Permian Basin (North America)

For the royalty trust that trades on the New York Stock Exchange, see Permian Basin Royalty Trust.
Not to be confused with Permian Basin (Europe).

Permian Basin
Map showing the location of Permian Basin
Map showing the location of Permian Basin
The West Texas Permian Basin
Coordinates32°30′N 103°00′W / 32.500°N 103.000°W / 32.500; -103.000
EtymologyPermian
LocationSouthwestern North America
Country United States
State(s)Texas & New Mexico
CitiesMidland, Odessa
Characteristics
On/OffshoreOnshore
BoundariesMatador Arch (N)
Ouachita–Marathon thrust belt (S)
Area>86,000 sq mi (220,000 km2)
Hydrology
River(s)Pecos River
Geology
Basin typeCratonic basin (Bally & Snelson)
Interior sag basin (Kingston et al.)
Intracontinental complex basin (Klemme)
OrogenyHercynian
AgePennsylvanian-Guadalupian
StratigraphyStratigraphy
Field(s)Fields

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.

It is named after the Permian geologic period, the final period of the Paleozoic era, 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 some of the 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]

  1. ^ Ball - The Permian Basin - USGS
  2. ^ "Permian Basin map at Department of Energy, National Energy Lab". Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  3. ^ B. R. Alto and R. S. Fulton (1965) "Salines" and "The potash industry" in Mineral and Water Resources of New Mexico, New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Bulletin 87, p.299–309.
  4. ^ Galley, John (1995). "Oil and Geology in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ward was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wright was invoked but never defined (see the help page).