Hydrocarbons
Utah has consistently ranked high in domestic oil and gas production nationwide. The majority of hydrocarbon resources are concentrated in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah and the Paradox Basin in southeastern Utah. Organic-rich shale, carbonates, and evaporites accumulated over time to produce vast oil and gas resources in these areas. Utah’s geologic setting also provides world-class outcrops of every geologic eon, era, period, and epoch, providing a natural laboratory for study.
Crude Oil
Found in various geologic formations in Utah, petroleum in its raw form is refined to create various types of fuels.
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Natural Gas
A mixture of hydrocarbon gas consisting mostly of methane.
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Coalbed Methane
A natural gas produced during the formation of coal that can be extracted using wells drilled into coal seams.
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Oil Shale
Deposited as organic-rich sediments millions of years ago, Utah’s oil shale deposits are some of the world’s largest.
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Oil Sands/Tar Sands
Sandstone saturated with black, heavy hydrocarbons comprise the state’s oil sand resources.
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Produced Water
Liquid byproduct that is created during oil and gas production that must be disposed of or reused properly.
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MICROBIALITES
Organic sedimentary deposits that form under water, are composed of and built by microbes, and can become reservoirs for hydrocarbons. Great Salt Lake hosts modern-day microbialites, whereas the Eocene-age Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin contains examples of ancient microbialites..
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Crude Oil
Found in various geologic formations in Utah, petroleum in its raw form is refined to create various types of fuels.
Learn More.
Natural Gas
A mixture of hydrocarbon gas consisting mostly of methane.
Learn More.
Coalbed Methane
A natural gas produced during the formation of coal that can be extracted using wells drilled into coal seams.
Learn More.
Oil Shale
Deposited as organic-rich sediments millions of years ago, Utah’s oil shale deposits are some of the world’s largest.
Learn More.
Oil Sands/Tar Sands
Sandstone saturated with black, heavy hydrocarbons comprise the state’s oil sand resources.
Learn More.
Produced Water
Liquid byproduct that is created during oil and gas production that must be disposed of or reused properly.
Learn More.
MICROBIALITES
Organic sedimentary deposits that form under water, are composed of and built by microbes, and can become reservoirs for hydrocarbons. Great Salt Lake hosts modern-day microbialites, whereas the Eocene-age Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin contains examples of ancient microbialites..
Learn More.
Highlighted Scientific Publications
Circular 127
Utah’s Energy Landscape – 5th Edition
Public Information Series 71
Utah Oil and Gas: A Rich History, a Powerful Future
Open-File Report 469
Utah Oil Shale Database
Poster Presentation
Exploration in Utah — A Look at the Past
By Thomas C. Chidsey, AAPG 2020
Special Study 160
Potential Oil-Prone Areas in the Cane Creek Shale Play, Paradox Basin, Utah, Identified by Epifluorescence Microscope Techniques
Miscellaneous Publication 13-1
Outcrop Chemostratigraphic Correlation of the Upper Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin, Utah—Mahogany Oil Shale Zone to the Uinta Formation
Circular 119
Oil and Gas Fields and Pipelines of Utah
Public Interest Articles
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