National Oil and Gas Assessmenthttp://energy.cr.usgs.gov/oilgas/noga ****************************************************************************** Assessment of undiscovered natural gas resources of the Arkoma Basin Province and geologically related areas
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of 38 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of undiscovered natural gas, 159 million barrels of natural gas liquid, and no oil in accumulations of 0.5 million barrels or larger in the Arkoma Basin Province and related areas. More than 97 percent of the undiscovered gas occurs in continuous accumulations—70 percent in shale gas formations, 18 percent in a basin-centered accumulation with tight sandstone reservoirs, and 9 percent in coal beds. Less than 3 percent of the natural gas occurs in conventional accumulations. The USGS fact sheet summarizing the results of this assessment is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3043/.
!!NEW CD-ROM!! Total Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas Resources in the Powder River Basin Province, Wyoming and Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey completed an assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Powder River Basin in 2006. The assessment of undiscovered oil and gas used the total petroleum system concept, which includes mapping the distribution of potential source rocks and known petroleum accumulations and determining the timing of petroleum generation and migration. Geologically based, it focuses on source and reservoir rock stratigraphy, timing of tectonic events and the configuration of resulting structures, formation of traps and seals, and burial history modeling. The total petroleum system is subdivided into assessment units based on similar geologic characteristics and accumulation and petroleum type. For the Powder River Basin Province, six total petroleum systems, eight conventional assessment units, and three continuous assessment units were defined and the undiscovered oil and gas resources within each assessment unit quantitatively estimated. Mean estimates of total conventional undiscovered resources for the Powder River Basin Province are 215 million barrels of oil, 1,156 billion cubic feet of associated and nonassociated gas, and 105 million barrels of natural gas liquids. Mean estimates of continuous undiscovered resource for the basin are 424 million barrels of oil, 1,211 billion cubic feet of gas (excludes coal bed resources), and 25.5 million barrels of natural gas liquids. The online version of this report is accessible via the following website: http://pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds-069/dds-069-u/. For CD-ROM requests, please send an email to: eteamdisks@usgs.gov.
!!NEW CD-ROM!! Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas in the Bighorn Basin Province, Wyoming and Montana
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 989 billion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, a mean of 72 million barrels of undiscovered oil, and a mean of 13 million barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in the Bighorn Basin Province of Wyoming and Montana. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Bighorn Basin Province in north-central Wyoming and southern Montana. The assessment is based on the geologic elements of each total petroleum system defined in the province, including petroleum source rocks (source-rock maturation, petroleum generation, and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and traps (trap formation and timing). Using this geologic framework, the USGS defined two total petroleum systems: (1) Phosphoria, and (2) Cretaceous–Tertiary Composite. Within these two systems, eight assessment units (AU) were defined, and undiscovered oil and gas resources were quantitatively estimated. The online version of this report is accessible via the following website: http://pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds-069/dds-069-v/. For CD-ROM requests, please send an email to: eteamdisks@usgs.gov. |
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OIL SHALE http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/other/oil_shale/ ****************************************************************************** Assessment of in-place oil shale resources of the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a total of 1.32 trillion barrels of oil in place in 18 oil shale zones in the Eocene Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado. This assessment uses oil-yield values from four sources: (1) Fischer-assayed samples from core holes specifically cored to assess oil shale, (2) Fischer-assayed cuttings from oil and gas tests, (3) Fischer-assayed surface samples, and (4) estimated oil yields from surface samples. The Fischer assay method is a standardized laboratory test for determining the oil yield from oil shale that has been almost universally used to determine oil yields for Green River Formation oil shales. In this assessment, a spatial interpolation and extrapolation method for generating resource maps and computing resource volumes was used. The online version of this report is accessible via the following website: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3010/. ****************************************************************************** URANIUM http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/other/uranium/ ****************************************************************************** As part of the Department of the Interior’s evaluation of whether to segregate nearly 1 million acres of federal lands near the Grand Canyon from new uranium claims, the United States Geological Survey released a report on uranium resources and uranium mining impacts in the area. The studies contained in the report looked at uranium found in breccia pipe deposits and explored the geological, hydrological, and biological issues related to uranium mining on Federal lands near the park. “The current two year time-out on new uranium mining claims gives us an opportunity to gather the best science and input from the public, Congress, stakeholders, and Tribes on whether to withdraw lands near the Grand Canyon from new mining claims for a longer period of time,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The USGS’s report and ongoing research will be helpful to a thoughtful consideration of how to best manage these areas.” On July 21, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a decision to segregate nearly 1 million acres of federal lands in the Arizona Strip for two years while the Department evaluates whether to withdraw these lands from new mining claims for an additional 20 years. The lands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, are within portions of the Grand Canyon watershed and contain significant environmental and cultural resources as well as substantial uranium deposits. U.S. Geological Survey scientists were tasked to conduct a series of short-term studies on the possible effects of uranium mining on the region’s natural resources. The report’s key findings included two from Energy Resources Program scientists: · Chapter A: The area proposed for withdrawal is estimated to contain about 163,000 tons (about 326 million pounds) of uranium oxide (U3O8), which is about 12 percent of the estimated total undiscovered uranium in northern Arizona (1.3 million tons or 2.6 billion pounds). · Chapter B: Soil and sediment samples were analyzed for six sites that experienced various levels of uranium mining in Kanab Creek area north of Grand Canyon National Park, including mined and reclaimed sites, mined sites currently on standby, and sites that were exploratory drilled but not mined. Uranium and arsenic were two elements consistently detected in the areas disturbed by mining in values above natural background levels. A USGS report evaluating uranium resources and summarizing findings about the possible effects of uranium mining in northern Arizona is available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5025/. |