--> ABSTRACT: Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources in Conventional and Continuous Petroleum Systems in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group, U.S. Gulf Coast Region, by Dubiel, Russell F.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Pitman, Janet; Pearson, Krystal; Kinney, Scott A.; #90142 (2012)

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources in Conventional and Continuous Petroleum Systems in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group, U.S. Gulf Coast Region

Dubiel, Russell F.*1; Pearson, Ofori N.2; Pitman, Janet 3; Pearson, Krystal 4; Kinney, Scott A.5
(1) U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO.
(2) U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO.
(3) U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO.
(4) U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO.
(5) U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of the technically recoverable undiscovered oil and gas resources in Upper Cretaceous strata of the Gulf Coast, including only that portion of the total petroleum system (TPS) that lies in the onshore and State waters of the United States. The assessment is based on geologic elements of a total petroleum system, including characterization of hydrocarbon source rocks (source-rock maturation, hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and hydrocarbon traps (trap formation, timing, and seals). Using these criteria, the USGS defined the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Composite TPS, and three assessment units (AUs) with potential undiscovered conventional and continuous oil and gas resources in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group. The conventional oil and gas resources are in sandstone reservoirs in the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa and Woodbine Formations in Louisiana and Texas, respectively, whereas the continuous oil and continuous gas resources reside in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Shale in Texas and the Tuscaloosa marine shale in Louisiana. Conventional resources in the Tuscaloosa and Woodbine are included in the Eagle Ford Updip Sandstone Oil and Gas AU, which encompasses an area where the Eagle Ford Shale and Tuscaloosa marine shale display vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values <0.6%. The continuous Eagle Ford Shale Oil AU lies south of the conventional AU, immediately updip of the Lower Cretaceous shelf edge, and is defined by thermal maturity values within the Eagle Ford Shale and the Tuscaloosa marine shale that range from 0.6 to 1.2% Ro. Similarly, the Eagle Ford Shale Gas AU is defined downdip of the shelf edge where the source rocks have Ro values greater than 1.2%. The USGS assessed means of: 1) 141 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 502 billion cubic feet of natural gas (BCFG), and 4 million barrels of natural gas liquids (MMBNGL) in the conventional Eagle Ford Updip Sandstone Oil and Gas AU; 2) 853 MMBO, 1,707 BCFG, and 34 MMBNGL in the continuous Eagle Ford Shale Oil AU; and 3) 50,219 BCFG and 2,009 MMBNGL in the continuous Eagle Ford Shale Gas AU.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California