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Suspended Exploratory Well Costs
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]  
Suspended Exploratory Well Costs
6. Suspended Exploratory Well Costs
The following summarizes the changes in suspended exploratory well costs at December 31 for each of the last three years. Additions pending the determination of proved reserves excludes amounts capitalized and subsequently charged to expense within the same year.
millions
2013
 
2012
 
2011
Balance at January 1
$
2,062

 
$
1,353

 
$
935

Additions pending the determination of proved reserves
848

 
960

 
572

Divestitures
(48
)
 

 

Reclassifications to proved properties
(507
)
 
(129
)
 
(116
)
Charges to exploration expense
(123
)
 
(122
)
 
(38
)
Balance at December 31
$
2,232

 
$
2,062

 
$
1,353



The following summarizes an aging of suspended exploratory well costs by geographic area and the year the costs were suspended at December 31, 2013:
 
 
 
Year Costs Incurred
millions
Total
 
2013(1)
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010 and
prior
United States—Onshore
$
160

 
$
143

 
$
6

 
$
1

 
$
10

United States—Offshore
461

 
126

 
137

 
24

 
174

International
1,611

 
442

 
526

 
303

 
340

 
$
2,232

 
$
711

 
$
669

 
$
328

 
$
524

__________________________________________________________________
(1) 
Excludes additions subsequently reclassified to proved properties within the same year.

Suspended exploratory well costs capitalized for a period greater than one year after completion of drilling were associated with 14 projects at December 31, 2013, primarily located in Mozambique, Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, and Ghana. Project costs suspended for longer than one year were primarily suspended pending the completion of economic evaluations including, but not limited to, results of additional appraisal drilling, well-test analysis, additional geological and geophysical data, facilities and infrastructure development options, development plan approval, and permitting. Management believes projects with suspended exploratory well costs exhibit sufficient quantities of hydrocarbons to justify potential development and is actively pursuing efforts to assess whether reserves can be attributed to these projects. If additional information becomes available that raises substantial doubt as to the economic or operational viability of any of these projects, the associated costs will be expensed at that time.