 27 billion cubic feet of gas, and 1 million barrels of natural gas liquids, according to the first USGS assessment of continuous (unconventional), technically recoverable resources in the Monterey Formation.
Appalachian Basin Energy Resources — A New Look at an Old Basin
Appalachian coal and petroleum resources are still available in sufficient quantities to contribute significantly to fulfilling the nation’s energy needs, according to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Releases Unconventional Gas Estimates for Five East Coast Basins
Using a geology-based assessment method, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean undiscovered natural gas resource of 3.9 trillion cubic feet and a mean undiscovered natural gas liquids resource of 135 million barrels in continuous accumulations within five East Coast Mesozoic basins, according to a new USGS report.
3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate—
North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation.
Permafrost in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
Permafrost forms a grid-like pattern in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
2016 Mancos Assessment Map
A map showing the Mancos Shale and the USGS assessment units within the formation.
Oil Well being Drilled into the Bakken Formation
Oil well being drilled into the Bakken Formation in North Dakota in 2015.
Active oil and gas pad near Canyonlands National Park
Active oil and gas pad on Bureau of Land Management lands near Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
Oil and Gas Resources of the Arctic Alaska Petroleum Province
Arctic Alaska Petroleum Province, showing locations of principal geologic features. AF, Alpine oil field; ANWR, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; NPRA, National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska; PB, Prudhoe Bay oil field
A map showing the Barnett Shale assessment area in east Texas
A map showing the Barnett Shale assessment area in east Texas
The Western Permian Basin
In West Texas and southwestern New Mexico lies the Permian Basin, one of the most productive oil and gas basins in the United States. USGS has assessed both conventional and continuous oil and gas resources throughout the Permian Basin. These assessments, as well as other USGS energy research for the Permian Basin, can be found
...A map showing the Barnett Shale assessment area in east Texas
A map showing the Barnett Shale assessment area in east Texas