Jurassic rocks exposed in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope. In the subsurface farther north, these rocks may be reservoir rocks for natural gas.
David W. Houseknecht
David Houseknecht is a Senior Research Geologist for the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Science and Products
Alaska Petroleum Systems
Carbon Isotopes, Total Organic Carbon, Programmed Pyrolysis, Volcanic Zircon U-Pb, and Geochemistry Data from the Hue Shale, Arctic Alaska - 2024
National and Global Petroleum Assessment—North Chukchi Basin Province: Assessment Unit Boundaries, Assessment Input Data, and Fact Sheet Data Tables
U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Detrital Zircon and Volcanic Zircon Grains from the Torok and Nanushuk Formations, Arctic Alaska, 2021
Apatite and zircon fission track data from the western Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Northern Alaska Province, Western North Slope Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms
Geochemical Advances in Arctic Alaska Oil Typing - North Slope Oil Correlation and Charge History
Subsurface stratigraphic picks of the Middle-Upper Triassic Shublik Formation, Alaska North Slope
USGS Alaska Petroleum Systems Project - Northern Alaska Province, Central North Slope Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Forms, 2020
USGS Alaska Petroleum Systems Project: Northern Alaska Province, Nanushuk and Torok Formations Assessment Units and Assessment Input Forms
Geologic map of the Point Lay quadrangle, Alaska
Color shaded-relief and surface-classification maps of the Fish Creek Area, Harrison Bay Quadrangle, Northern Alaska
Geologic map of the Utukok River quadrangle, Alaska
Geologic map of the Lookout Ridge quadrangle, Alaska
Geologic map of the Ikpikpuk River quadrangle, Alaska
Geologic map of the Umiat quadrangle, Alaska
Jurassic rocks exposed in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope. In the subsurface farther north, these rocks may be reservoir rocks for natural gas.
The Kukpowruk River cuts through folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
The Kukpowruk River cuts through folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Geologist hikes across folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Geologist hikes across folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Oil-saturated sandstone in the Nanushuk Formation in westernmost National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Oil in these rocks likely was generated beneath Western North Slope and migrated northeastward into NPR-A.
Oil-saturated sandstone in the Nanushuk Formation in westernmost National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Oil in these rocks likely was generated beneath Western North Slope and migrated northeastward into NPR-A.
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Geologist examines f Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks is at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Geologist examines f Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks is at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Overview of folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks in southern part of Western North Slope.
Overview of folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologists discuss the geology of Jurassic rocks in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope.
Geologists discuss the geology of Jurassic rocks in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope.
![Image shows a river winding through a green landscape](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/NPRA_FishCreek_2001.jpg?itok=hmIWKwpF)
Fish Creek wanders through the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
Fish Creek wanders through the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
![Image shows squares of permafrost](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/NPRA_Permafrost_polygons.jpg?itok=2nRB7jkm)
Permafrost forms a grid-like pattern in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
Permafrost forms a grid-like pattern in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
Faulted and folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope. The Triassic and Jurassic rocks include petroleum source rocks from which oil was generated. Geologists in orange vests for scale.
Faulted and folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope. The Triassic and Jurassic rocks include petroleum source rocks from which oil was generated. Geologists in orange vests for scale.
Geologists measuring petroleum source rocks in Triassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologists measuring petroleum source rocks in Triassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologist describes petroleum source rocks in Triassic and Jurassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologist describes petroleum source rocks in Triassic and Jurassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
View southward from Fortress Mountain Formation on Atigun syncline towards Brooks Range. Trans-Alaska Pipeline, haul road, and Galbraith Lake in valley. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 90 miles southeast of Umiat.
View southward from Fortress Mountain Formation on Atigun syncline towards Brooks Range. Trans-Alaska Pipeline, haul road, and Galbraith Lake in valley. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 90 miles southeast of Umiat.
View westward along Atigun River in Atigun Gorge. Rocks in foreground are Lower Cretaceous Fortress Mountain Formation. Rocks in gorge, along river, are Lower Cretaceous Okpikruak Formation. Mountains on horizon are mostly carbonates of Carboniferous Lisburne Group. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 100 miles southeast of Umiat.
View westward along Atigun River in Atigun Gorge. Rocks in foreground are Lower Cretaceous Fortress Mountain Formation. Rocks in gorge, along river, are Lower Cretaceous Okpikruak Formation. Mountains on horizon are mostly carbonates of Carboniferous Lisburne Group. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 100 miles southeast of Umiat.
