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Petroleum and Natural Gas Potential of the Paradox Basin of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico

by on Mar. 31, 2012, under Geology

The Paradox Basin is located in the four-corners area of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.  The U.S. Geological Survey has just completed a study assessing the potential for oil and gas discovery.  They conclude that the area has potential for “560 million barrels of undiscovered oil, 12,701 billion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, and 490 million barrels of undiscovered  natural gas liquids…”  Read the report here (2.6 Mb).

There is also potential for oil and gas in the Holbrook Basin farther south in Arizona.  This has yet not been assessed. The Holbrook Basin does, however, contain a large resource of potash (potassium ore) that is being developed.  See: Arizona may become a major producer of potash.

Copyrighted by Jonathan DuHamel. Reprint is permitted provided that credit of authorship is provided and linked back to the source. Check the ARTICLE INDEX page for more posts on geology, natural history of the Sonoran desert, climate change, and energy. Also check the BOOK REVIEWS page. Comments that fail to conform with the Tucson Citizen commenting guidelines will be deleted. Note: I have no control over the ads that may appear on this page.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2012 at 10:49 am and is filed under Geology. Tags for this post: , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • john_parsons

    Just for a little perspective: that’s less than a one month supply of oil for the U.S., six days for the world. (CIA Factsheet). JP

    • Jonathan_Duhamel

      And it would be that much less we would have to pay OPEC.  And we would have the jobs.  Every little piece of domestic production adds up.  

  • 4RH3

    John Parsons: Though quite correct in your estimate, I suspect that you are neither geologist nor energy expert;  otherwise, you would know that USGS mineral resource estimates are often  conservative and restrictive; but with exploration and new technologies come new and sometimes major discoveries.  For example, the Bakken shale  discovery in the Williston basin of North Dakota was once written off as low potential-producer, but today is a major domestic source of petroleum.  Your comment history suggests a philosophy of scarcity and depletionism,  whereby the glass is half empty, which won’t get us anywhere in becoming energy dependent.

    • john_parsons

      4RH3, I simply presented the mathematical facts. You can read into that anything you wish. A fair reading of my “comment history” would reveal that the least of my concerns is a shortage of CO2 precursors.   JP

      • 4RH3

        My point, Mr. Parsons, regarding your commenting history  is that climate activism and resource alarmism are one and the same,  restricting the availability of efficient energy fuels through taxation and contrived shortages;  therefore-depletionist.  You are a contradiction.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Abe-Gold/100000110854893 Abe Gold

    The ONLY way to stop paying for foreign oil is with cars that don’t burn it. More battery and natural gas vehicles IS the answer.

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