Oil Deposit Could Increase US Reserves 10x

HighWizard notes the upcoming release, on Thursday, of a report by the US Geological Survey on the Bakken Formation. This is an oil field covering 200,000 square miles and underlying parts of North and South Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan. A geologist who began surveying the field, before dying in 2000, believed it may hold as much as 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Later estimates have ranged to the hundreds of billions of barrels. Such a reserve would go a long way toward securing US energy independence.

Comments

6000SUX

[Zymergy]

Awesome! ...And in the nick of time too, the dealer just called and my brand new 6000SUX just came in!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FLMVNyYb1SE

Re:6000SUX

[LaskoVortex]

That's actually stolen from a really old jokee

On the other hand, here is a shameless insertion of a new joke into the top of the /. heap:

In other news the newly formed state of Montkota is preparing to annex Saskatchewan and secede from the union. George bush has declared all Montkotans "terrorists" and is preparing to invade.

Re:6000SUX

[gsarnold]

I'll buy *that* for a dollar!

Re:6000SUX

[Slovenian6474]

Last time I was at Wal-Mart and the lady started to put my purchases in a plastic bag, I said I can carry them myself. It was only a few things and an extra bag around would be slightly annoying. She replied with "That's good. Save a tree." I stopped for a second about to explain that the bag was made from petroleum, not trees. I would, infact, be saving oil. I decided not to say anything at all because my purchase consisted of several quarts of oil due to the fact that my car leaks oil like a sieve.

Re:6000SUX

[mhall119]

You might want to replace that gasket. Leave the Wal-mart employee alone.

Re:6000SUX

[Slovenian6474]

I wasn't as surprised by the "save a tree" comment by the lady behind the counter as I was with the conversation I had with a 6 year old (rather ghetto looking) while I stood in line. Went something like this:

6yr old: True or False!...Boys wear panties or boxers?

Me:.....Um false.

6yr old: Wrong! My brother wears panties because he says boxers are too manly.

I'm usually pretty quick but I couldn't think of anything to say to that. That was a very interesting day at Wal-mart.

We have more oil?

[symbolset]

I wonder what this does for theories of for oil. Some people theorize that petroleum is left over from the formation of the earth, rather than created by the fossilization of carbon life forms.

This reserve may be difficult to tap fully because of the nature of the rocks. I wonder if nuclear weapons would help. I guess it depends on how and where they were deployed.

How many tons of CO2 would be created with the burning of 500 billion barrels of oil? BTW, 500 billion barrels of oil would be about 1/6th of the world's oil reserves.

Is there really that much oxygen in the atmoshpere to burn all that? Let's see. The earth's atmosphere weighs 5 quadrillion metric tons... OK, no worries there.

but, but, the global warmings! The sea level could rise 50 feet in the next century. [checks current elevation of homestead] OK, that's fine.

But it would be hot! [checks average temps for homestead] ok, yeah, I can get behind that.

What about the polar bears? [checks polar bear shares in 401K] We're looking good!

But the crops! The crops won't grow! [Checks map of world showing land in permafrost] Looks like a net gain to me.

Ok, yeah! We have more oil! Can we exploit it faster than we have more people?

Re:We have more oil?

[nmb3000]

I wonder if nuclear weapons would help.

Perhaps you can explain--exactly under what circumstances do nuclear weapons not help?

That said, those sound like fightin' words so I'd be careful. We might not have much up in Montana, but we do have nukes. Some 200 ICBMs with several MIRVs to be exact. You want our oil? Come and get it!

Re:We have more oil?

[spun]

People tend to forget that nuclear power comes from rock that you have to get out of the ground with effort and not some magic bean. Are you sure? Look, everyone knows magic beans grow very big very fast. The only other thing I know that grows that big or that fast is Godzilla. Who got that way from radiation. Ergo, the beans must be radioactive.

Obviously, we should grow more of these beans.

Re:We have more oil?

[DimmO]

just to be petty: OD is primarily a copper mine. it's just a bonus that it has a big mofo uranium deposit mixed in with it. and some gold and silver too. Good times. money for everyone.
If they go ahead with the expansion, don't forget the increased water requirements either: if they put a reverse osmosis machine near Whyalla, what's the bet that the waste from it kills all the fishes in Spencer Gulf. bad tims. fish and chips for noone.

