UGA 50:03 - Lacustrine Source Rocks and Unconventional Oil Resource Plays; A Case Study from the Eocene Green River Formation of the Uinta Basin, Utah Off-Canvas Toggle Member Login Donate About Publications Geology of the Intermountain West Guidebooks UGA Geosites Special Publications UGA 28 Topical Papers Members Member Benefits Become a Member Resources Newsletter Meeting Minutes Geologic Road Signs Geology Links UGA Constitution Outreach Student Scholarship Fund Teacher of the Year Become a Sponsor UGA Sponsors & Affiliates Lehi Hintze Award Events Contact UGF About UGF Donate to UGF Off-Canvas Toggle About Publications Geology of the Intermountain West Guidebooks UGA Geosites Special Publications UGA 28 Topical Papers Members Member Benefits Become a Member Resources Newsletter Meeting Minutes Geologic Road Signs Geology Links UGA Constitution Outreach Student Scholarship Fund Teacher of the Year Become a Sponsor UGA Sponsors & Affiliates Lehi Hintze Award Events Contact UGF About UGF Donate to UGF Off-Canvas Toggle thisistheplace2.jpeg subpage1.jpeg subpage2.jpeg subpage3.jpeg UGA 50:03 - Lacustrine Source Rocks and Unconventional Oil Resource Plays; A Case Study from the Eocene Green River Formation of the Uinta Basin, Utah David E. Schmude - Axia Energy II LLC Brian R. Berwick - Axia Energy II LLC DOI: https://doi.org/10.31711/ugap.v50i.107 Abstract Much information exists on unconventional oil resource plays, their drivers to success and sweet-spot fair- ways. To date, most of the successful oil resource plays are marine Type II kerogen driven systems. Little to  no information is available on successful oil resource plays with lacustrine type I kerogen source rocks and in rock as young as Tertiary age. This paper sets out to define the drivers and provide a case study for such plays  with the Green River oil resource play of Utah’s Uinta Basin as an example. The Green River petroleum sys- tem of the Uinta Basin has generated vast amounts of hydrocarbons, in the form of gilsonite (~10 billion barrels), tar sands (~12 billion barrels), and oil (>700 million barrels) (Johnson, 2016; Schamel, 2015). In addition, the USGS estimates an additional 1.32 trillion barrels of in-place resource in the oil shales of the Green  River Formation. Lacustrine source rocks and their type I kerogen follow a different generative path to immiscible oil generation than the more common marine derived type II kerogens. The oil generative capacity of this  lacustrine source is much greater than that of type II kerogen and is characterized by a distinctive highly paraffinic crude oil. These unique aspects provide exceptionally elevated formation pressures within the source rock  in the oil generative window, setting it apart from other unconventional oil resource plays. As in all unconventional oil resource plays, identification and mapping of the best source rock is key to defining sweet-spots  within the play. With an understanding of source rock distribution and thermal maturity, the extents of the play  and resource in-place can be defined aerially for the numerous productive intervals of the Green River Formation. Finally, we will address the key attributes of this petroleum system such that it may be used as a model  for other possible lacustrine sourced unconventional oil resource plays. Order It ($5.00) Cart Your cart is empty Login Form Login for discounted rates on document downloads and to access members only content Username Password Show Password Remember Me Log in Forgot your password? Forgot your username? Create an account Utah Geological Association P.O. Box 526356 Salt Lake City, UT 84152-0100  Facebook  YouTube © 2025 Utah Geological Society | Site by Third Sun MEMBER LOGIN Off-Canvas Toggle About Publications Geology of the Intermountain West Guidebooks UGA Geosites Special Publications UGA 28 Topical Papers Members Member Benefits Become a Member Resources Newsletter Meeting Minutes Geologic Road Signs Geology Links UGA Constitution Outreach Student Scholarship Fund Teacher of the Year Become a Sponsor UGA Sponsors & Affiliates Lehi Hintze Award Events Contact UGF About UGF Donate to UGF