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Geology and Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Amerasia Basin Province, 2008

Professional Paper 1824-BB
By: , , and 
Edited by: Thomas E. Moore and Donald L. Gautier
https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1824BB

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Abstract

The Amerasia Basin Province encompasses the Canada Basin and the sediment prisms along the Alaska and Canada margins, outboard from basinward margins (hingelines) of the rift shoulders that formed during extensional opening of the Canada Basin. The province includes the Mackenzie River delta and slope, the outer shelves and marine slopes along the Arctic margins of Alaska and Canada, and the deep Canada Basin.

The province is divided into four assessment units (AUs): (1) The Canning-Mackenzie Deformed Margin AU is that part of the rifted margin where the Brooks Range orogenic belt has overridden the rift shoulder and is deforming the rifted-margin prism of sediment outboard of the hingeline. This is the only part of the Amerasia Basin Province that has been explored and—even though more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) of oil, gas, and condensate have been discovered— none has been commercially produced. (2) The Alaska Passive Margin AU is the rifted-margin prism of sediment lying beneath the Beaufort Sea outer shelf and slope that has not been deformed by tectonism. (3) The Canada Passive Margin AU is the rifted-margin prism of sediment lying beneath the Arctic outer shelf and slope (also known as the polar margin) of Canada that has not been deformed by tectonism. (4) The Canada Basin AU includes the sedimentary wedge that lies beneath the deep Canada Basin, north of the marine slope developed along the Alaska and Canada margins. Mean estimates of risked, undiscovered, technically recoverable resources include more than 6 billion barrels of oil (BBO), more than 19 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of associated gas, and more than 16 TCF of nonassociated gas in the Canning-Mackenzie Deformed Margin AU; about 1 BBO, about 3 TCF of associated gas, and about 3 TCF of associated gas in the Alaska Passive Margin AU; and more than 2 BBO, about 7 TCF of associated gas, and about 8 TCF of nonassociated gas in the Canada Passive Margin AU. Quantities of natural gas liquids also are assessed in each AU. The Canada Basin AU was not quantitatively assessed because it is judged to hold less than 10 percent probability of containing at least one accumulation of 50 million barrels of oil equivalent.

Suggested Citation

Houseknecht, D.W., Bird, K.J., and Garrity, C.P., 2020, Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Amerasia Basin Province, 2008, chap. BB of Moore, T.E., and Gautier, D.L., eds., The 2008 Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1824, 33 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1824BB. [Supersedes USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5146.

ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Geologic Setting and Stratigraphy
  • Source-Rock Systems
  • Canning-Mackenzie Deformed Margin Assessment Unit
  • Alaska Passive Margin Assessment Unit
  • Canada Basin Assessment Unit
  • Canada Passive Margin Assessment Unit
  • Summary and Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • References Cited
  • Appendixes 1–3
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Amerasia Basin Province, 2008
Series title Professional Paper
Series number 1824
Chapter BB
DOI 10.3133/pp1824BB
Year Published 2019
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Eastern Energy Resources Science Center
Description Report: viii, 33 p.; 3 Appendixes
Country United States, Canada
State Alaska
Other Geospatial Amerasia Basin Province
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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