An Allocation of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources to 

Big South Fork National Recreation Area and Obed Wild 

and Scenic River, Kentucky and Tennessee

By Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, and Richard M. Pollastro

Open-File Report 2006-1048

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior 

P. Lynn Scarlett, Acting Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey 

P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2006

For product and ordering information:

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Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to 

reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Schenk, C.J, Klett, T.R., Charpentier, R.R., Cook, T.A., Pollastro, R.M., 2006, An Allocation of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources to 

Big South Fork National Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River, Kentucky and Tennessee: U.S. Geological Survey Open 

File Report 2006-1048, 7 p.
Contents

Abstract ................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................ 1

Methodology for Resource Allocation .................................................................. 1

Results ...................................................................................................... 3

References ................................................................................................ 7

Figures

1. Map showing locations of Big South Fork National Recreation Area and Obed Wild and 

 Scenic River in Kentucky and Tennessee ...................................................... 2

2. Map showing oil and gas wells and selected oil and gas fields in and around Big South 

 Fork National Recreation Area, Kentucky and Tennessee .................................... 5

3. Map showing oil and gas wells and selected oil and gas fields in and around Obed Wild 

 and Scenic River, Tennessee ..................................................................... 6

Tables

1. Acreages for those parts of assessment units (AU) and plays that lie within the Big South 

 Fork National recreation Area (NRA) and the Obed Wild and Scenic River (WSR), 

 Kentucky and Tennessee ........................................................................ 3

2. Allocations of undiscovered oil and gas resources for Big South Fork National Recreation 

 Area (NRA) and Obed Wild and Scenic River (WSR), Kentucky and Tennessee ............ 4

iii
An Allocation of Undiscovered Oil and Gas 

Resources to Big South Fork National Recreation 

Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River, Kentucky and 

Tennessee 

By Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, and Richard M. Pollastro

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated volumes of undiscovered oil and gas resources that may underlie Big South 

Fork National Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Applying the results of existing 

assessments of undiscovered resources from three assessment units in the Appalachian Basin Province and three plays in the 

Cincinnati Arch Province that include these land parcels, the USGS allocated approximately (1) 16 billion cubic feet of gas, 

15 thousand barrels of oil, and 232 thousand barrels of natural gas liquids to Big South Fork National Recreation Area; and (2) 

0.5 billion cubic feet of gas, 0.6 thousand barrels of oil, and 10 thousand barrels of natural gas liquids to Obed Wild and Scenic 

River. These estimated volumes of undiscovered resources represent potential volumes in new undiscovered fields, but do not 

include potential additions to reserves within existing fields.

Introduction

The Central Energy Team of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was requested by the National Park Service to estimate 

volumes of undiscovered oil and gas resources that may underlie Big South Fork National Recreation Area (NRA) in Kentucky 

and Tennessee and Obed Wild and Scenic River (WSR) in Tennessee (fig. 1). Big South Fork NRA is almost entirely within the 

USGS Appalachian Basin Province, but a small parcel lies within the USGS Cincinnati Arch Province. Obed WSR is entirely 

within the USGS Appalachian Basin Province. The undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Appalachian Basin Province 

were assessed most recently by the USGS in 2002 (Milici and others, 2003), and the undiscovered oil and gas resources of the 

Cincinnati Arch Province were assessed most recently in 1995 (Gautier and others, 1996). These quantitative assessments form 

the basis for the allocation of resources that may underlie Big South Fork NRA and Obed WSR in the present study.

The USGS defined twenty-six geologic assessment units (AU) within the Appalachian Basin Province. Twenty-two of 

these were assessed for undiscovered oil and gas resources (Milici and others, 2003), including three AUs that are in the areas of 

Big South Fork NRA and Obed WSR (table 1). Three plays from the Cincinnati Arch Province assessment (Gautier and others, 

1996) included a part of Big South Fork NRA (table 1). For the purpose of our study, we did not reassess the areas of Big South 

Fork and Obed, but we applied the results of the earlier assessments to allocate undiscovered oil and gas resources for these six 

AUs or plays. This report summarizes the methodology and results of the allocation process.

