The Discovery Of Significant Oil And Gas Fields In The United States

A quantitative assessment of the ultimate conventional petroleum resources of the United States. Using a database listing all the significant oil and gas fields, the authors describe what has already been discovered, interpret why these discoveries happened when they did, and assess the remaining geologic prospects. U.S. petroleum resources are highly concentrated in a few major provinces and in a relatively small number of giant and large fields. Since the peaks in oil discoveries about 1930 and natural gas about 1950, both the number of discoveries and the amounts discovered have declined substantially. The authors conclude that most of the conventional petroleum that will ultimately be produced has already been discovered and made recoverable. Ultimate recovery will most likely be between 210 and 285 billion barrels of petroleum liquids and 920 to 1,090 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, as compared with known recovery of 175 billion barrels and 750 trillion cubic feet.

Illustrates the development and depletion of U.S. crude oil and natural gas resources over the entire history of the industry.

This edited volume discusses scientific and technological aspects of the history of the oil and gas industry in national and international contexts. The search for oil for industrial uses began in the nineteenth century, the first drills made in Azerbaijan and the United States. This intense search for a substance to become one of the most important energy sources was, many times, based on skill as well as luck, resulting in knowledge and the development of prospecting and exploration technologies. The demand for oil improved expertise in geological science, in areas such as micropaleontology, stratigraphy or sedimentology and informed different disciplines such as geophysics. These contributions made possible not only the discovery of new oil fields but also new applications and methods of exploration. Beyond the scientific and technological aspects, an industry that grew to such considerable size also impacted the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental and diplomatic issues in history. The book approaches these changes in different scales, countries, areas, and perspectives. This edited book appeals to researchers, student, practitioners in various fields from geology and geophysics to history. It is also an important resource for professionals in the oil and gas industry.