1995 USGS National Assessment Conventional Oil and Gas Plays for Santa Maria Basin

Four conventional oil and gas plays define the fundamental geologic assessment units for the 1995 U.S. National Oil and Gas Assessment within the Santa Maria Basin Province. The U.S. Geological Survey created these play boundaries, which were defined geologically between 1993 and 1994. This dataset represents the geographic limits of plays like 'Anticlinal Trends - Onshore' and 'Basin Margin' used for resource estimation.

Use Cases

• Map the spatial extent of the 'Anticlinal Trends - Offshore State Waters' play for offshore resource studies.
• Analyze the relationship between play boundaries like 'Diagenetic' and underlying geologic elements such as reservoir rock limits.
• Compare the geographic definitions of the four listed plays (e.g., 1201, 1202) for basin modeling.
• Use the play 'Number' and 'Name' attributes to join this boundary data with historical assessment results.

Strengths

• Defines four distinct conventional plays (1201, 1202, 1204, 1211) with specific names.
• Boundaries were defined by geologists for a formal national assessment, ensuring geologic rationale.

Limitations

• Data is from a 1995 assessment; geologic understanding and resource estimates may be outdated.
• No quantitative resource data (e.g., volumes, probabilities) is included, only play boundaries.
• The dataset is limited to a single province (Santa Maria Basin), not a national view.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the 1995 National Oil and Gas Assessment.

Collection Method

Geologic mapping by province geologists defining limits of reservoir rock, structures, source rock, and seal lithologies.

Time Range

Assessment period circa 1995; play boundaries defined 1993-1994.

Freshness

Last updated in 1996; represents a historical snapshot.

Geography

Santa Maria Basin Province (Province 12), California, including onshore and state offshore waters.