Methodology Used for Resource Allocation

For the six AUs or plays that encompass parts of Big South Fork NRA and Obed WSR, we made the general assumption 

that the undiscovered resources that had been estimated previously for each of these were evenly distributed across the entire AU 

or play. This was considered to be the only feasible approach to the resource allocation process. Therefore, we allocated the 

undiscovered resources to either Big South Fork NRA or Obed WSR according to the percentage of the total land area of each 
N

L

Lake Cumberland

Melton

Hill Lake

Watts BarLake

Dale HollowLake

Laurel River

Lake

Obed River

Creek New

River

New

Fork

Wolf

River

Little

South

Fork River

Emory River

Cumberland

River

Clear

Clear

Scott

Morgan

Fentress

Wayne

Campbell

Whitley

McCreary

Anderson

Cumberland

K

Roane

Pickett

Clinton

Russell

Overton

Pulaski

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

Daniel

Boone

National

Forest

Big South Fork

National Recreation Area

Obed Wild and Scenic River

27

27

40

40

75

75

Clinton

Harriman

OakRidge

Crossville

Monticello

LaFollette

Williamsburg

-85° 

36° 0 10 20 Miles

KY

TN

IL

M0

IN OH

WV

VA

NC

MS AL GA SC

AR

MapArea

Figure 1. Map showing locations of Big South Fork National Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River in Kentucky a
 3

AU or play that lay within one or another of these tracts (table 1). For example, if Big South Fork NRA represented one percent 

of the land area of a given AU, we allocated one percent of the mean undiscovered resource to Big South Fork NRA from the 

USGS assessment of that AU; this procedure was followed for each AU or play. We then aggregated the allocations into a total 

volume of undiscovered resources for Big South Fork NRA and Obed WSR. The allocated potential resources, however, are 

only in terms of undiscovered fields. We did not estimate either the number of undiscovered fields or the number of wells that 

may be necessary to recover these potential, undiscovered resources.

Results

As discussed above, the allocation procedure provided estimates of the total volumes of undiscovered oil and gas resource 

that may underlie Big South Fork NRA and Obed WSR (table 2). The resulting estimates are: (1) 16 billion cubic feet of gas 

(BCFG), 15 thousand barrels of oil (MBO), and 232 thousand barrels of natural gas liquids (MBNGL) for the Big South Fork 

NRA; and (2) 0.5 BCFG, 0.6 MBO, and about 10 MBNGL for the Obed WSR.

Several oil and gas fields exist partly or wholly within the boundary of Big South Fork NRA (fig. 2) and within the 

boundary of Obed WSR (fig. 3). Field boundaries as shown in figures 1 and 2 are not state-defined boundaries, but are areas we 

outlined within which oil and gas wells were assigned to a specific field. Undiscovered resources allocated to Big South Fork 

and Obed would, by definition, be located outside existing fields.

Name of AU

or play

(Code no.)

Total AU or

play acreage

NRA WSR

Acreage within

AU or play

Percent of

AU or play

Acreage within

AU or play

Percent of

AU or play

Appalachian Basin Province Assessment Units

Rome Trough

(50670101)

39,594,309 124,264 0.314 — —

Cambrian Limestone

(50670403)

22,702,637 124,264 0.547 5,324 0.023

Northwest Ohio Shale

(50670462)

29,337,139 124,264 0.423 5,324 0.018

Cincinnati Arch Province Plays

Cambrian and Lower 

Ordovician Carbonate

(6601)

41,585,845 3,720 0.0089 — —

Middle and Upper 

Ordovician Carbonate

(6602)

39,457,623 3,720 0.0094 — —

Devonian Black

Gas Shale

(6604)

8,515,786 3,720 0.044 — —

Table 1. Acreages for those parts of assessment units (AU) and plays that lie within the Big South Fork National 

Recreation Area (NRA) and the Obed Wild and Scenic River (WSR), Kentucky and Tennessee. 

