Detroit

Los Angeles

Chicago

Atlanta

Dallas

New York

City

Boston

Houston

Washington

Miami

Philadelphia

Denver

San Jose

Seattle

Cleveland

Baltimore

Saint Louis

Tulsa

Phoenix San Diego

Pittsburgh

Kansas City

Portland

Indianapolis

Buffalo

Akron

Milwaukee

Camden Sacramento

Flint

Richmond

Memphis

Omaha

Oakland

Dayton

Nashville

MinneapolisSaint Paul

Cincinnati

San Antonio

Tampa

Rochester

Columbus

Wichita

Birmingham

Toledo

Fort

Worth

Tucson

Concord

Louisville

Norfolk

Hartford

Orlando

Spokane

Charlotte

Tacoma

Oklahoma

City

Eugene

Knoxville

Sarasota

Lansing

Jackson

Jacksonville

Marietta

Austin

Salt Lake City

Springfield Providence

Clearwater

New Orleans

Las Vegas

Trenton

Pensacola

Albuquerque

Augusta

Winston-Salem

Roanoke

Baton Rouge

Mobile

Syracuse

Youngstown

Huntsville

Chattanooga

El Paso

Greenville

Fort Wayne

Fort LauderdaleWest Palm Beach

Grand

Rapids

Duluth

Vancouver

Covington

Little Rock

Newport NewsHampton

Cocoa

Beach

TEXAS

UTAH

MONTANA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

IDAHO

ARIZONA

OREGON

IOWA

KANSAS

WYOMING

NEW MEXICO

COLORADO

OHIO

MISSOURI

NEBRASKA

MINNESOTA

ILLINOIS

GEORGIA

FLORIDA

OKLAHOMA

ALABAMA

WISCONSIN

WASHINGTON

SOUTH DAKOTA

ARKANSAS

MAINE

NORTH DAKOTA

NEW YORK

VIRGINIA

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

INDIANA

MICHIGAN

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

PENNSYLVANIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH CAROLINA

WEST

VIRGINIA

VERMONT

MASSACHUSETTS

MARYLAND

NEW JERSEY

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

CONNECTICUT

PUERTO RICO

DELAWARE

RHODE

ISLAND

U.S. VIRGIN

ISLANDS

HAITI

JAMAICA

THE

BAHAMAS

DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC

CUBA

Williston Basin Province

7.38 BBO

Appalachian Basin Province

0.94 BBO

Powder River Basin Province

0.42 BBO

Uinta-Piceance Basin Province

0.04 BBO

Gulf Coast Region

1.73 BBO

Montana Thrust Belt Province

0.03 BBO

Southwestern Wyoming Province

0.10 BBO

Paradox Basin Province

0.47 BBO

Anadarko Basin Province

0.39 BBO

Denver Basin Province

0.04 BBO

Bighorn Basin Province

0.005 BBO

Permian Basin Province

0.51 BBO

Hanna Basin

0.04 BBO

Northern Alaska Province

0.94 BBO

155°

155° 140° 135°

145°

145°

150°

150°

160°

160°

165°

180° 175° 170° 165°

70°

70°

65°

65°

60°

60°

55°

55°

Fractured Niobrara Limestone

(Silo Field Area) AU

Niobrara-Codell

(Wattenberg Area) AU

Niobrara Continuous-Oil AU

Niobrara

Continuous-Oil AU

Mowry Fractured Shale

Continuous-Oil AU

Deep Uinta Overpressured

Continuous-Oil AU

Gothic, Chimney Rock,

Hovenweep Shale-Oil AU

Cane Creek

Shale-OIl AU

Shublik Continuous-Oil AU

Brookian Continuous-Oil AU

Kingak Continuous-Oil AU

Marias River Shale

Continuous-Oil AU

Niobrara Continuous-Oil AU

Mowry Continuous-Oil AU

Elm Coulee–Billings Nose

Continuous-Oil AU

Central Basin

Continuous-Oil AU

Nesson–Little Knife Continuous-Oil AU

Eastern Transitional

Continuous-Oil AU

Northwest Transitional

Continuous-Oil AU

Three Forks

Continuous-Oil AU

Utica Shale-Oil AU

Eagle Ford Shale-Oil AU

Austin Pearsall–Giddings Area Oil AU

Woodford Shale-Oil AU

Spraberry

Continuous-Oil AU

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

0 30 60 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

0 10 20 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

0 10 20 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

0 10 20 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

0 10 20 KILOMETERS

ALASKA

Anadarko Basin Province

Gulf Coast Region 

Appalachian Basin Province

Williston Basin Province

Powder River Basin Province

Montana Thrust Belt Province

Northern Alaska Province

Paradox Basin Province

Uinta-Piceance Basin Province

Southwestern Wyoming Province Hanna Basin Bighorn Basin Province

Denver Basin Province

Permian Basin Province

100 0 100 200 300 400 500 MILES

100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

0 50 100 KILOMETERS

UNITED STATES

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts quantitative 

assessments of potential oil and gas resources of the 

onshore United States and associated coastal State waters. 

