USGS Releases Assessment Of Undiscovered Oil And Gas Resources Under Santa Barbara County, California

67 million barrels of oil, 56 billion cubic feet of natural gas estimated in the Santa Maria Basin geologic province

The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of potential for undiscovered oil and gas in formations under the Santa Maria Basin geologic province under Santa Barbara County and part of San Luis Obispo County, California, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 67 million barrels of oil and 56 billion cubic feet of gas.

Since exploration began in the area in 1901, the Santa Maria Basin geologic province has produced 900 million barrels of oil -- as much oil as the U.S. consumes in six weeks at the current rate of consumption. The assessment includes the onshore and state waters of the province and does not include offshore areas.

“The U.S. economy and our way of life depend on energy, and USGS oil and gas assessments point to resources that industry hasn’t discovered yet. In this case, after more than 100 years of production, the Santa Maria Basin has little remaining undiscovered oil or gas, indicating a need for new resources,” said Ned Mamula, director of the USGS.

USGS oil and gas assessments began 50 years ago following an oil embargo against the U.S. that signaled a need to understand the occurrence, distribution and potential volumes of undiscovered resources. The embargo led to a mandate for the USGS to use geologic science and data to assess undiscovered oil and gas resources to help meet the nation’s needs. The work continues today – identifying new resources for domestic production as well as international resources that affect market conditions -- an important part of the USGS mission to provide actionable insight to U.S. leaders, other Federal agencies, industry and the public.

USGS energy resource assessments provide information to policy makers on resource potential in areas of the U.S. and the world. For land-management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, the results of an energy resources assessment feed into land-use and resource management plans. For the private sector, USGS assessments of undiscovered energy resources provide context for planning detailed exploration.

The range of assessments produced has changed with the technology available to produce oil. In 1995, the USGS began conducting assessments of unconventional, technically recoverable resources. “The shift to horizontal drilling with fracking has revolutionized oil production, and we’ve changed with it,” said Christopher Schenk, USGS geologist.

The USGS Energy Resources Program assesses the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources in priority geologic provinces in the United States and around the world. Two methodologies are used by the USGS: one for assessing conventional oil and gas resources and one for assessing unconventional (continuous) oil and gas resources (such as shale gas and coalbed gas).

The fact sheet on the Santa Maria Basin Province Oil and Gas Assessment is available HERE (https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20253052).