[AU names and code numbers from Milici and others (2003); those for plays from Gautier and others (1996)]
4 

Name of AU

or play

(Code no.)

NRA WSR

Oil

(MMBO)

Gas

(BCF)

Liquids

(MBNGL)

Oil

(MMBO)

Gas

(BCF)

Liquids

(MBNGL)

Appalachian Basin Province Assessment Units

Rome Trough

(50670101)

— 1.9 — — — —

Cambrian Limestone

(50670403)

13.4 0.7 7.6 0.6 — 0.3

Northwest Ohio Shale

(50670462)

— 11.2 224.5 — 0.5 9.6

Cincinnati Arch Province Plays

Cambrian and Lower 

Ordovician Carbonate

(6601)

0.7 0.7 — — — —

Middle and Upper 

Ordovician Carbonate

(6602)

0.8 0.8 — — — —

Devonian Black

Gas Shale

(6604)

— 0.6 — — — —

Table 2. Allocations of undiscovered oil and gas resources for Big South Fork National Recreation Area (NRA) and Obed Wild and Scenic 

River (WSR), Kentucky and Tennessee.

[Assessment Unit (AU) names and code numbers from Milici and others (2003); those for plays from Gautier and others (1996). Resource volumes are 

stated as mean values. Abbreviations: MBO, thousand barrels of oil; BCF, billion cubic feet of gas; MBNGL, thousand barrels of natural gas liquids]
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Lake Cumberland

Creek Wilderness

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National Forest

Big South Fork National

Recreation Area

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TENNE

KENT

Wayne County

Clinton County

Pickett County

Russell County

McCreary County

Pulaski County

Scott County

Fentress County

Morgan

County

Overton County 1

2

34

5

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85°0'0"W

85°0'0"W

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LegendBig South Fork WellsFinal Class

! Dry !! Oil! Gas! Oil and gas

State boundaries

County boundaries

Oil and gas field boundaries

Field number Field name 

1 GUM BRANCH 2 INDIAN CREEK 3 ONEIDA WEST 3 BURRVILLE 4 SHIRLEY 5 HURRICANE RIDG6 HONEY CREEK SOU7 LICK BRANCH 8 RUGBY 9 CROOKED BRANC

10 HONEY CREEK 11 GRAVE HILL 12 HURRICANE RIDGE 13 MILE ONE 14 WILLIAMS CREEK 15 BENDIX SPUR 16 PUNCHEONCAMP 17 WOLF BRANCH 18 GRAVE HILL NORT

Figure 2. Map showing oil and gas wells and selected oil and gas fields in and around Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Kentu
1

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Morgan County

Cumberland County

Fentress County

Obed Wild and Scenic River

85°0'0"W

85°0'0"W

36°0'0"N 

0 1 2 4

Miles

Legend

State boundaries

County boundaries

Oil and gas field boundaries

Obed WSR WellsFinal Class

! Oil

Gas

! Oil and gas! Dry

!

Field number Field name 

1 FRANKFORT NE 2 DOUGLAS BRANCH 

Figure 3. Map showing oil and gas wells and selected oil and gas fields in and around Obed Wild and Scenic River, Tenne
 7

References

Gautier, D.L., Dolton. G.L., Takahashi, K.I., and Varnes, K.L., eds., 1996, 1995 National assessment of United States oil and 

gas resources—results, methodology, and supporting data: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-30, Release 2, 

one CD-ROM.

Milici, R.C., Ryder, R.T., Swezey, C.S., Charpentier, R.R., Cook, T.A., Crovelli, R.A., Klett, T.R., Pollastro, R.M., and Schenk, 

C.J., 2003, Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2002: U.S. Geological 

Survey Fact Sheet FS-009-03.