Oil Basins In The US

  • Permian Basin: Located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, it’s the largest oil-producing basin in the U.S., covering ~86,000 square miles. It includes sub-basins like the Midland Basin, Delaware Basin, and Marfa Basin, with formations such as Wolfcamp, Bone Spring, and Spraberry. It produces over 6 million barrels of oil per day and holds ~46 billion barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable reserves.
  • Eagle Ford Shale: Found in South Texas, this basin is known for both oil and natural gas production, boosted by hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling since the late 2000s. It spans multiple counties and has a peak production capacity of over 1 million barrels per day.
  • Marcellus Shale: Located in the Appalachian Basin (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York), it’s primarily a natural gas producer but also contains oil. It holds ~85 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas and 3.4 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.
  • Utica Shale: Also in the Appalachian Basin (Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York), it lies beneath the Marcellus and is known for oil and gas, with ~1.8 billion barrels of oil and 117.2 trillion cubic feet of gas in undiscovered, technically recoverable resources.
  • Anadarko Basin: Spanning Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Colorado, it contains ~16.5 billion barrels of oil and 92 trillion cubic feet of gas in undiscovered, technically recoverable reserves. Key formations include the Woodford Shale.
  • Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin: Located in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota, it includes the Wattenberg Field, producing ~216,000 barrels per day. It holds ~3.8 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 20.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
  • Haynesville Shale: Found in northwest Louisiana and east Texas, it’s a major natural gas producer with ~304 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas.
  • Bakken Shale: Situated in North Dakota and Montana within the Williston Basin, it’s a significant oil producer with ~7.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil. It’s known for its role in the U.S. shale boom.
  • Uinta Basin: Located in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado, it has ~1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in recoverable reserves and a peak production of over 60,000 barrels per day.
  • Niobrara Shale: Found in Colorado and Wyoming, it holds ~2 billion barrels of oil equivalent and has a peak production capacity of over 600,000 barrels per day.
  • Gulf of Mexico Basin: An offshore basin with significant oil and gas reserves, known for light, sweet crude. It includes numerous fields and is a major contributor to U.S. energy production.
  • San Juan Basin: Located in Colorado and New Mexico, it’s primarily a natural gas producer with ~1,024 billion cubic feet of proved reserves.
  • Arkoma Basin: Spanning Arkansas and Oklahoma, it includes the Fayetteville Shale, known for natural gas production.
  • Fort Worth Basin: Located in Texas, it hosts the Barnett Shale, a key natural gas producer with significant historical production.
  • Williston Basin: Encompassing North Dakota, Montana, and parts of South Dakota, it includes the Bakken Shale and has been a major oil-producing region.
  • Powder River Basin: Located in Wyoming and Montana, it’s known for both oil and coal production, with emerging oil plays in shale formations.
  • Illinois Basin: Covering Illinois, Indiana, and western Kentucky, it’s primarily known for coal but also contains oil and gas reserves.
  • Michigan Basin: Located in Michigan, it contains Devonian shale with oil and gas potential, though less prominent than other basins.
  • Los Angeles Basin: In Southern California, it’s a smaller basin with historical oil production, including fields like Wilmington and Huntington Beach.
  • Santa Maria Basin: Also in California, it’s known for heavy oil production from fields like Orcutt and Cat Canyon.
  • San Joaquin Basin**: Located in California’s Central Valley, it includes major fields like Kern River and Midway-Sunset, known for heavy oil.
  • Piceance Basin: In western Colorado, it’s primarily a natural gas producer but also contains oil shale deposits.
  • Raton Basin: Straddling Colorado and New Mexico, it’s known for coalbed methane and some oil production.
  • Green River Basin: In Wyoming, it contains oil and gas, with significant tight gas and oil shale potential.
  • Wind River Basin: Also in Wyoming, it produces oil and gas from conventional and unconventional reservoirs.
  • Big Horn Basin: Located in Wyoming and Montana, it’s known for conventional oil fields like Elk Basin.
  • Paradox Basin: Spanning Utah and Colorado, it has oil and gas potential in complex geological formations.
  • Black Warrior Basin: In Alabama and Mississippi, it’s primarily a natural gas and coalbed methane producer.