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 (click here for information about World Oil and Gas Assessments). This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part...
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...
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) :
- 1995 Assessment (DDS-30).
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:
- 2010 Continuous and Conventional Assessment (Fact Sheet 2010-3043).
- 1995 Assessment ( ...
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):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS-30).
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):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
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):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
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):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
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):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
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):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
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 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 higher...
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 higher...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 1.8 billion barrels of oil and 117.2 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Formation and Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province.
Enomoto, Catherine B.; Trippi, Michael H.; Higley, Debra K.; Drake, Ronald M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Schenk, Christopher J.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 96.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province.
Higley, Debra K.; Enomoto, Catherine E; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Trippi, Michael H.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.
Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the niobrara interval of the Cody Shale, Bighorn Basin Province, Wyoming and Montana, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 534 million barrels of oil and 939 billion cubic feet of gas in the Niobrara interval of the Cody Shale in the Bighorn Basin Province, Wyoming and Montana.
Finn, Thomas M.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Pitman, Janet K.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Kinney, Scott A.
Assessment of undiscovered gas hydrate resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of about 54 trillion cubic feet of gas resources within gas hydrates in the North Slope of Alaska.
Collett, Timothy S.; Lewis, Kristen A.; Zyrianova, Margarita V.; Haines, Seth S.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Pitman, Janet K.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Houseknecht, David W.
Assessment of continuous oil resources in the Eastern Great Basin Province of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho, 2018
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quantitatively assessed the potential for undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous oil and gas resources in the Eastern Great Basin Province (Anna and others, 2007) of Nevada, Utah, and Idaho (fig. 1). The assessment focused on the area of the province between the Roberts Mountains and...
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.; Kinney, Scott A.
Assessment of shale-oil resources of the Sirte Basin Province, Libya, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 23.7 billion barrels of shale oil and 23 trillion cubic feet of associated gas in the onshore part of the Sirte Basin Province of Libya.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Le, Phuong A.; Pitman, Janet K.; Drake, Ronald M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Finn, Thomas M.
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Sirte and Pelagian Basin Provinces of Libya, Tunisia, Malta, and Italy, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 16.4 billion barrels of oil and 106.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Sirte and Pelagian Basin Provinces of Libya, Tunisia, Malta, and Italy.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Le, Phuong A.; Pitman, Janet K.; Drake, Ronald M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Finn, Thomas M.
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Grand Erg/Ahnet Province, Algeria, 2018
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 378 million barrels of oil and 7 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Grand Erg/Ahnet Province of Algeria.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Pitman, Janet K.; Drake, Ronald M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.
Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Beetaloo Basin, Australia, 2018
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 429 million barrels of continuous oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of continuous gas in the Beetaloo Basin of northern Australia.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Marra, Kristen R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of tight-oil and tight-gas resources in the Junggar and Santanghu Basins of Northwestern China, 2018
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 241 million barrels of tight oil and 10.1 trillion cubic feet of tight gas in the Junggar and Santanghu Basins of northwestern China.
Potter, Christopher J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Pitman, Janet K.
Variability of estimated ultimate recovery in shale oil and shale gas accumulations in the U.S.
Variability of mean EURs within and between unconventional reservoirs is becoming more apparent as thousands of wells are drilled and oil and gas is produced from unconventional low-permeability reservoirs. Production from many of these reservoirs shows that there is spatial heterogeneity of EURs, which is mainly related to geologic...
Schenk, Christopher J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.
Assessment of Paleozoic Shale-Oil and Shale-Gas Resources in the Tarim Basin of China, 2018
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 1.4 billion barrels of shale oil and 26.9 trillion cubic feet of shale gas in Paleozoic formations in the Tarim Basin of China.
Potter, Christopher J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Pitman, Janet K.
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.