The US Geological Survey released its assessment of potential for undiscovered oil and gas in formations under the Los Angeles Basin, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 61 million barrels of oil and 240 billion cubic feet of gas.

Since exploration began in the area in the 1880s, 9 billion barrels of oil have been produced or discovered in the Los Angeles Basin—as much oil as the US consumes in 14 months at the current rate of consumption.

USGS energy assessments typically focus on undiscovered resources—areas where science tells us there may be a resource that industry hasn’t discovered yet. In this case, almost 150 years since exploration began, the Los Angeles Basin has little remaining undiscovered oil.

—Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS

The Los Angeles Basin includes the coastal plain and waters of Los Angeles and East LA north to the Santa Monica Mountains, east to Angeles National Forest and the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and east and south into much of Orange County. The USGS looked at four assessment units: one for conventional oil, two for shale oil, and one for shale gas.

Maps showing location of four assessment units (AUs) in the Los Angeles Basin Province

USGS oil and gas assessments began 50 years ago following an oil embargo against the US that signaled a need to understand the occurrence, distribution and potential volumes of undiscovered resources. In 1995, the USGS began conducting assessments of unconventional, technically recoverable resources such as shale and coalbed gas.