MAJOR OIL PLAYS IN UTAH AND VICINITY [report]

Jr. Thomas C. Chidsey
2003 unpublished
Utah oil fields have produced over 1.2 billion barrels (191 million m 3 ) of oil and hold 256 million barrels (40.7 million m 3 ) of proved reserves. The 13.7 million barrels (2.2 million m 3 ) of production in 2002 was the lowest level in over 40 years and continued the steady decline that began in the mid-1980s. However, in late 2005 production increased due to the discovery of Covenant field in the central Utah Navajo Sandstone thrust belt play. The Utah Geological Survey believes this new
more » ... ward production trend can continue by providing play portfolios for the four major oil-producing provinces (Utah/Wyoming thrust belt, central Utah thrust belt -"Hingeline," Uinta Basin, and Paradox Basin) in Utah and adjacent areas in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. Oil plays are geographic areas with petroleum potential caused by favorable combinations of source rock, migration paths, reservoir rock characteristics, and other factors. The play portfolios will include descriptions and maps of the major oil plays by reservoir; production and reservoir data; case-study field evaluations; locations of major oil pipelines; identification and discussion of land-use constraints; descriptions of reservoir outcrop analogs; and summaries of the state-of-the-art drilling, completion, and secondary/tertiary recovery techniques for each play. This report covers research activities for the sixteenth quarter of the project (April 1 through June 30, 2006). This work included (1) land classification summaries of the major oilproducing provinces, and (2) technology transfer activities. A combination of depositional and structural events created the right conditions for oil generation and trapping in the oil plays of major oil-producing provinces. Numerous plays are found in the Utah/Wyoming thrust belt, central Utah thrust belt -Hingeline, Uinta Basin, and Paradox Basin oil-producing provinces in Utah and vicinity. Land-use constraints within the oil plays are a critical concern to current and potential operators exploring and developing petroleum resources in provinces. We have compiled locations and documented the major land and mineral ownership types in each oil-producing province; identified the federal, state, county, and other private and non-profit agencies involved in the environmental analysis, leasing, and development of oil and gas resources; and provided an overview and listing of pertinent data, documents, and research tools that might be helpful in understanding the oil and gas industry, primarily in Utah, but also in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. The major plays in the oil-producing provinces encompass nearly 15.1 million acres (6.1 million ha) and include almost all of the potential oil-and gas-bearing land in Utah. Mineral ownership and management, including leasing, is divided primarily among federal, state, and private interests. Private interests also include Native American Reservation lands and may include Native American mineral ownership outside an Indian Reservation. We recommend additional research to summarize Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas, determine trust lands and withdrawal orders for each state, verify Military Reservation lands, and identify tribal entities and mineral acreages for each tribe. Technology transfer activities during this quarter consisted of exhibiting a booth display of project materials at the 2006 Annual Convention and Rocky Mountain Section Meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), technical and non-technical presentations, and publications. The project home page was updated on the Utah Geological
doi:10.2172/815453 fatcat:6pumqh5pv5exniy6qyabikb57q