ENERGY PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

CONTACT

Don Gautier
Geologist
650-329-4909

Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal

Overview Latest Publications Fact Sheets GIS Data Sets Multimedia Lisburne Group thrust ramp, Akmagolik Creek in northern Alaska. Summer 2005. Go to >> Larger image to view two helicopters for scale, one blue/white and the other red. The Arctic is an area of high petroleum resource potential, low data density, high geologic uncertainty and sensitive environmental conditions. A large portion of the remaining global endowment of oil and gas resources has long been thought to exist in the high northern latitudes of Russia, Norway, Greenland, United States, and Canada. However, the quality, quantity, and distribution of these resources are poorly understood. To improve the understanding of the petroleum resources in this area, the USGS is undertaking a multi-year research effort, termed the Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA), to produce a comprehensive, unbiased probabilistic estimate of undiscovered petroleum resources in the high northern latitudes. This research effort is being conducted in collaboration with several U.S. and international entities. When completed, the results from the CARA will provide the first publicly available petroleum resource estimate of the area north of the Arctic Circle in its entirety. OVERVIEW Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal: Estimates of Undiscovered Oil and Gas North of the Arctic Circle Fact Sheet 2008-3049| Press Release (7/23/08) Podcast (Episode 55) | Slide Presentation (Flash document 4.39 MB) NEW Energy resources research at USGS is featured in the May 29 issue of Science . The Science Report , “Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas in the Arctic”, provides new understanding of the future of petroleum, of the potential for environmental conflicts, and of the primary drivers of international energy politics in the Arctic. Building on a summary of findings released last summer, the Science Report presents the USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal, with new interpretations, detailed statistical results, and links to crucial maps and data tables in Science Online . Because of the recent retreat of Arctic ice and the prospect ofintensified energy resource development, this landmark study is vitally important to theArctic nations and to all those concerned about the fragile polar environments as well as future energy sources. Abstract | Full Report | Podcast   Newly Published Map Map of the Arctic sedimentary successions was assembled (A. Grantz, R.A. Scott, S.S. Drachev, and T.E. Moore, Maps showing the sedimentary successions of the Arctic Region (58°-64° to 90° N) that may be prospective for hydrocarbons (American Association of Petroleum Geologists GIS-UDRIL Open-File Spatial Library, 2009) as the basis for defining CARA assessment units (U.S. Geological Survey, Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (north of the Arctic Circle) Assessment Units GIS Data (2009). GIS-UDRIL Open-File Spatial Library MAP (Note: Map links to a zip folder containing mutiple files, the following readme file explains the Map and its contents: grantzmap_readme.pdf)   OVERVIEW Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal: Estimates of Undiscovered Oil and Gas North of the Arctic Circle Fact Sheet 2008-3049| Press Release (7/23/08) Podcast (Episode 55) | Slide Presentation (Flash document 4.39 MB) Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the West Siberian Basin Province, Russia, 2008 Fact Sheet 2008-3064 NEW Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province, Russia, 2008 Fact Sheet 2008-3051   [+] More Publications Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal GIS datasets: Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (north of the Arctic Circle) Assessment Units Geologic Provinces of the Circum-Arctic (north of the Arctic Circle)   Business News Network (BNN) talks to Donald Gautier, U.S. Geological Survey, June 4, 2009 [video clip 05:23] PODCAST Science Magazine As part of the featured article, from the Science Podcast: an interview with Don Gautier on new estimates of the amount of undiscovered oil and gas in the Arctic. Listen to Podcast PODCAST USGS Corecast, Episode 55 90 Billion Barrels of Oil and 1,670 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Assessed in the Arctic [audio clip 05:33] Listen to Podcast