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List of oil fields facts for kids

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Countries by Oil Production in 2013
Countries by Oil Production in 2013
The San Ardo Oil Field From The Coast Starlight. (6132948846)
An oil field in California

This article lists some of the most important and largest oil fields in the world, both from the past and today. An oil field is a place underground where a lot of oil is found.

There are over 25,000 oil and gas fields globally. However, most of the world's known oil (about 94%) comes from fewer than 1,500 very large fields. Many of the biggest oil fields are in the Middle East. But you can also find supergiant fields (holding more than 10 billion barrels of oil) in countries like Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

The amounts of oil mentioned below are estimates of how much oil can be taken out of the ground. This includes oil already produced and oil that can still be recovered using today's technology. This list does not include oil from Oil shale reserves or coal, which can also be turned into liquid fuel.

Major Oil Fields Around the World

This table shows some of the largest oil fields that have more than 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

  • Field: The name of the oil field.
  • Location: Where the oil field is found.
  • Discovered: The year the oil field was first found.
  • Started production: The year oil started being taken out of the ground.
  • Peaked: The year the field produced the most oil.
  • Recoverable oil, past and future (billion barrels): The total amount of oil that can be taken out, both what has already been taken and what is still left. A billion barrels is a huge amount!
  • Production (million barrels/day): How much oil is being produced each day.
  • Rate of decline: How quickly the amount of oil produced is going down each year.
Field Location Discovered Started production Peaked Recoverable oil, past and future (billion barrels) Production (million barrels/day) Rate of decline
Ghawar Field Saudi Arabia 1948 1951 2005, disputed 88-104 3.8 8 % per year
Burgan Field Kuwait 1937 1948 2005 66-72 1.7 14 % per year
Ahvaz Field Iran 1958 1970s 25 recoverable 0.75
Upper Zakum oil field Abu Dhabi, UAE 1963 1982 (1967) Production still increasing 21 recoverable) 0.75 Extension planned to 1 MMb/d
Gachsaran Field Iran 1927 1930 1974 66 0.48
Cantarell Field Mexico 1976 1981 2004 18–35 billion recoverable 0.16 peaked in 2004 at 2.14 million barrels per day (340,000 m3/d)
Ku-Maloob-Zaap Mexico 1979 1981 2015 0.72 Production peaked at 853000 bpd in 2018
Bolivar Coastal Field Venezuela 1917 1922 30–32 2.6–3
Aghajari Field Iran 1938 1940 28 0.44
Tupi Field Brazil, Santos Basin 2007 5–8 0.93
Safaniya Oil Field Kuwait/Saudi Arabia 1951 30 1.2
Esfandiar Field Iran 1965 30
Rumaila Field Iraq 1953 17 1.5
Tengiz Field Kazakhstan 1979 1993 2010 26–40 0.65 expanding from 285k to 1.3 m bpd
Kirkuk Field Iraq 1927 1934 8.5 0.48
Shaybah Field Saudi Arabia 1998 1998 15
Majnoon Field Iraq 1975 11–20 0.5
Samotlor Field Russia, West Siberia 1965 1969 1980 14–16 0.33 (depletion: 73 %) 5 % decline per year (2008–2014)
Shaikan Sheikh Adi Field Iraq Kurdistan 2009 2013 production still increasing 4–6 0.04 production still increasing
Romashkino Field Russia, Volga-Ural 1948 1949 in decline 16–17 0.30 (2006) depletion: 85 %
Prudhoe Bay United States, Alaska 1967–68 1977 1988 13 recoverable 0.32 11 % per year
Sarir Field Libya 1961 1961 6.5 billion recoverable
Priobskoye field Russia, West Siberia 1982 2000 13 0.50 (2019) 14 % depleted, production rapidly expanding
Lyantorskoye field Russia, West Siberia 1966 1979 13 0.168 (2004) depletion: 81 %
Abqaiq Field Saudi Arabia 1940 1940 12 0.43
Chicontepec Field Mexico 1926 6.5 (19 certified)
Berri Field Saudi Arabia 1964 12
West Qurna Field Iraq 1973 15–21 0.18–0.25 (pot.)* civil war
Manifa Field Saudi Arabia 1957 11
Fyodorovskoye Field Russia, West Siberia 1971 1974 11 1.9 (197x)
East Baghdad Field Iraq 1976 8 0–0.05 (pot.)* civil war
Foroozan-Marjan (Iran) Field Saudi Arabia/Iran 1966 10
Marlim Field Brazil, Campos Basin 1985 in decline 10–14 8 % per year
