Publications
Listed below are publication products directly associated with the Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center:
Filter Total Items: 1285
Assessment of Undiscovered Conventional Gas Resources in the Northern Alaska Province, 2026 Assessment of Undiscovered Conventional Gas Resources in the Northern Alaska Province, 2026
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 96 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Northern Alaska Province.
Authors
William H. Craddock, Jared T. Gooley, Katherine J. Whidden, John W. Counts, Christopher D. Connors, David W. Houseknecht, Rebecca A. Smith, Jade Harper, William A. Rouse, Richard O. Lease, Samuel J. Heller, Tracey J. Mercier, Christopher J. Schenk
Elemental and isotope geochemistry of Smackover Formation brines in Alabama and Arkansas: Implications for fluid mixing and water-rock interaction Elemental and isotope geochemistry of Smackover Formation brines in Alabama and Arkansas: Implications for fluid mixing and water-rock interaction
This study investigates the geochemical characteristics of brines within the Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation in Alabama and Arkansas through elemental and isotopic analyses and geochemical modeling to reveal the extent and nature of fluid mixing and water-rock interactions. Smackover Formation brines exhibit Na-Cl-Ca hydrogeochemical facies and sulfate depletion relative to seawater...
Authors
Kelly Kreitzer, Ming-Kuo Lee, Haibo Zou, Yang Wang, Andrew L. Masterson, Ann S. Ojeda, Billor Zeki, Natalia Malina, Gregory Guthrie, Bonnie McDevitt, Ann Arnold, Demi Durham
Release and recapture: Limited carbon mobilization in sediment adjacent to Central Atlantic Magmatic Province sills, Florida, USA Release and recapture: Limited carbon mobilization in sediment adjacent to Central Atlantic Magmatic Province sills, Florida, USA
Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) are associated with dramatic changes to the Earth system; their rapid release of carbon may initiate catastrophic climatic changes causing mass extinction. This carbon release is often associated with volcanic emissions, yet metamorphic carbon production is poorly constrained. Metamorphic carbon devolatilization occurs as intrusions interact with host...
Authors
Lindsi Allman, E.M. Stewart, Kanwa Sengupta, Mainak Mookherjee, Miles Kelsey, Paul C. Hackley, Ryan J. McAleer, Aaron M. Jubb, Rebecca Stokes
Regional characterization of coal resources in the Gulf Coast Coal Region—In support of coal as a potential source for critical minerals and rare earth elements Regional characterization of coal resources in the Gulf Coast Coal Region—In support of coal as a potential source for critical minerals and rare earth elements
There is increasing interest in extracting critical minerals (CM), including rare earth elements (REE), from coals in the United States to address the overreliance on imported REE. The Gulf Coast and the Fort Union regions are the two major lignite-bearing regions within the United States. Recent REE and CM studies of the lignite in these regions have indicated that the coals may be a...
Authors
Peter D. Warwick, Robert C. Reedy, Bridget R. Scanlon
Structural evolution of iron coordination in proteins across Earth’s oxygenation history Structural evolution of iron coordination in proteins across Earth’s oxygenation history
Protein metal-binding sites support essential biological functions shaped by protein fold, subunit interactions, and cofactor chemistry. Because these sites encode both biochemical function and environmental constraint, they offer a route to connect protein evolution with changes in Earth’s surface environment through time. Of particular interest is iron (Fe), the most widely used metal...
Authors
Benjamin I. Jelen, Beth A. Christensen, Elisha Kelly Moore
Spatio-temporal modeling for assessing geoenergy resources: A workflow applied to gas in place variation in coal beds Spatio-temporal modeling for assessing geoenergy resources: A workflow applied to gas in place variation in coal beds
The ability to estimate spatio-temporal changes in hydrocarbon reservoir properties and energy resources within pore volumes is essential for optimizing production, reservoir management, geologic energy storage, and safety in underground mining operations. In coal seams, predicting remaining methane gas-in-place (GIP) is critical for quantifying producible gas and improving mine safety...
Authors
Oktay Erten, C. Özgen Karacan, Clayton V. Deutsch
Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast
The Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation is a stratigraphic unit located in the subsurface of the United States Gulf coastal plain and offshore Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico). The Norphlet consists of clastic sediments derived from the southern Appalachian highlands, and was deposited in a continental dryland setting on the margins of the early Gulf of America rift basin. The formation...
