Summary

Description

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.