Cell maps for each oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS as a method for illustrating the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data were current as of October 2001 when the cell maps were created in 2002.

Cell maps for each oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS as a method for illustrating the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data were current as of October 2002 when the cell maps were created in 2004.

Cell maps for each oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS to illustrate the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of 2003.

This dataset consists of 119,494 lines of data consisting of idle well fluid level depth, auxiliary measurements, and well parameters from California oil and gas wells that were reported to the California Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). The dataset was provided by CalGEM in March 2018 and includes measurements made from 1976 to 2018. There are 5 sets of operator-reported data: idle well fluid level depth (N=101,734), well clean out depth (N=8,402), depth of base of fresh water (N=108,216), well top perforation depth (N=93,569), and depth reached (N=15,756). These are associated with a well, defined by API number, well number, operator name, test date, township, section, range, and pool code. While detailed metadata for these measurements was not provided by CalGEM, they are thought to be collected under idle well testing regulations. Present regulations broadly define an idle well as one that has not been used for production or injection for 24 months or longer (California Code of Regulations, 2022, Title 14 §1760). Below, a summary of current regulations related to this program are presented; however, regulations at the time of data collection may be different. Once a well is classified as an idle well, a fluid level test using acoustical, mechanical, or other methods must be conducted within 24 months, and every 24 months beyond that, as long as a well is idle, unless the wellbore does not penetrate an underground source of drinking water (USDW) (California Code of Regulations, 2022, Title 14 §1772.1). Currently, within 8 years of a well becoming idle a clean out tag is required. This is done to demonstrate that the well can be properly plugged and abandoned. A clean out tag is done by passing open-ended tubing or a gauge ring of a minimum diameter equal to that of tubing necessary to plug and abandon a well (California Code of Regulations, 2022, Title 14 §1772.1). This testing must generally be repeated once every 48 months as long as a well is classified as an idle well. Freshwater is defined as water that contains 3,000 milligrams/liter (mg/L) or less of total dissolved solids (California Code of Regulations, 2022, Title 14 §1720.1). The base of freshwater is the depth in a well where the overlying water is freshwater. Neither top perforation depth or depth reached is defined by statute. Top perforation is generally the shallowest active perforated interval. It is not clear what depth reached represents. Well elevation and pool name were added from other datasets to aid in analysis. Pools, identified by pool code and pool name, are defined as independent hydrocarbon zones (California Public Resources Code § 3227.6.b). The accuracy of the values reported to CalGEM by oil-field operators is unknown. Unrealistic values were discarded from the data as noted in the process steps. This dataset was compiled and analyzed as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board Oil and Gas Regional Monitoring Program and the U.S. Geological Survey California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) program.

Cell maps for each oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS to illustrate the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells were then coded to indicate whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, are both oil- and gas-producing , or are dry or the type of production is unknown.. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data were current as of 2005 when the cell maps were created in 2007.

Cell maps for each Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS to illustrate the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of 2005.

Additionally, cell maps were made that show the distribution of producing and non-producing Miocene wells throughout the Gulf Coast region, regardless of assessment unit. These maps consist of wells for which only an 'undivided Miocene' age is assigned (au47014ucg), and a summary cell map that represents all Miocene wells (au47014cg). These maps are intended to illustrate the total amount of drilling in Miocene rocks in the Gulf Coast region, whether or not we can assign an age of Lower, Middle, or Upper Miocene to the tested or producing interval.

Cell maps for each oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS as a method for illustrating the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of April 2001.

This isopach map shows the thickness of the interval from the top of the Travis Peak or Hosston Formations to the top of the Cotton Valley Group. The map was produced by first subtracting the values of the top of the Travis Peak or Hosston from those of the top of the Cotton Valley Group. This resulted in a data set of 8,585 values for which locations were available. After deleting the wells with obvious data problems, a total of 8414 wells were used to generate the map. The data are provided as both lines and polygons, and the proprietary wells that penetrate this interval are graphically displayed as quarter-mile cells.

The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of April 2001.

This map shows the structural configuration of the top of the Travis Peak or Hosston Formations in feet below sea level. The map was produced by calculating the difference between a datum at the land surface (either the Kelly bushing elevation or the ground surface elevation) and the reported depth of the Travis Peak or Hosston. This resulted in 18,941 wells for which locations were available. After deleting the wells with obvious data problems, a total of 18,933 wells were used for the map. The data are provided as both lines and polygons, and the proprietary wells that penetrate the top of the Travis Peak or Hosston Formations are graphically displayed as quarter-mile cells.

The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of April 2001.

