--> The North American Gas Resource Base: The Role of Frontier Sediments, by T. Woods; #90986 (1994).

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Abstract: The North American Gas Resource Base: The Role of Frontier Sediments

Thomas Woods

Producing areas in North America that are divided among broad basin classes (e.g., the categories of H. D. Klemme) demonstrate two consistent features, independent of basin classification. First, as long as exploration activity remains stable or increases with depth, volumetric yields of discoveries and ultimate recovery increases with depth. Second, every depth interval in a geographic area having a discovery larger than 800 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) has a volumetric yield of at least 100,000 BOE per cubic

mile of sediment. And, as many have observed, the more giant fields that have been found to date in a basin, the better the yields.

Using these observations, volumetric yields have been linked to statistical analyses of producing sediment intervals. This provides a context for resource estimates for basins in general and "frontier" basins or deeper, frontier sediments in producing basins of North America in particular. An estimate of the gas resource base in North America has been developed using volumetric yields as a context. The resultant yields are consistent with basin classifications, geological trends, and historical discovery trends. These yields suggest a remaining gas resource potential in North America approaching and possibly exceeding 3000 trillion cubic feet. The critical issues are the extent to which volumetric yields will continue to increase with depth in the deeper "frontier" sediments of produc ng basins and how many "frontier" areas will prove to have giant fields.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994