The purpose of this study is to give a picture of present and ultimate oil possibilities of the U.S.S.R., so they may be compared with those of the United States. Following an outline of source material for the study, a general picture of the structure and tectonics of Eurasia and Siberia is given as the background to differentiate oil-bearing from oil-barren regions. The oil and gas deposits occur in reservoir beds similar to those in the United States, ranging from Devonian to Pliocene strata inclusive. It is possible that Silurian and Ordovician will also produce, and a small amount of oil has been reported from Cambrian beds. The structure and the stratigraphic types of occurrence are also similar. A more detailed picture of each possible oil region, both productive a d prospective is presented, with a comparison of their relative merits. It is shown by the map that out of 8,390,000 square miles of land-inland sea area within U.S.S.R. boundaries, 3,600,000 square miles have possibilities for the finding and production of oil; and in addition there are 400,000 square miles of continental-shelf area within the 200-meter depth limit. Of the total possible area, 1,000,000 square miles are classified as younger marine sedimentary (Cretaceous to Pliocene) deposits. Also of the total, there are 1,530,000 square miles north of the 60° parallel; hence, they are more difficult and expensive to develop.

Production to the beginning of 1947 in U.S.S.R., inclusive of Sakhalin, was 5,722,000,000 barrels; in 1946 it was 166,000,000 barrels, two-thirds of that of 1939. Total production in the United States was 34,000,000,000 barrels, while that in 1946 was 1,754,000,000, about 50 per cent more than that of 1939.

Total estimated proved reserves of the Soviets are nearly 8 billion barrels, while those of the United States are 24 billion barrels.

While the U.S.S.R. has barely begun development, having only 12,000 oil wells, the United States is well advanced with 424,000 producing wells. It will therefore require a long period of time, large capital investments, much of machine tools and other machinery adequately to develop the Soviet possibilities.

Exploration and development in the Soviet Union are being carried forward by use of latest techniques developed in the United States and elsewhere, with some new Soviet methods. It is reported that more than 2,000 geologists and geophysicists are employed at present by the Union; and engineers and technical workers are probably likewise numerous.

The affiliated countries under Soviet control are Roumania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Albania, and Poland, which cover an area of 427,000 square miles. These include two important

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basins, the Hungarian and Roumanian inclusive of the Sub-Carpathian region, which covers 130,000 square miles of prospective territory, with the Roumanian district much more important. The proved reserves are estimated as ranging from 241,000,000 to 491,000,000 barrels, with estimates for Roumania ranging from 150,000,000 to 400,000,000 barrels. Production to date is 1,459,000,000 barrels, and during 1946 it is estimated as 44,000,000 barrels. It is down 25 per cent in Roumania due to the last war, but the possibilities of developing important new production are considerable as the Roumanian basin is one of the best in Europe and similar to the Gulf Coast of the United States. The U.S.S.R. has been getting 95½ per cent of the Roumanian output because of its great need for oil, bu it is reported that some of this is to be released shortly, perhaps to other East European states now that the United States has ceased exporting oil to them. Outer Mongolia and Tannu Tuva, also affiliated, have little or no oil prospects.

Lewis G. Weeks' estimate of United States sedimentary basins exploitable for oil is 1,400,000 square miles, to which he gives an ultimate estimated production of 100,000,000,000 barrels.

Comparing Soviet areas in kind with those given by Weeks for certain United States regions, and allowing for average depth of favorable sedimentary strata in each basin judged by available data, the writer obtains for the U.S.S.R. the following figures inclusive of land and continental shelf.

For the more important districts, namely, Moscow-East Russian basin, Pre-Caspian and extensions, Transcaspian, South Caucasus, and East Sakhalin, the estimated total area is 1,805,000 square miles, with sedimentary rocks totaling 2,736,000 cubic miles and having an oil-gas content of 162,000,000,000 barrels. Additionally of much more speculative character, 1,650,000 square miles, with an estimated total of 1,708,000 cubic miles of sedimentary rocks, may ultimately yield 33,000,000,000 barrels. Of this, only 6,000,000,000 barrels have been produced and about 8,000,000,000 barrels proved, leaving the balance to be found and developed, a truly stupendous task, although a large number of mapped structures await adequate testing.

It appears probable and reasonable, therefore, to conclude that the Soviet Union has within its own borders an ultimate oil reserve of at least 150-160 billion barrels, and conceivably it may approach 180-190 billion barrels. By allowing for areas under Soviet control, it is clear that the U.S.S.R. dominates more than a third of the total ultimate oil reserve of the entire world.

Soviet Russia has ample other power resources. It is second to the United States in coal reserves. It also has abundant oil-shale deposits, which as well as the coal, may be converted to oil and gas as required. Its hydro-electric power possibilities are very large. Development of coal has been considerable, there has been some development of oil shale for both oil and gas production, and while hydro-electric development has barely begun, construction of 15,000,000 kilowatts is planned. Of its atomic-energy minerals, there is ample territory favorable for their vein occurrence in its large pre-Cambrian and shield areas; in addition, Eklund estimates one million tons of ordinary uranium extractable from Soviet oil shales and states the United States and Sweden, each has a like amount. he Soviets are resources-rich, but development-poor. This emphasizes how very great is the Soviet need for a long period of peace-time development of its great power resources, whereas the United States, through its combined individual, corporation, and government effort has reached a greatly advanced stage. Both countries can with continued development be self-contained as far as power resources are concerned for centuries to come.