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Browse recent USGS publications related to energy resources. 

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Northern Cascadia Margin gas hydrates — Regional geophysical surveying, IODP drilling leg 311, and cabled observatory monitoring Northern Cascadia Margin gas hydrates — Regional geophysical surveying, IODP drilling leg 311, and cabled observatory monitoring

This article reviews extensive geophysical survey data, ocean drilling results and long-term seafloor monitoring that constrain the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates within the accretionary prism of the northern Cascadia subduction margin, located offshore Vancouver Island in Canada. Seismic surveys and geologic studies conducted since the 1980s have mapped the bottom...
Authors
Michael Riedel, Timothy S. Collett, Martin Scherwath, John W. Pohlman, Roy Hyndman, George Spence

Alaska North Slope terrestrial gas hydrate systems: Insights from scientific drilling Alaska North Slope terrestrial gas hydrate systems: Insights from scientific drilling

A wealth of information has been accumulated regarding the occurrence of gas hydrates in nature, leading to significant advancements in our understanding of the geologic controls on their occurrence in both the terrestrial and marine settings of the Arctic. Gas hydrate accumulations discovered in the Alaska North Slope have been the focus of several important geoscience and production...
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Ray M. Boswell, Margarita V. Zyrianova

A review of the exploration, discovery, and characterization of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained reservoir systems along the Eastern Continental Margin of India A review of the exploration, discovery, and characterization of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained reservoir systems along the Eastern Continental Margin of India

The analysis of 3-D seismic data has become one of the most powerful ways to identify sand-rich gas hydrate reservoir systems and to directly identify highly concentrated gas hydrate prospects. Scientific drilling programs have shown that the occurrence of highly concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained, sand-rich, reservoir systems has a significant impact on the...
Authors
Timothy S. Collett, Krishan Chopra, Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Ray Boswell, William F. Waite, A. K. Misra, Pushpendra Kumar

Characterization of bituminite in Kimmeridge Clay by confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy Characterization of bituminite in Kimmeridge Clay by confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy

This work investigates bituminite (amorphous sedimentary organic matter) in Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay source rock via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These petrographic tools were used to provide better understanding of the nature of bituminite, which has been historically difficult to identify and differentiate from similar organic...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Jolanta Kus, Joao Graciano Mendonca Filho, Andrew D. Czaja, Angeles G. Borrego, Dragana Životić, Brett J. Valentine, Javin J. Hatcherian

Active‐source interferometry in marine and terrestrial environments: Importance of directionality and stationary phase Active‐source interferometry in marine and terrestrial environments: Importance of directionality and stationary phase

We utilize active‐source seismic interferometry with dense seismic arrays both offshore and onland to explore the utility of this method to create virtual sources and reveal body‐wave reflections in these two different environments. We first utilize data from an ocean‐bottom cable (OBC) array in the Gulf of Mexico with equal numbers of sources (160 airgun shots) and receivers (160 ocean...
Authors
Steven Plescia, Anne Sheehan, Seth S. Haines

The Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Working Group of the ICCP: Final report 2021 The Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Working Group of the ICCP: Final report 2021

This report summarizes the activities and results of the Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) working group (WG) of the International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP), from its inception in September, 2015, to the present day (September, 2021). The purpose of this report is to document the history of the working group and to compile and evaluate its results. The CLSM...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Jolanta Kus, João Graciano Mendonça Filho, Andrew D. Czaja, A.G. Borrego, Dragana Zivotic

Reconstructing the paleoceanographic and redox conditions responsible for variations in uranium content in North American Devonian black shales Reconstructing the paleoceanographic and redox conditions responsible for variations in uranium content in North American Devonian black shales

The uranium (U) content, and more recently, the ratio between 238U and 235U in black shales are commonly applied as a proxy to determine redox conditions and infer organic-richness. Uranium contents typically display a linear relationship with total organic carbon (TOC) in shales. This relationship is due to the processes and mechanisms responsible for the incorporation of U into the...
Authors
Michelle L. Abshire, Natascha Riedinger, John M. Clymer, Clint Scott, Silke Severmann, Stephen J. Romaniello, James O. Puckette

New insights into organic matter accumulation from high-resolution geochemical analysis of a black shale: Middle and Upper Devonian Horn River Group, Canada New insights into organic matter accumulation from high-resolution geochemical analysis of a black shale: Middle and Upper Devonian Horn River Group, Canada

Organic matter (OM) accumulation in organic matter-rich mudstones, or black shales, is generally recognized to be controlled by combinations of bioproductivity, preservation, and dilution. However, specific triggers of OM deposition in these formations are commonly difficult to identify with geochemical proxies, in part because of feedbacks that cause geochemical proxies for these...
Authors
Haolin Zhou, Nicholas B. Harris, Tian Dong, Korhan Ayranci, Jilu Feng, Benoit Rivard, Paul C. Hackley, Javin J. Hatcherian

Vitrinite reflectance analysis Vitrinite reflectance analysis

Vitrinite is a maceral group (a set of organic matter types with similar properties and appearance) derived from the remains of woody material from vascular plants and is composed of the thermally evolved products of lignin and cellulose. Vitrinite is the dominant component of humic coal and is found as a minor component dispersed into sedimentary rocks, especially mudrocks, the primary...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley
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