This map shows the structural configuration on the top of the Cotton Valley Group in feet below sea level. The map was produced by calculating the difference between a datum at the land surface (either the kelly bushing elevation or the ground surface elevation) and the reported depth of the Cotton Valley Group. This resulted in 10,687 wells for which locations were available. After deleting the wells with obvious data problems, a total of 10,504 wells were used to generate the map. The data are provided as both lines and polygons, and the proprietary wells that penetrate the top of the Cotton Valley Group are graphically displayed as quarter-mile cells.

The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of April 2001.

Cell maps for each Paleogene oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS to illustrate the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Cell maps were also created to illustrate the distribution of dry wildcat wells for each assessment unit. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data are current as of 2004.

The structure contours were created using biostratigraphic data in the Paleo-Data, Inc., Tenroc Regional Geologic Database. The depths of the microfossil locations were associated with the wells data provided by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Because of the proprietary nature of the Tenroc database, no actual data can be shown and only those data points contained in the Louisiana State wells database are included in the control points layer. Contouring was accomplished in Dynamic Graphics, Inc., EarthVision modeling software (v.5) using minimum tension gridding. Three custom programs were used to convert contour lines generated from grids in EarthVision to Arc/Info coverages and then to shapefiles. The data are provided as both lines and polygons (lm2toplg.shp and lm2toppg.shp), and the public wells that penetrate the top of the Lower Miocene 2 (LM2) sequence are provided in a point shapefile (lm2topptg.shp).

These datasets contain basic data and interpretations developed and compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey's Framework Studies and Assessment of the Gulf Coast Project. Other major sources of data include publicly available information from state agencies as well as publications of the U.S. Geological Survey and other scientific organizations. In cases where company proprietary data were used to produce various derivatives such as contour surfaces, the source is cited but the data are not displayed.

A large percentage of the present and future energy resources of the United States reside in the Gulf of Mexico Basin, one of the major hydrocarbon producing areas of the world. Recent conceptual and technological advances have resulted in significant new finds and opened large areas to new or renewed exploration. The U.S. Geological Survey's Framework Studies and Assessment of the Gulf Coast Project was established in 1999 to provide the geologic, geophysical, and geochemical framework studies that will aid in a reassessment of energy commodities (coal, gas, and oil) in the Gulf Coast Region. The project targets intervals identified during preceding oil, gas, and coal assessments as requiring additional study. It (1) defines the petroleum systems of the region; (2) conducts specific geologic framework studies and petroleum system analyses on selected priority intervals; (3) studies the coal-bearing interval to evaluate coal distribution and quality, coal-bed gas, and source rock potential; (4) works in cooperation with the National Oil and Gas Assessment (NOGA) Project to conduct a focused assessment of the Gulf Region; and (5) contributes to the next phase of the National Coal Resource Assessment.

Gulf Coast Geology (GCG) Online is a Geographical Information System (GIS) database, developed as an ArcMap (ESRI, 2003) project to be served online utilizing ArcIMS (Internet Map Service, ESRI, 2003) It serves three major needs of the project: 1) efficient, centralized data management and visualization; 2) development and sharing of data and interpretations by project personnel; and 3) dissemination of information and products to customers in an easily usable format. Currently, all USGS assessments are petroleum system based and require large amounts of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and paleontologic data in addition to well and field databases. In mature provinces and especially in large ones such as the Gulf Coast these data sets can be quite large so the data management role becomes critical. For example, the Miocene database alone contains nearly 100 layers in addition to the 25 layers of geographic and geologic bases. At the same time, it is necessary for the large number of scientists working under tight deadlines on a wide variety of topics to have ready access to all of these data as well as to each other's most recently developed data and interpretations. An additional requirement is that the output be easily usable by project personnel or customers (management, other scientists, the general public, etc.) who may or may not have any GIS expertise or very sophisticated equipment. This is particularly important for government agencies such as the USGS whose primary mission is to provide the best and most current information possible to decision makers and the public.

The USGS will publish DS 90 in a series of releases that will be made available online as they are completed. DS 90-A will pertain to the Miocene only while DS 90-B, C, etc. will pertain to other parts of the section or other formations. Each release will have a version number so that updates may be tracked and referenced. DS 90-A, version 1 for example, deals almost exclusively with the Miocene of southern Louisiana, primarily because of the availability of data. Sources of data specific to each individual layer within the database are documented in the metadata for that layer. In most cases, the accuracy of data from outside sources is assumed to be sufficient for the purposes of this regional compilation and the user is cautioned in the use of these data at prospect and smaller scales. All data are in the form of shapefiles except for the base cartographic layers, which are ArcSDE (Spatial Data Engine, ESRI, 2003) layers and maintained on the U.S. Geological Survey Central Energy Resources Team server along with the applications software. An updated version, DS 90-A, version 2, perhaps combining data on the Miocene of Texas with the previously published data, will be published at a later date. All versions of all releases will be available through the Central Energy Resources web site at http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/.