2. Crude Oil in the usa

The U.S. produces oil from both onshore and offshore sources. Major regions include:

a. Permian Basin

Location: Western Texas and southeastern New Mexico

Significance: The most prolific oil-producing region in the U.S. Accounts for nearly half of total U.S. oil production.

Sub-basins: Midland Basin, Delaware Basin

b. Gulf of Mexico (Offshore)

Location: Offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama

Significance: Major offshore oil production; includes deepwater fields operated by companies like Shell and BP.

c. Eagle Ford Shale

Location: South Texas

Significance: Major shale play producing both oil and natural gas.

d. Bakken Formation

Location: North Dakota, Montana, and parts of Canada

Significance: One of the first major shale oil plays; North Dakota is consistently a top oil-producing state.

e. Niobrara Formation

Location: Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas

Significance: Produces oil and natural gas from shale and tight sandstone.

f. Other Notable Areas:

Anadarko Basin (OK, TX)

San Juan Basin (NM, CO)

Alaska North Slope (e.g., Prudhoe Bay) – significant but declining production

3. Natural Gas in the usa

Natural gas production overlaps significantly with oil regions, especially in shale formations:

a. Marcellus Shale

Location: Primarily Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio

Significance: The largest natural gas field in the U.S. by volume.

b. Haynesville Shale

Location: Eastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana

Significance: Deep, high-pressure shale play; major source of dry natural gas.

c. Permian Basin

Location: Same as oil—West Texas/New Mexico

Significance: Produces large volumes of associated natural gas alongside oil.

Metals and Industrial Minerals. The United States is rich in metals and industrial minerals that play an important role in manufacturing, construction, and high-tech industries. Major resources include copper, gold, silver, zinc, molybdenum, and lead. The US is one of the top producers in the world, with major mining operations in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. It also mainly holds significant gold and silver reserves in Nevada. The country is one of the top global producers of molybdenum, a metal used in steel alloys, and phosphate rock deposits required for fertilizer production. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), these minerals are important for national security and economic development. The USGS monitors production, reserves, and use, and helps policymakers to manage these valuable natural resources wisely.

Timber & Agriculture. The United States has huge wood and agricultural resources, which are essential for its economy and rural communities. The forest covers about 823 million acres, making one one-third of the land area of the country. The forestry industry contributes more than $ 200 billion to the economy each year and supports about one million jobs in logging, milling, paper production, and forest management. Major wood-producing states include Oregon, Washington, Georgia, and Alabama. In agriculture, the U.S. Food and fiber is one of the leading producers of the world. With about 900 million acres of fields, it grows large amounts of corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Livestock production, also a major component, including mutton, hen, and hog, is a major component. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), about 5.5% of GDP in agriculture and related industries supports more than 19 million jobs, reflecting the important role of the field in food security and global trade.

Land for Farming and Agriculture.Unlike Australia and Canada, the United States had temperate climates combined with fertile soil. The early settlers found rich soil on the Great Plains. This is a more than 290,000-square-mile area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.The Plains was a huge basin sculpted out by glaciers during the Great Ice Age. As a result, mountain streams from the Rockies deposited layers of sediment. These streams then cut through the sediment to create plateaus. These large flat areas were untouched by erosion. That created thick sod and productive agriculture.But the Great Plains is semi-arid, experiencing periodic droughts. The Plains became the breadbasket of the world only after irrigation was put into place. The water came from streams fed by the Rockies.

Freshwater Resources. Lakes, rivers, and streams provide 87% of the water used in America. The electric power industry uses an astonishing 133 billion gallons per day. Water cools electricity-generating equipment, but it is returned. Agricultural irrigation uses 118 billion gallons per day, but it is not returned. Families, businesses, and industries use the rest (Sept 26, 2024). The United States Geological Survey estimates that four states accounted for more than 25% of all water withdrawals in the U.S.: California, Texas, Idaho, and Florida. There is a large supply of freshwater in the United States, which is important for drinking, farming, and industry. The country has about 7% of the freshwater of the world, found in underground sources called lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers. Major freshwater sources include underground aquifers such as the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and Oglala. This water supports millions of people, helps grow crops, factories, and power plants. States like Michigan, Minnesota, and Florida have particularly large amounts of fresh water. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the country uses hundreds of billions of gallons of water every day. Managing and protecting this resource is important for health, the environment, and the economy, especially as climate change affects rainfall and dried patterns.

Weather and climate. Its climate is very varied. Florida and Hawaii have tropical heat and storms. Alaska has an arctic climate. The South-west has deserts. New England has green fields and forests. The Rocky Mountains (Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado) have both flat prairie grasslands and wheat fields to the east. Most of the country has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The weather is mostly temperate. There are no natural barriers either to the north or to the south (cold, dry air flows south from Canada and warm, humid air goes north from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Plains and Midwest). The southwestern part of the Great Plains is the hottest and most arid region of the USA. The Pacific coast is almost rainless in the summer, but it is often foggy. In New England the climate is cool temperate: bright, sunny days are followed by frosty nights, this is the reason for Indian summer; summers are warm, winters are cold with snowfalls.