Central Energy Resources Science Center

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The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC) addresses national and global energy geoscience issues and conducts interdisciplinary research on energy systems.   You can explore the projects that are based here using the 'Science' option to the left.

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Location

We are located on the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, CO.  For more information, please call 303-236-1647

Science Topics

We conduct research and assessments to advance the understanding of the Nation's energy resources.  To read more about our what we do, visit the Science tab or select from the links below.

Energy Resources

Assessments

Research

Regional Studies

News

Date published: October 29, 2020

USGS Estimates Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources in the Austin Chalk Formation of the U.S. Gulf Coast

The Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations of the Gulf Coast Basin contain a mean of 6.9 billion barrels of oil and 41.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas according to a new assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. In comparison, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the United States used 7.5 billion barrels of petroleum products in 2019.

July 6, 2020

Energy Quarterly - Summer 2020

As summer begins, here are a few highlights in our Energy Quarterly Newsletter.  This edition is a quick overview of the Energy Resources Program's assessments, research, data, and publications.  We also share highlights from our fellow program in the USGS Energy and Minerals Mission Area, the Mineral Resources Program.  

Date published: January 27, 2020

Special Issue Highlights One of the Most Extensive Gas Hydrate Datasets Ever Collected

The USGS and its research partners in India and Japan have reported on one of the most extensive data sets ever collected on the occurrence of natural gas hydrate.

Publications

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Year Published: 2020

Structure contour and isopach maps of the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, New Mexico and Texas

A series of structure contour and isopach maps for the Wolfcamp shale and the Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, were generated in support of the U.S. Geological Survey 2018 assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources. The interpreted formation tops used to generate the maps are from the IHS Markit...

Gaswirth, Stephanie B.
Gaswirth, S.B., 2020, Structure contour and isopach maps of the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, New Mexico and Texas: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1126, 37 p., https://doi.org/ 10.3133/ ofr20201126.

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Year Published: 2020

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2019

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 6.9 billion barrels of oil and 41.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in conventional and continuous accumulations in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations onshore and in State...

Pitman, Janet K.; Paxton, Stanley T.; Kinney, Scott A.; Whidden, Katherine J.; Haines, Seth S.; Varela, Brian A.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Burke, Lauri A.; Le, Phuong A.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Gianoutsos, Nicholas J.; French, Katherine L.; Drake, Ronald M.; Finn, Thomas M.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Shorten, Chilisa M.
Pitman, J.K., Paxton, S.T., Kinney, S.A., Whidden, K.J., Haines, S.S., Varela, B.A., Mercier, T.J., Woodall, C.A., Schenk, C.J., Leathers-Miller, H.M., Pearson, O.N., Burke, L.A., Le, P.A., Birdwell, J.E., Gianoutsos, N.J., French, K.L., Drake, R.M., II, Finn, T.M., Ellis, G.S., Gaswirth, S.B., Marra, K.R., Tennyson, M.E., and Shorten, C.M., 2020, Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk and Tokio and Eutaw Formations, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2019 (ver 1.1., December 2020): U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2020–3045, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20203045.

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Year Published: 2020

Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 2.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado.

Marra, Kristen R.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Le, Phuong A.; Drake, Ronald M.
Marra, K.R., Schenk, C.J., Mercier, T.J., Leathers-Miller, H.M., Tennyson, M.E., Finn, T.M., Woodall, C.A., Brownfield, M.E., Le, P.A., and Drake, R.M., II, 2020, Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Lewis Shale Total Petroleum System of the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado, 2020: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2020–3048, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20203048.