USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Hosston and Travis Peak formations along the Gulf Coast
35.8 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered gas, 14 months' supply for the nation
RESTON, VA. — The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of potential for undiscovered oil and gas in two formations under much of the Gulf of America Coast from Texas to Florida, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 35.8 trillion cubic feet of gas and 28 million barrels of oil.
The estimate for today’s assessment is as much gas as the United States consumes in 14 months at the current rate of consumption. Since exploration began in the area, the Hosston and Travis Peak Formations have produced 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, as well as 126 million barrels of oil.
“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, our assessment found substantial resources of gas,” said Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS.
The onshore Gulf Coast is a major energy production area thanks to a world-class petroleum system and extensive energy exploration and production infrastructure. This assessment is limited to the Hosston and Travis Peak formations, which comprise a small portion of the onshore Gulf Coast’s Cretaceous aged rocks. While the study area stretches from the Mexican border along the Gulf of America to most of Florida, resources are concentrated in one sliver extending from southeastern Texas across central Louisiana through the Mississippi Delta and into state waters of Louisiana, in the Hosston-Travis Peak Shelf Continuous Gas Assessment Unit (see map).
Much of the undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas estimated to be present in the Hosston – Travis Peak formations is what the industry calls “tight gas”: natural gas trapped in low permeability rock, far below the surface. “Producing tight gas here would involve drilling and fracking, down more than 8,000–10,000 feet from the surface,” said Christopher Schenk, USGS geologist.
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 policymakers 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 range of assessments produced has changed with the technology available to produce oil. In 1995, the USGS began conducting assessments of unconventional, technically recoverable resources. “The shift to horizontal drilling with fracking has revolutionized oil production, and we’ve changed with it,” Schenk said.
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. Two methodologies are used by the USGS: one for assessing conventional oil and gas resources and one for assessing unconventional (continuous) oil and gas resources (such as shale gas and coalbed gas).
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