Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did unconventional oil recovery help increase petroleum production in the United States during the early 21st century?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Multiple large offshore petroleum oil rigs with cranes and equipment stand in the ocean, connected by walkways above the water. — petroleum Liquid petroleum (crude oil)—which is refined into gasoline, diesel, heating fuels, asphalt, plastics, and other useful chemical compounds—is often extracted from the ground using a series of drills and pumps.

In the early 21st century, the United States significantly increased its petroleum production by developing strategies to exploit unconventional resource plays, such as tight oil and shale oil.12

These resources are trapped in dense, impermeable "tight rock" formations, such as shale or dolomite, which cannot be accessed through conventional drilling methods. To unlock these reserves, petroleum engineers utilized technologically complex methods, most notably hydraulic fracturing (fracking) combined with horizontal drilling. This approach allows for the creation of fissures in the rock, enabling trapped hydrocarbons to flow to the surface.3145

The effectiveness of these techniques was demonstrated by the substantial output from formations like the Bakken fields in North Dakota, which greatly boosted the state's petroleum output by the 2010s. By integrating the expertise of geoscientists, economists, and engineers, the U.S. successfully converted previously undeveloped resource plays into economic reserves, marking a major shift in the nation's energy production capabilities.12