Christopher J Schenk
Science and Products
World Oil and Gas Resource Assessments
The USGS World Energy Project conducts geologic studies that provide an understanding of the quantity, quality, and geologic distribution of world oil and gas resources. Our geologic studies are conducted in an impartial manner and are performed in collaboration and partnership with energy experts within and outside government. Through synthesis and improved understanding of global oil and gas...
United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources
USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World. This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
Eastern Basins Oil and Gas Assessments
The USGS has conducted several assessments of undiscovered oil and gas in formations in the Blue Ridge Thrust Belt (5068), Piedmont Province (5069), Atlantic Coastal Plain Province (5070), and the New England Province (5072). These basins are generally east of the Appalachian Basin Province (5067).
Cincinnati Arch Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cincinnati Arch Province (5066) :
Arkoma Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Arkoma Basin Province 5062.
Southern Oklahoma Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of the Southern Oklahoma Province (5061).
Sedgwick Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Province Code: 5059
The Salina Basin Province (5059), covers an area of about 45,000 sq mi, consisting of the eastern half of Nebraska and the north-central portion of Kansas. The basin lies between the Cambridge Arch-Central Kansas Uplift Province (5053) on the west, the Nemaha Uplift Province (5055) to the east, the Sioux Arch Province (5032) to the north, and a...
Ozark Uplift Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Ozark Uplift Province (5057).
Forest City Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Forest City Basin Province (5056).
Nemaha Uplift Province Oil and Gas Assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Nemaha Uplift Province (5055).
Cambridge Arch-Central Kansas Uplift Oil and Gas Assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Cambridge Arch/Central Kansas Uplift Province (5053).
Iowa Shelf Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Iowa Shelf Province (5052).
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Michigan Basin Province, Collingwood Shale and Utica Shale Formations Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms
This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Ordovician Collingwood Shale and Utica Shale formations in the Michigan Basin province. 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...
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Eastern Great Basin Province, Delle Phosphatic Member 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 continuous oil and gas resources in the Delle Phosphatic Member of the Mississippian Woodman Formation, western Utah, eastern Nevada and southeastern Idaho. The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resource...
Total organic carbon and pyrolysis analysis data for the U.S. Geological Survey Alcova AR-1-13 core hole, Natrona County, Wyoming
In 2013 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drilled a continuous core in the southeastern part of the Wind River Basin, Wyoming to evaluate the source rock potential of the Lower and lowermost Upper Cretaceous marine shales . The well, named the Alcova Reservoir AR–1–13, located on the northeast flank of the Alcova anticline was spud in the lower part of the Frontier Form
LAS digital data files for the U.S.Geological Survey Alcova AR-1-13 core hole, Natrona County, Wyoming
In 2013 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drilled and logged a continuous core located on the northeast flank of the Alcova anticline in the southeastern part of the Wind River Basin, Wyoming to evaluate the source rock potential of the Lower and lowermost Upper Cretaceous marine shales (fig. 1). The well, named the Alcova Reservoir AR–1–13, was spud in the lower pa
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Appalachian Basin Province, Point Pleasant Formation and Utica 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...
USGS National and GLobal Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Eromanga Basin Province, Australia, Cooper Basin Conventional Assessment Unit Boundaries and Input Data Forms
This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of the Eromanga Basin Province, Australia, Cooper Basin Continuous Assessment Unit Boundaries. 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 highe...
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project-Eromanga Basin Province, Australia, Cooper Basin Continuous Assessment Unit Boundaries and Input Data
This data release contains the boundaries of assessment units and input data for the assessment of the Eromanga Basin Province, Australia, Cooper Basin Continuous Assessment Unit Boundaries. 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 highe...
USGS Alaska Petroleum Systems Project: Northern Alaska Province, Nanushuk and Torok Formations Assessment Units and Assessment Input Forms
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. The Assessment Unit is shown herein as a geographic boundary interpreted, defined, and mapped by the geologist responsible for the province and incorporates...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean area, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 879 million barrels of conventional oil and 286.2 trillion cubic feet of conventional gas in the eastern Mediterranean area.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the lower Paleozoic of the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 83 million barrels of oil and 351 billion cubic feet of gas in lower Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province, North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of upper Paleozoic strata in the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean oil and gas resources of 134 million barrels of oil and 81 billion cubic feet of gas in upper Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 2,438 billion (2.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas resources in the Williston Basin Province, in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Pennsylvanian Tyler Formation of the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 161 million barrels of oil and 93 billion cubic feet of gas in the Tyler Formation of the Williston Basin Province, North Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1,407 billion (1.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas in conventional accumulations in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska.
Houseknecht, David W.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Moore, Thomas E.; Rouse, William A.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Craddock, William H.; Lease, Richard O.; Botterell, Palma J.; Sanders, Margaret M.; Smith, Rebecca A.; Connors, Christopher D.; Garrity, Christopher P.; Whidden, Katherine J.; Gooley, Jared T.; Counts, John W.; Long, Joshua H.; DeVera, Christina A.
Assessment of continuous gas resources in the Horn River Basin, Cordova Embayment, and Liard Basin, Canada, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 135.4 trillion cubic feet of continuous gas in Devonian–Mississippian shales in the Horn River Basin, Cordova Embayment, and Liard Basin of Canada.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Marra, Kristen R.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Pitman, Janet K.
Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Mowry Shale, Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 288 million barrels of oil and 2.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming.
Finn, Thomas M.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 6.9 billion barrels of oil and 41.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in conventional and continuous accumulations in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations onshore and in State...
Pitman, Janet K.; Paxton, Stanley T.; Kinney, Scott A.; Whidden, Katherine J.; Haines, Seth S.; Varela, Brian A.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Burke, Lauri A.; Le, Phuong A.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Gianoutsos, Nicholas J.; French, Katherine L.; Drake, Ronald M.; Finn, Thomas M.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Shorten, Chilisa M.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 2.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.
Marra, Kristen R.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources of the Fruitland Total Petroleum System, San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 39 trillion cubic feet of gas within continuous and conventional reservoirs of the Fruitland Total Petroleum System in the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.
Marra, Kristen R.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Mancos-Menefee composite and underlying Todilto Total Petroleum Systems of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 12 million barrels of oil and 27 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Mancos-Menefee Composite and underlying Todilto Total Petroleum Systems of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.
Marra, Kristen R.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.
USGS Estimates 214 trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in Appalachian Basin Formations
The Marcellus Shale and Point Pleasant-Utica Shale formations of the Appalachian Basin contain an estimated mean of 214 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of natural gas, according to new USGS assessments.
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 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.