The Buda Limestone stretches across parts of South and East Texas, with the assessed area concentrated west and southwest of Houston and extending north and northeast into the East Texas Basin.
According to the USGS, the formation has already produced about 204 million barrels of oil and 287 billion cubic feet of natural gas since production began around 1930.
The agency said that amount of oil is roughly equivalent to 10 days of U.S. consumption at 2025 rates, while the gas would meet about three days of national demand.
USGS researchers said the oil and gas found in the Buda Limestone likely originated in the overlying Eagle Ford Group, one of the nation’s most productive petroleum formations.
“The U.S. economy and our way of life depend on energy, and USGS oil and gas assessments point to resources that industry hasn’t discovered yet,” said USGS Director Ned Mamula. “In this case, the Buda Limestone has little remaining undiscovered oil or gas, indicating a need for new resources.”
The newly-estimated resources are relatively small compared to some of Texas’ other major oil and gas formations.
In January, the USGS reported that the Permian Basin’s Woodford and Barnett shale formations contain an estimated 28.3 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas and 1.6 billion barrels of oil. The agency said that volume of gas would be enough to meet roughly 10 months of U.S. demand at current consumption rates, while the oil would equal about 10 weeks of supply.