USGS assesses Los Angeles basin resources

The US Geological Survey (USGS) assessed that there are technically recoverable resources of 61 MMbbl of oil and 240 bcf of gas in formations under Los Angeles basin. 

Los Angeles basin includes the coastal plain and waters of Los Angeles and East Los Angeles north to the Santa Monica Mountains, east to Angeles National Forest and the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and east and south into much of Orange County. The USGS looked at four assessment units – one for conventional oil, two for shale oil, and one for shale gas.

Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS, said “USGS energy assessments typically focus on undiscovered resources – areas where science tells us there may be a resource that industry hasn’t discovered yet. In this case, almost 150 years since exploration began, the Los Angeles Basin has little remaining undiscovered oil.” 

Since exploration began in the area in the 1880s, 9 billion bbl of oil have been produced or discovered in the basin – as much oil as the US consumes in 14 months at the current rate of consumption.