Authors
John W. Counts
Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology from Marsh Creek anticline reconciles Cenozoic and Holocene strain patterns and elucidates the Cenozoic canning displacement zone of Arctic Alaska Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology from Marsh Creek anticline reconciles Cenozoic and Holocene strain patterns and elucidates the Cenozoic canning displacement zone of Arctic Alaska
The northeastern Brooks Range is a vast fold-thrust belt that records the northernmost expression of Cenozoic deformation in Alaska, likely with complex dynamic linkages to distant tectonic elements. The principal focus of this manuscript is the Marsh Creek anticline (MCA), which is a large and recently active structure within the broader northeastern Brooks Range. The MCA is a complex...
Authors
William H. Craddock, Julie C Fosdick, Christopher D. Connors, Richard O. Lease, David W. Houseknecht, Megan Mueller, Andrew R C Kylander-Clark
Characterisation of bituminite and testing reproducibility of vitrinite and bituminite reflectance measurements in organic‑carbon-rich intervals of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation: ICCP Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group round robin ex Characterisation of bituminite and testing reproducibility of vitrinite and bituminite reflectance measurements in organic‑carbon-rich intervals of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation: ICCP Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group round robin ex
Three round robin exercises (RRE) aimed at characterizing bituminite and testing the reproducibility of random vitrinite (VRo %) and bituminite (BitRo %) reflectance measurements on samples of dispersed organic matter from organic‑carbon rich shale intervals of Kimmeridge Clay Formation were conducted in 2016, 2018, and 2020. This work was conducted by the Identification of Dispersed...
Authors
Jolanta Kus, A.G. Borrego, Barbara Bielowicz, Peter J. Crosdale, M.-E. Damoulianou, Deolinda Flores, Carolina Fonseca, Paula Gonçalves, Paul C. Hackley, Maria Hámor-Vidó, Stefanie Henne, Bjoern Holstein, Iwona Jelonek, Stavros Kalaitzidis, M. Luzhbina, J.G. Mendonça Filho, T.R. Menezes, Magdalena Misz-Kennan, R. Orban, Walter Pickel, N.V. Pronina, P. N. Ranasinghe, Julito Reyes, George Siavalas, A.K. Singh, P.K. Singh, Isabel Suárez-Ruiz, I. Sýkorová, Qingyong Luo, Dragana Životić, P. Wignall, ICCP
Lithium brine potential of North Dakota: Results from the 2025 sampling program Lithium brine potential of North Dakota: Results from the 2025 sampling program
Lithium (Li), classified as a critical mineral and key in energy storage applications because of its high energy density, faces unprecedented demand. This has driven interest in unconventional sources of Li, especially brines from sedimentary basins. Accordingly, the spatial distribution of basinal brinehosted Li resources across North America is becoming better defined, including the...
Authors
Brendan A. Bishop, Timothy O. Nesheim, Ismail H. Faruqi, Andrew L. Masterson, Aaron M. Jubb, Bonnie McDevitt, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Colin A. Doolan, Jessica Chenault, Daniel S. Alessi
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Buda Limestone of Texas, 2025 Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Buda Limestone of Texas, 2025
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 12 million barrels of oil and 184 billion cubic feet of gas in the Buda Limestone of Texas.
Authors
Celeste D. Lohr, Colin A. Doolan, Matthew D. Merrill, William H. Craddock, Rand Gardner, Christopher P. Anderson, Phuong A. Le, Tracey J. Mercier, Christopher J. Schenk
Evidence for a biological origin of uranium-rich carbon masses within the Ediacaran Salt Range Formation of Pakistan Evidence for a biological origin of uranium-rich carbon masses within the Ediacaran Salt Range Formation of Pakistan
Thucholites are unique organic structures found in igneous and sedimentary rocks composed of a U-C-rich interior enclosed by an organic outer shell. Their formation and occurrence have perplexed scientists for over 100 years. Typically, thucholites are sparse in sedimentary rocks but where found in abundance, they may be the result of rapid paleoecological disruptions, e.g., volcanic...
Authors
Brett Valentine, Paul C. Hackley, Martha Stokes, Maitrayee Bose, Ryan J. McAleer, Imran Khan