Awali Bahrain 1932 1
Azadegan Field Iran 1999 5.2
Marun Field Iran 1963 16 0.52
Mesopotamian Foredeep Basin Kuwait 66–72
Minagish Kuwait 1959 2
Raudhatain Kuwait 11
Sabriya Kuwait 1955 2018 3.8–4
Yibal Oman 1968 1
Mukhaizna Oil Field Oman 1
Dukhan Field Qatar 1988 2.2
Halfaya Field Iraq 2010 4.1
Az Zubayr Field Iraq 1949 6
Nahr Umr Field Iraq 1948 6
Abu-Sa'fah field Saudi Arabia 1963 6.1
Hassi Messaoud Algeria 1956 9
Bouri Field Libya 1976 1988 4.5 0.060
Kizomba Complex Angola 2
Dalia (oil field) Angola 1997 1
Belayim Angola >1
Zafiro Angola 1
Zelten oil field Libya 1956 1961 2.5
Agbami Field Nigeria 1998 2008 0.8–1.2
Bonga Field Nigeria 1996 2005 1.4
Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli Azerbaijan 1985 1997 5.4 0.54
Bahar oilfields Azerbaijan, Bibiheybət 1846
Karachaganak Field Kazakhstan 1972 2.5
Kashagan Field Kazakhstan 2000 30 0.40
Kurmangazy Field Kazakhstan 6–7
Darkhan Field Kazakhstan 9.5
Zhanazhol Field Kazakhstan 1960 1987 3
Uzen Field Kazakhstan 7
Kalamkas Field Kazakhstan 3.2
Zhetybay Field Kazakhstan 2.1
Nursultan Field Kazakhstan 4.5
Jubilee oil field Ghana 2007 2010 3 0.15
Ekofisk oil field Norway 1969 1971 2006 3.3 0.13
Troll Vest Norway 1979 1990 2003 1.4
Statfjord Norway 1974 1979 1987 5
Gullfaks Norway 1978 1986 1994 2.1
Oseberg Norway 1979 1988 2.2 0.089
Snorre Norway 1979 1992 2003 1.5
Johan Sverdrup oil field Norway 2010 2019 2023 2.8 0.76 Plateau production target of 755,000 bpd reached in May 2023
Mamontovskoye Field Russia 8
Russkoye Field Russia 2.5
Kamennoe Field Russia 1.9
Vankor Field Russia 1983 2009 3.8
Vatyeganskoye Field Russia 1.4
Tevlinsko-Russkinskoye Field Russia 1.3
Sutorminskoye Field Russia 1.3
Urengoy group Russia 1
Ust-Balykskoe Field Russia >1
Tuymazinskoe Field Russia 3
Arlanskoye Field Russia >2
South-Hilchuy Field Russia 3.1
North-Dolginskoye Field Russia 2.2
Nizhne-Chutinskoe Field Russia 1.7
South-Dolginskoye Field Russia 1.6
Prirazlomnoye Field Russia 1989 2011 1.4
West-Matveevskoye Field Russia 1.1
Sakhalin Islands Russia 14
Odoptu Russia 1
Arukutun-Dagi Russia 1
Piltun-Astokhskoye Field Russia 1986 1999 1
Ayash Field East-Odoptu Field Russia 4.5
Verhne-Chonskoye Field Russia 1.3
Talakan Field Russia 1.3
North-Caucasus Basin Russia 1.7
Clair oilfield United Kingdom 1977 1.75 recoverable
Forties oilfield United Kingdom 1970 1975 1979 5 0.02
Jupiter field Brazil 2008 7
Cupiagua/Cusiana Colombia 1
Boscán Field, Venezuela Venezuela 1946 1947 1.6
Mumbai High India, Arabian Sea 1965 1974 0.17
Pembina Canada 1953 1953 1.81 (recoverable)
Swan Hills Canada
Rainbow Lake Canada
Hibernia Canada 1979 1997 3
Terra Nova Field Canada 1984 2002 1.0
Kelly-Snyder / SACROC United States, Texas 1.5
Bakken Oil Field United States, North Dakota 1951 7.3
Yates Oil Field United States, Texas 1926 1926 1929 3.0 (2.0 billion recovered; 1.0 reserve remaining)
Kuparuk oil field United States, Alaska 1969 6
Alpine, Alaska United States, Alaska 1994 2000 2005 0.4–1 0.05
East Texas Oil Field United States, Texas 1930 6
Spraberry Trend United States, Texas 1943 10
Wilmington Oil Field United States, California 1932 3
South Belridge Oil Field United States, California 1911 2
Coalinga Oil Field United States, California 1887 1
Elk Hills United States, California 1911 1.5
Kern River United States, California 1899 2.5
Midway-Sunset Field United States, California 1894 3.4
Thunder Horse Oil Field United States, Gulf of Mexico 1999 1 0.25
Kingfish Australia 1.2
Halibut Australia 1967 1
Daqing Field China 1959 1960 2008 16 0.60 depletion: 90 %, production peaked at 40 m t/y in 2008
Jidong Field China 2.2
Tahe Field China 8
Nanpu Oil Field China 7.35
SL10-SL13 Genel/CPC Field Somaliland 2014 4.2
Wushi Oil Field China 2015
Tarim Oil Fields China 1989
Zafiro Field Equatorial Guinea 1995 2004 1

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Campos petroleros para niños

  • Athabasca Oil Sands
  • Giant oil and gas fields
  • List of coalfields
  • List of natural gas fields
  • List of oil and gas fields of the North Sea
  • OAPEC
  • Oil megaprojects
  • Oil shale reserves
  • OPEC
  • Petrol
  • Petroleum Reservoir
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