Permian Basin (North America)
Large sedimentary basin in the US / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Permian Basin is a large sedimentary basin in the southwestern part of the United States. It is the highest producing oil field in the United States, producing an average of 4.2 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2019. This sedimentary basin is located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
Permian Basin | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 32°30′N 103°00′W |
Etymology | Permian |
Location | Southwestern North America |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Texas & New Mexico |
Cities | Midland, Odessa |
Characteristics | |
On/Offshore | Onshore |
Boundaries | Matador Arch (N) Ouachita–Marathon thrust belt (S) |
Area | >86,000 sq mi (220,000 km2) |
Hydrology | |
River(s) | Pecos River |
Geology | |
Basin type | Cratonic basin (Bally & Snelson) Interior sag basin (Kingston et al.) Intracontinental complex basin (Klemme) |
Orogeny | Hercynian |
Age | Pennsylvanian-Guadalupian |
Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
Field(s) | Fields |
It is named after the Permian geologic period, as it contains some of the world's thickest deposits of rocks from the period.
The Permian Basin comprises several component basins; including the Midland Basin which is the largest, Delaware Basin, the second largest, and Marfa Basin being the smallest. The Permian Basin covers more than 86,000 square miles (220,000 km2),[1] and extends across an area approximately 250 miles (400 km) wide and 300 miles (480 km) long.[2]
The Texas cities of Midland, Odessa and San Angelo serve as headquarters for oil production activities in the basin.
The Permian Basin is also a major source of potassium salts (potash). Potash mines are located in Lea and Eddy counties, New Mexico, and are operated by the room and pillar method. Halite (rock salt) is produced as a byproduct of potash mining.[3][4][5][6]