U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2011–3063 June 2011 Oil Shale Assessment Project Fact Sheet Assessment of In-Place Oil Shale Resources of the Green River Formation, Greater Green River Basin in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah Printed on recycled paper Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently (2011) completed an assessment of in-place oil shale resources, regardless of grade, in the Eocene Green River Formation of the Greater Green River Basin in southwestern Wyoming, northwestern Colorado, and northeastern Utah (fig. 1). Green River Formation oil shale also is present in the Piceance Basin of western Colorado and in the Uinta Basin of eastern Utah and western Colorado, and the results of these assessments are published separately (Johnson and others, 2010a, 2010b). No attempt was made to estimate the amount of oil that is economi- cally recoverable because there has not yet been an economic method developed to recover the oil from Green River Formation oil shale. ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! !! ! !! !!! ! !!!!!! ! !! ! ! !!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!! ! !! ! !!! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !!!!! !! !! !!! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! !! !! ! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! !! !!!!! !! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! CARBON GRAND GARFIELD FREMONT DAGGETT EAGLE JACKSON LINCOLN MOFFAT NATRONA RIO BLANCO Routt Sublette SUMMIT Sweetwater TETON UINTA UINTAH DUCHESNE 0 -2000 -4000 -2000 0 2000 4000 0 2000 -2000 -4000 -6000 4000 6000 -8000 -6000 -4000 -2000 -2000 -8000 -6000 -4000 0 -2000 0 2000 0 2000 4000 -2000 -4000 -8000 -6000 -4000 -2000 0 4000 2000 4000 6000 2000 6000 110° 111° 109° 108° 107° 40° 41° 42° 43° UTAH WYOMING COLORADO Sandy Bend arch Hoback Basin SAND WASH BASIN WASHAKIE BASIN Great Divide Basin RIVER BASIN GREEN RIVER BASIN Cherokee ridge Wamsutter arch Moxa arch Rock Springs uplift GREEN A A’ Figure 2 WYOMING THRUST BELT Granite Mountains Rawlins uplift SIERRA MADRE PARK RANGE Uinta Mountains Mountains AXIAL BASIN UPLIFT Wind River Mountains La Barge platform Pinedale anticline Pinedale anticline Oil shale-bearing rocks Greater Green River Basin Outcrop of Mesaverde Group Contours on top of Mesaverde Group (in feet) County boundaries Drillhole with oil shale information ! 0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30 40 MILES 40 KILOMETERS EXPLANATION Figure 1. Map showing boundary (in red) of the Greater Green River Basin in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, which incorporates the Green River, Great Divide, Washakie, and Sand Wash Basins. Boundary of the Greater Green River Basin is the same as that for the Southwest Wyoming Province (Southwest Wyoming Province Assessment Team, 2005). Also shown are county lines, townships, major structures and uplifts, drill holes with oil shale information, areas underlain by oil shale-bearing rock, and location of cross section in figure 2. Structure contour map on the top of the Mesaverde Group is from Finn and others (2005).