ENERGY PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

Geologic Framework Studies

Geologic framework studies are conducted by the USGS Energy Resources Program to support and enhance petroleum resource assessments. Geologic framework research provides a basic geologic, geophysical, and geochemical framework to aid in the evaluation and delineation of oil, gas, coal, and other energy resources in a basin. This research targets depositional intervals requiring further study, applies modern petroleum geology concepts, and identifies primary petroleum systems and related factors such as: structural, stratigraphic, and tectonic frameworks; reservoir compartmentalization, quality, and characterization; and petroleum generation, trapping, and migration dynamics. The following lists current research activities, which are hosted on different areas of the Energy Resources Program site.

• Geochemical studies of petroleum formation. These studies focus on developing our understanding of the processes that control petroleum generation, migration, entrapment and preservation in the Earth's crust.
• Our Seismic Processing and Interpretation Group contributes 2-D and 3-D information in support of petroleum assessments and modeling, as well as maintains an extensive public data library.
• Compilation of regional geologic studies. These studies seek to compile all relevant information into a seamless data structure for research geologists based on a common geographic area.
• Apply total petroleum system approaches to domestic and international oil and natural gas assessments.