Since exploration began in the area in the 1880s, 9 billion barrels of oil have been produced or discovered in the Los Angeles Basin – as much oil as the U.S. consumes in 14 months at the current rate of consumption. 

 “USGS energy assessments typically focus on undiscovered resources – areas where science tells us there may be a resource that industry hasn’t discovered yet. In this case, almost 150 years since exploration began, the Los Angeles Basin has little remaining undiscovered oil,” said Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS. 

 The Los Angeles Basin includes the coastal plain and waters of Los Angeles and East L.A. north to the Santa Monica Mountains, east to Angeles National Forest and the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and east and south into much of Orange County (see map).  The USGS looked at four assessment units – one for conventional oil, two for shale oil, and one for shale gas. 

 USGS oil and gas assessments began 50 years ago following an oil embargo against the U.S. that signaled a need to understand the occurrence, distribution and potential volumes of undiscovered resources.  The embargo led to a mandate for the USGS to use geologic science and data to assess undiscovered oil and gas resources to help meet the nation’s needs.  The work continues today – identifying new resources for domestic production as well as international resources that affect market conditions – an important part of the USGS mission to provide actionable insight to U.S. leaders, other federal agencies, industry and the public. 

  USGS energy resource assessments provide information to policy makers on resource potential in areas of the U.S. and the world. For land-management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the results of an energy resources assessment feed into land-use and resource management plans.  For the private sector, USGS assessments of undiscovered energy resources provide context for planning detailed exploration. 

 The USGS Energy Resources Program assesses the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources in priority geologic provinces in the United States and around the world.  The range of assessments produced has changed with the technology available to produce energy.  In 1995, the USGS began conducting assessments of unconventional, technically recoverable resources such as shale and coalbed gas.  “The shift to horizontal drilling with fracking has revolutionized oil production, and we’ve changed our approach with it,” said Christopher Schenk, USGS geologist. 

 The fact sheet on the Los Angeles Basin Oil and Gas Assessment is available here. 

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