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the North Chukchi Basin, outer continental shelf of the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, Arctic Ocean, 2023
Insights into glendonite formation from the upper Oligocene Sagavanirktok Formation, North Slope, Alaska
Canada Basin tectono-sedimentary element, Arctic Ocean
Quantifying large-scale continental shelf margin growth and dynamics across mid-Cretaceous Arctic Alaska with detrital zircon U-Pb dating
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Geochemical advances in Arctic Alaska oil typing - North Slope oil correlation and charge history
Surface to subsurface correlation of the Middle-Upper Triassic Shublik Formation within a revised sequence stratigraphic framework
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020
Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Arctic Alaska Province, 2008
Assessment of undiscovered gas hydrate resources in the North Slope of Alaska, 2018
Evolution of the Arctic Alaska Sedimentary Basin
Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Vilkitskii Basin Province, 2008
Science and Products
Alaska Petroleum Systems
Carbon Isotopes, Total Organic Carbon, Programmed Pyrolysis, Volcanic Zircon U-Pb, and Geochemistry Data from the Hue Shale, Arctic Alaska - 2024
National and Global Petroleum Assessment—North Chukchi Basin Province: Assessment Unit Boundaries, Assessment Input Data, and Fact Sheet Data Tables
U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Detrital Zircon and Volcanic Zircon Grains from the Torok and Nanushuk Formations, Arctic Alaska, 2021
Apatite and zircon fission track data from the western Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Northern Alaska Province, Western North Slope Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms
Geochemical Advances in Arctic Alaska Oil Typing - North Slope Oil Correlation and Charge History
Subsurface stratigraphic picks of the Middle-Upper Triassic Shublik Formation, Alaska North Slope
USGS Alaska Petroleum Systems Project - Northern Alaska Province, Central North Slope Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Forms, 2020
USGS Alaska Petroleum Systems Project: Northern Alaska Province, Nanushuk and Torok Formations Assessment Units and Assessment Input Forms
Geologic map of the Point Lay quadrangle, Alaska
Color shaded-relief and surface-classification maps of the Fish Creek Area, Harrison Bay Quadrangle, Northern Alaska
Geologic map of the Utukok River quadrangle, Alaska
Geologic map of the Lookout Ridge quadrangle, Alaska
Geologic map of the Ikpikpuk River quadrangle, Alaska
Geologic map of the Umiat quadrangle, Alaska
Jurassic rocks exposed in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope. In the subsurface farther north, these rocks may be reservoir rocks for natural gas.
Jurassic rocks exposed in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope. In the subsurface farther north, these rocks may be reservoir rocks for natural gas.
The Kukpowruk River cuts through folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
The Kukpowruk River cuts through folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Geologist hikes across folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Geologist hikes across folded Cretaceous rocks in the central North Slope. These rocks were assessed by the USGS in 2017 and lie above the rocks assessed in the USGS 2021 Western North Slope assessment.
Oil-saturated sandstone in the Nanushuk Formation in westernmost National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Oil in these rocks likely was generated beneath Western North Slope and migrated northeastward into NPR-A.
Oil-saturated sandstone in the Nanushuk Formation in westernmost National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Oil in these rocks likely was generated beneath Western North Slope and migrated northeastward into NPR-A.
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Geologist examines f Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks is at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Geologist examines f Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks is at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Overview of folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks in southern part of Western North Slope.
Overview of folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologists discuss the geology of Jurassic rocks in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope.
Geologists discuss the geology of Jurassic rocks in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope.
![Image shows a river winding through a green landscape](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/NPRA_FishCreek_2001.jpg?itok=hmIWKwpF)
Fish Creek wanders through the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
Fish Creek wanders through the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
![Image shows squares of permafrost](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/NPRA_Permafrost_polygons.jpg?itok=2nRB7jkm)
Permafrost forms a grid-like pattern in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
Permafrost forms a grid-like pattern in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 22.8 million acre region managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. USGS has periodically assessed oil and gas resource potential there. These assessments can be found here.
Faulted and folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope. The Triassic and Jurassic rocks include petroleum source rocks from which oil was generated. Geologists in orange vests for scale.
Faulted and folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope. The Triassic and Jurassic rocks include petroleum source rocks from which oil was generated. Geologists in orange vests for scale.
Geologists measuring petroleum source rocks in Triassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologists measuring petroleum source rocks in Triassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologist describes petroleum source rocks in Triassic and Jurassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
Geologist describes petroleum source rocks in Triassic and Jurassic rocks along Surprise Creek in southern part of Western North Slope.
View southward from Fortress Mountain Formation on Atigun syncline towards Brooks Range. Trans-Alaska Pipeline, haul road, and Galbraith Lake in valley. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 90 miles southeast of Umiat.
View southward from Fortress Mountain Formation on Atigun syncline towards Brooks Range. Trans-Alaska Pipeline, haul road, and Galbraith Lake in valley. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 90 miles southeast of Umiat.
View westward along Atigun River in Atigun Gorge. Rocks in foreground are Lower Cretaceous Fortress Mountain Formation. Rocks in gorge, along river, are Lower Cretaceous Okpikruak Formation. Mountains on horizon are mostly carbonates of Carboniferous Lisburne Group. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 100 miles southeast of Umiat.
View westward along Atigun River in Atigun Gorge. Rocks in foreground are Lower Cretaceous Fortress Mountain Formation. Rocks in gorge, along river, are Lower Cretaceous Okpikruak Formation. Mountains on horizon are mostly carbonates of Carboniferous Lisburne Group. Location in Brooks Range foothills, about 100 miles southeast of Umiat.