Quarter-mile cells map the exploration maturity and production type of oil and gas plays in the Central Coastal province. The dataset was created by the USGS in 1994 using well data current as of December 1990. It graphically represents whether cells contain predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, mixed, or dry wells.
Use Cases
- Classify quarter-mile cells by production type (oil, gas, both, dry) to map resource distribution.
- Analyze exploration maturity across 9 listed conventional plays, such as Point Arena Oil and Salinas Oil.
- Study the spatial relationship between play boundaries and well productivity using the cell grid.
- Compare historical 1990 well data patterns with modern exploration results in the Central Coastal province.
Strengths
- Covers 9 distinct conventional oil and gas plays within a defined geological province.
- Data sourced from the proprietary Petroleum Information Well History Control System, a major commercial database for U.S. wells.
Limitations
- Well data is over 30 years old, current only as of December 1990, limiting relevance to current conditions.
- The dataset contains no proprietary well details, only aggregated cell-level classifications.
Provenance
- Source
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), derived from the Petroleum Information (PI) Well History Control System.
- Collection Method
- Cell maps created as a graphic solution to display aggregated well data without revealing proprietary information.
- Time Range
- Well data current as of December 1990; maps created in 1994 for the 1995 National Assessment.
- Freshness
- 1990-12-01
- Geography
- Central Coastal province (Province 11) of the United States, covering specific California plays.