Reading the “Real Time Plus 70 Years” threads has been very intersting. There were articles in the New York Times back in 1942 or 1943 about Peak Oil, although they didn’t use the term. The estimates then were a 20 year supply at estimated post-war consumption levels. Of course they didn’t factor off shore drilling.
Also interesting was that they knew there was a significant amount of oil in shale that could extend the day of Peak Oil, but of couse they knew they didn’t have the technology to make it economical to extract it.
There are several that would fit that type of thinking.
For example, on the Alaskan North Slope, in the area they have already drilled is a very large field not currently in production. The field is well known as it is shallow, many (most?) of the wells on the slope drill through it to get to the producing oil deeper down.
The field, Ugnu, has two problems. First it is a very heavy, thick oil that doesn’t flow well normally, secondly, it is so shallow it is relatively near the permafrost, making it quite cold compared to typical oil fields, making the thick oil flow even less.
It will be developed, eventually. It is very large. But there is other fields also know that while heavy oil, are not quite as hard to produce. They will be chased first.
More info at:
http://www.aoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/8.-Pospisil-Heavy-Viscous-Oil.pdf