Geologic Controls of Deep

Natural Gas Resources in the United States

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 2146
Cover. Loffland Brothers drill rig on the site of the Lone Star Production Company No. 1 Earnest 

Baden well spudded in September 1970 in Beckham County, Oklahoma. The No. 1 Earnest Baden well 

was drilled to a depth of 30,050 ft and is the second deepest petroleum well drilled in the United States. 

Photograph provided by GHK Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Geologic Controls of 

Deep Natural Gas Resources 

in the United States

Edited by T.S. Dyman, D.D. Rice, and P.A. Westcott

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 2146

The research on which these chapters are based was funded by the

Gas Research Institute, U.S. Department of Energy, and

U.S. Geological Survey

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1997

M A R C H 3, 18 4 9

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services

Box 25286, Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and

does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Gordon P. Eaton, Director

Geologic controls of deep natural gas resources in the United States / edited by

T.S. Dyman, D.D. Rice, and P.A. Westcott.

p. cm. — (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; )

Includes bibliographical references.

Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.3:B2146A–O

1. Natural gas—Geology—United States. 2. Gas fields—United States.

I. Dyman, T. S. II. Rice, Dudley D. III. Westcott, P. A. IV. Series.

QE75.B9

[TN881.A1]

557.3 s—dc20

[553.2′85′0973] 95–37556

CIP
CONTENTS

A. Introduction

By T.S. Dyman, D.D. Rice, and P.A. Westcott

B. Maps Illustrating the Distribution of Deep Wells in the United States by Geologic Age

By Craig J. Wandrey and David K. Vaughan

C. Geologic and Production Characteristics of Deep Natural Gas Resources Based on Data

From Significant Fields and Reservoirs

By T.S. Dyman, C.W. Spencer, J.K. Baird, R.C. Obuch, and D.T. Nielsen

D. Structural Settings of Deep Natural Gas Accumulations in the Conterminous United 

States

By William J. Perry, Jr.

E. Sequential Laramide Deformation and Paleocene Depositional Patterns in Deep GasProne Basins of the Rocky Mountain Region

By William J. Perry, Jr., and R.M. Flores

F. Initial Potential Test Data From Deep Wells in the United States

By C.W. Spencer and Craig J. Wandrey

G. Physical Properties of Clastic Reservoir Rocks in the Uinta, Wind River, and Anadarko

Basins, As Determined by Mercury-Injection Porosimetry

By C.W. Keighin

H. Porosity Prediction in Deeply Buried Sandstones, With Examples From Cretaceous 

Formations of the Rocky Mountain Region

By James W. Schmoker

I. Porosity Trends of Pennsylvanian Sandstones With Respect to Thermal Maturity and

Thermal Regimes in the Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma

By Timothy C. Hester

J. Source-Rock Potential of Precambrian Rocks in Selected Basins of the United States

By James G. Palacas

K. Minimum Thermal Stability Levels and Controlling Parameters of Methane, As

Determined by C15+ Hydrocarbon Thermal Stabilities

By Leigh C. Price

L. Origins, Characteristics, Evidence For, and Economic Viabilities of Conventional and

Unconventional Gas Resource Bases

By Leigh C. Price

III

[Letters designate chapters]
IV CONTENTS

M. Migration of Hydrocarbon and Nonhydrocarbon Gases From the Deep Crust—Composition, Flux,

and Tectonic Setting

By Robert C. Burruss

N. Deep Natural Gas Resources in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

By Dudley D. Rice, Christopher J. Schenk, James W. Schmoker, James E. Fox, Jerry L. Clayton, 

Thaddeus S. Dyman, Debra K. Higley, C. William Keighin, Ben E. Law, and Richard M. Pollastro

O. Assessment Methodology for Deep Natural Gas Resources

By G.L. Dolton and R.A. Crovelli

CONVERSION TABLE

 Multiply By To obtain

Cubic meters 35.31 Cubic feet

Cubic kilometers 0.24 Cubic miles

Kilometers 0.62 Miles

Meters 3.28 Feet

Centimeters 0.39 Inches

Kilopascals 6.90 Pounds per square inch (100 bars)

Microns (micrometers) 0.001 Millimeters

ABBREVIATIONS

BCFG Billions of cubic feet of gas

BOE Barrels of oil-equivalent

kPa Kilopascal

mD Millidarcy

MMCFG Millions of cubic feet of gas

MMBO Millions of barrels of oil

psi Pounds per square inch

psia Pounds per square inch (absolute)

Roeq Equivalent vitrinite reflectance

Ro Vitrinite reflectance

Tmax Maximum pyrolysis temperature

TCFG Trillions of cubic feet of gas

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