A Spatial Statistical Analysis of Oilfields in the Southern States of the USA

Shang Gao
M.S., 2009
Advisor: Jan de Leeuw
The southern states of the USA are known for their rich natural resources in the form of oil and gas. Since the 19th century, many oilfields have been discovered and had since affected the economy to a large extent. Texas and Louisiana, the two largest oil-producing states, have seen growing dependency on the oil industry as their primary source of economy. But the geographical and distribution patterns of the oilfields are rarely touched upon. Instead of relying on blind predictions and intuitions, a study on the spatial point process of oilfields might be useful in terms of predicting the locations of oilfields and discovering new oilfields. A simulation of the Neyman-Scott process will also tell us more about the cluster process of the oilfields. In addition, economic and social dependence on the oil industry for individual states will be briefly covered.
2009