One of the most important investigations is the identification of potential source rock needed to generate oil.  Typically, most source rocks are shales which contain a significant amount of organic matter.   Samples of shales are collected from outcrops for evaluation of their organic richness and degree of maturity.  While most oil geologists consider a total organic content, or TOC, of 1/2% to 1% to be adequate for a source rock, as shown on the graph, Foreland personnel have identified a number of different aged source rocks with much higher values, indicating tremendous oil generating potential.  Foreland’s mapping has shown that many of these shales are thick, with hundreds of feet of section.  The presence of these rich source rocks with such great thickness indicates an enormous potential for generating oil.  Foreland has identified those areas with the greatest concentration of source rocks to focus our exploration.