U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2004–3007

February 2004

World Energy Assessment Project Fact Sheet

Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the 

Burgos Basin Province, Northeastern Mexico, 2003

Printed on recycled paper

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

recently completed an assessment of the 

undiscovered oil and gas potential of the 

Burgos Basin Province of northeastern 

Mexico (fig. 1) in order to understand 

the potential contribution of Mexican 

resources to North American gas supply. 

The USGS Burgos Basin Province, as 

defined for this assessment, is bounded 

on the north by the U.S.-Mexico border, 

on the west by the Tamaulipas, PeyotePicachos, and El Burro-Salado uplifts, 

on the south by the Tampico-Mislanta 

Basin, and on the east by the Mexican 

Ridges and part of the Perdido fold belt 

in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico. The 

assessment of the Burgos Basin Province 

is based on the geologic elements of the 

Total Petroleum System (TPS) defined 

in the province, including hydrocarbon 

source rocks (source-rock maturation, 

and hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and 

hydrocarbon traps (trap formation and 

timing). By using this geologic framework, the USGS defined one composite 

TPS and five Assessment Units (AU) 

within the TPS, and quantitatively 

estimated the undiscovered oil and gas 

resources within the five AUs (table 1).

Resource Summary

The USGS assessed undiscovered 

conventional oil and gas resources in 

the Burgos Basin Province, exclusive 

of reserve growth. The USGS estimated 

a mean of 12.9 trillion cubic feet of 

nonassociated gas (TCFG), a mean of 

6.2 billion barrels of oil (with 7.4 TCF 

of associated gas), and a mean total of 

0.52 billion barrels of natural gas liquids 

for the five AUs (table 1).

The undiscovered nonassociated gas 

resource (gas in undiscovered gas fields) 

is assessed to be nearly all onshore in 

four assessment units; Upper JurassicCretaceous Reservoirs AU, Wilcox 

Lobo Sandstones AU, Wilcox-Eocene 

Sandstones AU, and the Frio-Vicksburg 

Sandstones AU. About half (6.6 TCFG) 

of the total mean undiscovered nonassociated gas (12.9 TCFG) is estimated to 

be in the Frio-Vicksburg Sandstones AU 

(table 1). The Wilcox-Eocene Sandstones 

AU is estimated to contain a mean of 

about 3.9 TCFG, and the Wilcox Lobo 

Sandstones AU about 1.6 TCFG (table 1). 

The remainder of the nonassociated 

gas is in the Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous 

Reservoirs AU and the Eocene-Miocene 

Sandstones AU.

The mean total volumes of undiscovered oil and associated gas (gas in 

undiscovered oil fields) were nearly

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. 

Geological Survey estimated a 

mean of 12.9 trillion cubic feet of 

undiscovered nonassociated gas, 

a mean of 6.2 billion barrels of 

undiscovered oil (with 7.4 trillion 

cubic feet of associated gas), and 

a mean of 0.52 billion barrels of 

undiscovered natural gas liquids in 

the Burgos Basin Province of northeastern Mexico.

Figure 1. Burgos Basin Province of northeastern Mexico.

Saltillo

Monterrey

Ciudad

Victoria

BURGOS

BASIN

PROVINCE

85

180

81

81

101

57

35

37

Laredo Corpus Christi

U.S.

MEXICO

Brownsville

281

Tampico-Mislanta Basin

Mexican Ridges

Perdido

Fold Belt

-102° -100° -98° -96° -94°

26°

24°

28°

60 Miles

77

77

El Burro-Salado Uplifts

Peyote-Picachos Arches

Tamaulipas

Arch

Gulf

of

Mexico
all in the offshore part of the EoceneMiocene Sandstones AU (table 1). The 

geologic model for the Eocene-Miocene 

Sandstones AU in part was based on 

recent discoveries along the Perdido fold 

belt in deep water on the U.S. side of the 

border. These discoveries are reputed 

to be in Eocene sandstone reservoirs 

possibly charged with Upper Jurassic- or Cretaceous-sourced oil and gas. 

Traps are associated with compressional 

structures of the Perdido fold belt. A 

similar geologic model is envisioned for 

the assessment of undiscovered oil and 

gas resources in the Mexican Ridges 

of the Burgos Basin Province immediately south of the Perdido fold belt. This 

assessment of oil and associated gas 

resource in the Eocene-Miocene Sandstones AU is highly uncertain given the 

lack of data in this part of the Burgos 

Basin Province.

For Further Information

Supporting geologic studies of the 

Composite Total Petroleum System and 

Assessment Units, and the methodology 

used in the Burgos Basin Province assessment, are being prepared. Assessment 

results are available at the USGS Central 

Energy Team website:

http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/oilgas/.

Burgos Basin Province Assessment Team:

Christopher J. Schenk (Task Leader, 

schenk@usgs.gov); Thomas S. Ahlbrandt, Ronald R. Charpentier, Donald L. 

Gautier, Mitchell E. Henry, Timothy R. 

Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, Gregory F. 

Ulmishek, and Jean N. Weaver.

10.33 49.90 141.32 59.23 11.67 58.12 174.91 71.00 0.33 1.70 5.43 2.13

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 80.21 522.17 1,449.22 612.61 1.97 13.07 39.45 15.91

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

465.12 1,495.36 3,160.85 1,614.14 8.65 29.01 67.13 32.31

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

0 .90 2.10 4.00 2.30 1,356.81 3,902.91 6,758.20 3,964.65 37.90 113.56 220.49 119.22

10.39 36.51 80.09 39.83 11.53 42.58 101.87 47.79 0.22 0.83 2.14 0.96

0.902.10 4.00 2.30 3.80 2,183.85 6,535.29 11,286.35 6,608.61 61.12 189.19 368.33 198.74

476.30 5,247.96 14,424.65 6,065.46 554.99 6,096.22 18,115.73 7,275.68 10.69 117.51 375.47 145.30

0.902.10 4.00 2.30 103.70 16.70 81.98 224.97 96.36 0.31 1.59 4.69 1.93

497.01 5,334.37 14,646.06 6,164.51 578.19 6,196.92 18,392.51 7,394.47 11.24 120.03 383.04 148.39

0000 4,102.69 12,537.71 22,879.59 12,896.37 109.95 346.42 700.09 368.09

497.01 5,334.37 14,646.06 6,164.51 4,680.88 18,734.64 41,272.10 20,290.84 121.19 466.45 1,083.13 516.48

Total Petroleum Systems Total undiscovered resources

(TPS)

and Assessment Units (AU)

Field

type

Oil (MMBO) Gas (BCFG) NGL (MMBNGL)

Gas

Oil

Gas

Oil

Gas

Oil

Gas

Oil

Gas

Oil

[MMBO, million barrels of oil. BCFG, billion cubic feet of gas. MMBNGL, million barrels of natural gas liquids. Results shown are fully risked estimates. For gas

fields, all liquids are included under the NGL (natural gas liquids) category. F95 denotes a 95 percent chance of at least the amount tabulated. Other fractiles are

defined similarly. Fractiles are additive under the assumption of perfect positive correlation. TPS is Total Petroleum System. AU is Assessment Unit. Gray shading

indicates not applicable]

Table 1. Burgos Basin Province Assessment Results.

Conventional Oil and Gas Resources

Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite TPS

Total Conventional

Resources

Total Undiscovered

Oil and Gas Resources

Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous

Reservoirs AU

Wilcox Lobo Sandstones AU

Wilcox-Eocene Sandstones AU

Frio-Vicksburg Sandstones AU

Eocene-Miocene Sandstones AU

Gas

Oil