Search for oil and gas in the Idaho-Wyoming-Utah salient of the overthrust belt. Report of investigations No. 21

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6646992

Ver Ploeg, A J; De Bruin, R H

The portion of the overthrust belt located in northeastern Utah, western Wyoming and southeastern Idaho is considered by the oil and gas industry to be the hottest new oil and gas province in the continental United States. The Cordilleran fold and thrust belt extends from northern Alaska to southern Mexico. Very significant oil and gas reserves were identified in the Canadian thrust belt as early as 1913. However, until the Pineview success in 1975, most geologists felt that the Utah-Wyoming-Idaho salient probably retained very little oil and gas because of its long and complicated history of deformation, uplift, and erosion. Most did agree that sufficient thicknesses of sediments and the required facies for petroleum generation and migration did exist. Modern refinements of seismic exploration techniques have helped unravel the complex geology, and have led to the enormous successes that now characterize the area. This report catalogs the development of geologic knowledge of the area, describes its general geology and petroleum exploration history, profiles the important new oil and gas fields, and discusses some of the obstacles and problems faced by industry in developing this significant new oil and gas province.

• Research Organization: Wyoming Geological Survey, Laramie (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6646992
• Report Number(s): NP-3900959; ON: DE83900959
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FEDERAL REGION X
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
IDAHO
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS FIELDS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL FIELDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCES
USA
UTAH
WESTERN US OVERTHRUST BELT
WYOMING