Since 2000, the USGS has completed assessments of 

continuous (unconventional) resources in the United States 

based on geologic studies and analysis of well-production 

data and has compiled digital maps of the assessment units 

classified into four categories: shale gas, tight gas, coalbed 

gas, and shale oil or tight oil (continuous oil). This is the 

fourth digital map product in a series of USGS 

unconventional oil and gas resource maps; its focus being 

shale-oil or tight-oil (continuous-oil) assessments. The map 

plate included in this report can be printed in hardcopy form 

or downloaded in a Geographic Information System (GIS) 

data package, which includes an ArcGIS ArcMap document 

(.mxd), geodatabase (.gdb), and a published map file (.pmf). 

Supporting geologic studies of total petroleum systems and 

assessment units, as well as studies of the methodology 

used in the assessment of continuous-oil resources in the 

United States, are listed with hyperlinks in table 1. 

Access to Report

This entire publication is available online at the USGS web site:

http:/pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds-069/dds-069-jj/ or http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds69jj

and on CD-ROM by contacting:

eteamdisks@usgs.gov.

Access to Assessment Results

Comprehensive geologic studies, supporting data, and reports on the 

methodology used in assessing undiscovered oil and gas resources in the United 

States are available at the USGS Central Energy Resources Science Center website: 

http://energy.usgs.gov/OilGas/AssessmentsData/NationalOilGasAssessment.aspx

Project Chief: Christopher J. Schenk

Mean Continuous-Oil Resource Estimates—

Undiscovered, technically recoverable

billion barrels of oil (BBO)

7.5

5

2.5

1

0.5

0.1

0.05

0.01

Continuous (unconventional) oil assessment units—

Merged on contiguous U.S. map. On inset maps,

outlined and labeled with green text on a light green

background.

Explanation

PACIFIC OCEAN

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Gulf of Mexico

MEXICO

CANADA

Map of Assessed Continuous (Unconventional) Oil Resources in the United States, 2014

By

U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Oil and Gas Resources Team, 

and Laura R.H. Biewick, compiler

2015

Shaded relief from U.S. Geological Survey, The National Map, published 2007 at http://nationalmap.gov/

Bathymetry from ETOPO1, NOAA Technical Memorandum

NESDIS NGDC–24 (Amante and Eakins, 2009)

Albers Equal Area Conic Projection, Central Meridian: -96.0

Standard Parallel 1: 29.5, Standard Parallel 2: 45.5

Latitude of origin: 23.0

Datum: North American Datum 1983

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also contains 

copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must 

be secured from the copyright owner.

This database, identified as DDS 69–JJ, has been approved for release and publication by 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although this database has been subjected to rigorous 

review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data 

pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that neither 

the USGS nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from its 

authorized or unauthorized use.

For more information concerning this publication, contact:

Center Director, USGS Central Energy Resources Science Center

Box 25046, Mail Stop 939

(303) 236-1647

Or visit the Central Energy Resources Science Center Web site at:

http://energy.usgs.gov/

Publishing support provided by: 

Denver Publishing Service Center

Edit and digital layout by L.J. Binder

Manuscript approved for publication January 15, 2015

To learn about the USGS and its information products visit

http://www.usgs.gov/ 

1-888-ASK-USGS

Suggested citation: U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Oil and 

Gas Resources Team, and Biewick, L.R.H., compiler, 2015, Map of assessed 

continuous (unconventional) oil resources in the United States, 2014: U.S. 

Geological Survey Digital Data Series 69–JJ, 14 p., 1 pl., GIS data package,

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds69jj. 

ISSN 2327-638X (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds69jj

Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic Projection

Central Meridian: -154.0

Standard Parallel 1: 55.0

Standard Parallel 2: 65.0

Latitude of origin: 50.0

Datum: North American Datum 1983

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Digital Data Series 69–JJ

Plate 1

130° 125° 120° 115° 110° 105° 100° 95° 90° 85° 80° 75° 70°

50°

45°

40°

35°

30°

25°

20°

15°

10°

45°

40°

35°

30°

25°

20°

15°

10°

150° 145° 140° 135° 130° 125° 120° 115° 110° 105° 100° 95° 90° 85° 80° 75° 70° 65° 60° 55° 50°