Permian Basin, also called West Texas Basin, large sedimentary basin in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, U.S., noted for its rich petroleum, natural gas, and potassium deposits. Owing to its economic importance, it is one of the most well-studied geologic regions of the world. Deposits of the Permian Basin are featured in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
The Permian Basin is the largest petroleum-producing basin in the United States and has produced a cumulative 28.9 billion barrels of oil and 75 trillion cubic feet of gas. Currently in early 2020, over 4 million barrels of oil a day are being pumped from the basin. The Permian Basin is made up of three component parts: the eastern Midland Basin, the Central Basin Platform, and the western Delaware Basin.
Eighty percent of estimated reserves are located at less than 10,000 feet (3,000m) depth. Ten percent of the oil recovered from the Permian Basin has come from Pennsylvanian carbonates. The largest reservoirs are within the Central Basin Platform, the Northwestern and Eastern shelves, and within Delaware Basin sandstones.
The Primary lithologies of the major hydrocarbon reservoirs are limestone, dolomite, and sandstone due to their high porosities. However, advances in hydrocarbon recovery such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have expanded production into unconventional, tight oil shales like those found in the Wolfcamp Shale.
According to en.wikipedia.org; Source of photos: the internet
