MAP OF ASSESSED SHALE GAS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2012

By U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Oil and Gas Resources Team, and Laura R.H. Biewick, compiler

2013

U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series 69-Z

ABSTRACT
       The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled a map of shale-gas assessments in the United States that were completed by 2012 as part of the National Assessment of Oil and Gas Project. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey quantitatively estimated potential volumes of undiscovered gas within shale-gas assessment units. These shale-gas assessment units are mapped, and square-mile cells are shown to represent proprietary shale-gas wells. The square-mile cells include gas-producing wells from shale intervals.
       In some cases, shale-gas formations contain gas in deeper parts of a basin and oil at shallower depths (for example, the Woodford Shale and the Eagle Ford Shale). Because a discussion of shale oil is beyond the scope of this report, only shale-gas assessment units and cells are shown. 
       The map can be printed as a hardcopy map or downloaded for interactive analysis in a Geographic Information System data package using the ArcGIS map document (file extension MXD) and published map file (file extension PMF). Also available is a publications access table with hyperlinks to current U.S. Geological Survey shale gas assessment publications and web pages. Assessment results and geologic reports are available as completed at the U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program Web Site, http://energy.usgs.gov/OilGas/AssessmentsData/NationalOilGasAssessment.aspx.
       A historical perspective of shale gas activity in the United States is documented and presented in a video clip included as a PowerPoint slideshow.
       
CONTACT INFORMATION
Laura R.H. Biewick
U.S. Geological Survey
Box 25046, Mail Stop 939
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225-0046
Telephone: (303) 236-7773
E-mail: lbiewick@usgs.gov

DISCLAIMERS
Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also contains copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

This database, identified as DDS-69-Z, has been approved for release and publication by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although this database has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use.
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. The USGS shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Supported Browsers: Any browser with the Flash 9 or 10 Player Plug-in

CONTENTS

00Readme.txt
DDS-69-Z_Pamphlet.pdf
Table1.pdf
DDS-69-Z_plate1.pdf
DDS-69-Z_ShaleGasSlideshow2012.pps

Datafiles
	BaseLayersshp.zip	
	ShaleGas2012pmf.zip
		BaseLayers.gdb
		ShaleGasAUs2012.gdb
		ShaleGasCells2012.gdb
		ShaleGasMap2012.mxd
		ShaleGasMap2012.mxd.xml
		ShaleGasMap2012.pmf
		ShaleGasMap2012.pmf.xml
	ShaleGasAU2012shp.zip
	ShaleGasAus2012gdb.zip
	ShaleGasCells2012gdb.zip
	ShaleGasCells2012shp.zip
				
Metadata
	shalegasaus2012.htm
	shalegasaus2012.txt
	ShaleGasAUs2012.xml
	shalegascells2012.htm
	shalegascells2012.txt
	ShaleGasCells2012.xml
	shalegasmap2012.htm
	shalegasmap2012.txt
	ShaleGasMap2012.xml


HOW TO OBTAIN THE DIGITAL FILES

The digital files constituting this report can be obtained via the Internet from the U.S.
Geological Survey publications website. Go to the web page at
http://pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds-069/dds-069-z/ and follow the directions to download the files.

The product is a Portable Document Format (.pdf) pamphlet, and map, which requires Adobe Acrobat for viewing, and from which paper copies may be printed.  Acrobat software runs on a variety of systems, and is available for download free of charge from Adobe at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html.

A PowerPoint slideshow is available and Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer may be downloaded free of charge from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13.

A pmf file is available and ArcReader may be downloaded free of charge from http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader for viewing the high-quality interactive map authored using  ArcGIS for Desktop and published with the ArcGIS Publisher extension.