Re:Bad news for Saskatchewan

[Robber Baron]

Soon it will be flooded with Albertans. ...and Newfies.

Dear Canada,

[circletimessquare]

Dear Canada,

Concerning this oilfield which lays below the Dakotas and Saskatchewan: if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching? And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake! SLURP I drink it up!

Bludgeonly yours,
the USA

Re:Dear Canada,

[tsotha]

Yeah, except this is shale, which is a lot more like rock than a milkshake. You're gonna look pretty funny trying to suck that through a straw.

Re:Dear Canada,

[Surt]

No worries, she's talented.

Re:Dear Canada,

[big_paul76]

Dear USA:
      That may be true, but thanks to the Alberta oil boom of late, we are the current leading edge of new tech for recovery of non-standard types of oil. If you want to have a race to see who can get it out first, we'll even give you a 2-year head start, just to make it sporting.

Yes, yes, we all know you could invade us without breaking a sweat, but can you live without the oil coming in from Alberta? How about the electricity that comes from James Bay Hyrdo? If you wanna see what life would be like without it, imagine everything east of Chicago living under a blackout. Yes, you have a great big expensive army, but I don't think you have enough troops to protect 2000 miles of power lines from being dynamited.

Oh, yeah, and we're a nuclear 'threshold' country, so we could fire up a nuke and a delivery vehicle that could hit Washington in 2 or 3 years max. So draw when ready, pardner.

Sincerely,
The Dominion of Canada.

Ssh! Don't tell anybody!

[flyingfsck]

We got to finish off the Arab oil first, to reduce their political influence in the world.

Re:Ssh! Don't tell anybody!

[wces423]

dude, the reserve might be connected to Arab oil reserve under ground. You may consider yourself to be wise-ass for not consuming it but in reality you can be a dumb-ass buying your own oil from middle-east.

Re:Securing energy independece...until it's gone

[I Like Pudding]

WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA?

Re:I suppose a good question is...

[Khaed]

Two words: Roseanne Barr.

And in other news ...

[Skapare]

... Canada has just begun to beef up the military defenses on its long southern border.

Re:And in other news ...

[jamstar7]

Did you sharpen your skates and lay in a good supply of back bacon?

Re:biotic origin

[Anonymous Coward]

So there's a good explanation for all that stuff under the north pole? Hey, how'd ya think the Big Man powered his toy workshop? Magic? Ha! Good ol' fashioned oil and an endless supply slave labor, my friend.

Re:Securing energy independece...until it's gone

[Urkki]

12 years, *phew*. That should push peak oil just enough so I won't live to see it! And those pesky kids deserve what's coming to them. THEY, the future generations, must to solve their own problems of energy, instead of using the energy OUR parents have invented!

Re:Nice

[Adriax]

Are ye daft?!? South Dakota is viking territory, not even a cooperative force of pirates and ninjas could take it. Even the hicks of wyoming fear a raid of viking longtrucks comming down I-90.

Re:Securing energy independece...until it's gone

[I Like Pudding]

You know what I, personally, hate? Literal replies to facetious internet posts.

Re:Securing energy independece...until it's gone

[tehdaemon]

I suggest that you start posting somewhere else on the internet then. This is /. after all.

Another literal reply to a facetious internet post brought to you by T ;-)

Funny because it's true...

[Anonymous Coward]

I live in Ohio, a land of extremist motoring.

On the upside, there is no property tax on motor vehicles, and insurance is relatively cheap. Fuel prices are below the national average. Hell, the supermarket sells discounted gasoline if you eat enough. Thank goodness my kids are little eating machines. Every so often, I can fill my BMW with premium for free.

On the downside, there is hyperactive speed enforcement, low speed limits, and the ultimate speed enforcer -- poorly maintained roads.

This place was made for Hummers and I see quite a few on the road every day. If anyone offers an SUV larger than Godzilla, we will set it first in Ohio.

Re:Exactly

[Anonymous Coward]

I Drink Your MILKSHAKE! I Drink It Up!

Re:Giant shale fields...

[Daimanta]

Wow, my parent got a +1 Informative by saying he has mismoderated someone?

Count me in.

Posting to undo moderation. Selected Insightful rather than Informative :(