Assessment of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, 2012

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional oil and gas accumulations within priority geologic provinces of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize as part of the USGS World Petroleum Resources Project. Ten priority geologic provinces were assessed in this study, which represent a complete reassessment of Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 19 billion barrels of oil and 83 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas resources in 10 geologic provinces of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. this area last published in 2000 (U.S. Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team, 2000). The 10 geologic provinces include Burgos Basin, Tampico−Misantla Basin, Veracruz Basin, Tuxla Uplift, Saline−Comalcalco Basin, Villahermosa Uplift, Macuspana Basin, Campeche−Sigsbee Salt Basin, Yucatan Platform, and Sierra Madre de Chiapas-Peten Basin (fig. 1).

Figure 1. Locations of 10 priority geologic provinces of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize assessed in this study of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources.

The methodology for the assessment included a complete geologic framework description for each province based mainly on published literature and definitions of petroleum systems and assessment units (AU) within these systems. Exploration and discovery history was a critical part of the methodology used to estimate sizes and numbers of undiscovered conventional accumulations. Each AU was assessed for undiscovered oil and nonassociated gas accumulations, and coproduct ratios were used to calculate the volumes of associated gas (gas in oil fields) and volumes of natural gas liquids.

Resource Summary

The USGS assessed undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in 17 AUs within 10 geologic provinces, with the following estimated mean totals: (1) for conventional oil resources, 19,315 million barrels of oil (MMBO), with a range from 7,174 to 36,714 MMBO; (2) for undiscovered conventional gas, 82,891 billion cubic feet of gas (BCFG), with a range from 32,394 to 156,012 BCFG; and (3) for natural gas liquids (NGL), 1,720 MMBNGL, with a range from 666 to 3,258 MMBNGL.

Of the mean undiscovered conventional oil resource of 19,315 MMBO, about 75 percent (14,295 MMBO) is estimated to be in the offshore portions of AUs of three geologic provinces: Burgos Basin (Eocene−Miocene Sandstones AU, 6,065 MMBO); Tampico−Misantla Basin (Tampico Mesozoic−Cenozoic Reservoirs AU, 5,365 MMBO); and Campeche−Sigsbee Salt Basin (Salt Structures AU, 2,865 MMBO). Other significant AUs for undiscovered oil include the Salt Basin Reservoirs AU (1,137 MMBO) and the Reforma Trend Reservoirs AU (1,427 MMBO). The same three provinces are

Mexico-Guatemala-Belize Assessment Team

Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, and Jean N. Weaver. estimated to contain about 70 percent (58,355 BCFG) of the mean undiscovered conventional gas resources (Burgos Basin, 20,292 BCFG; Tampico−Misantla Basin, 24,282 BCFG; and Campeche−Sigsbee Salt Basin, 13,781 BCFG).

Some AUs within the provinces assessed in this study have long histories of exploration and production and represent an extreme level of exploration maturity, with minor potential for undiscovered resources. For example, the Golden Lane El Abra AU and Golden Lane Tamabra AU of the Tampico−Misantla Basin Province had initial oil discoveries in the 1920s, and few discoveries have been made since the 1970s. The Reforma Trend Reservoirs AU of the Villahermosa Uplift Province has seen more success with discoveries, but these are trending towards smaller field sizes. Exploration is immature in some AUs, such as the Platform Reservoirs and Southeast Yucatan Margin AUs of the Yucatan Platform Province, and in the clastic sequences of the offshore Burgos Basin and Tampico−Misantla Basin Provinces.

For Further Information

Supporting studies of the geologic models and the methodology used in the assessment of Mexican provinces are in progress. Assessment results are available at the USGS Energy Program website, http://energy.usgs.gov/oilgas/.

Reference Cited

U.S. Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team, 2000, U.S. Geological Survey World Petroleum Assessment 2000—Description and results: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-60, 4 CD-ROMs.

Table 1. Assessment results for undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources for provinces of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. [MMBO, million barrels of oil; BCFG, billion cubic feet of gas; MMBNGL, million barrels of natural gas liquids. Results shown are fully risked estimates. For

Pleistocene eolianite on the coast of Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Photograph by C.J. Schenk, U.S. Geological Survey, 2004.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from U.S. Geological Survey. Published by the U.S. Geological Survey and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.