Publications
Browse recent USGS publications related to energy resources.
Filter Total Items: 2852
Comparison of machine learning approaches used to identify the drivers of Bakken oil well productivity Comparison of machine learning approaches used to identify the drivers of Bakken oil well productivity
Geologists and petroleum engineers have struggled to identify the mechanisms that drive productivity in horizontal hydraulically fractured oil wells. The machine learning algorithms of Random Forest (RF), gradient boosting trees (GBT) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) were applied to a dataset containing 7311 horizontal hydraulically fractured wells drilled into the middle member...
Authors
Emil D. Attanasi, Philip A. Freeman, Timothy Coburn
Teleseismic P‐qave coda autocorrelation imaging of crustal and basin structure, Bighorn Mountains Region, Wyoming, U.S.A. Teleseismic P‐qave coda autocorrelation imaging of crustal and basin structure, Bighorn Mountains Region, Wyoming, U.S.A.
We demonstrate successful crustal imaging via teleseismic P‐wave coda autocorrelation, using data recorded on a 261 station array of vertical‐component high‐frequency geophones in the area of the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming, U.S.A. We autocorrelate the P‐wave coda of 30 teleseismic events and use phase‐weighted stacking to yield seismic profiles comparable to low‐passed versions of those...
Authors
Steven Plescia, Anne Sheehan, Seth S. Haines, Lindsay Worthington, Scott Cook, Justin Ball
Multiple physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments recovered from Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well Multiple physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments recovered from Alaska North Slope 2018 Hydrate-01 Stratigraphic Test Well
Knowledge of the petrophysical and geomechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments is essential for predicting reservoir responses to gas production from gas hydrate reservoirs. In December 2018, Stratigraphic Test Well Hydrate-01 was drilled in the western part of the Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope, as part of the technical planning effort for a future long-term gas...
Authors
Jun Yoneda, Yusuke Jin, Michihiro Muraoka, Motoi Oshima, Kiyofumi Suzuki, Mike Walker, Donald Westacott, Satoshi Otsuki, Kenichi Kumagai, Timothy S. Collett, Ray Boswell, Norihiro Okinaka
Utica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management Utica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management
The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few studies from the Utica Shale Play. This...
Authors
Madalyn S. Blondes, Jenna L. Shelton, Mark A Engle, Jason Trembly, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Jessica Chenault, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Ralph J. Haefner, Brian E. Mailot
Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters
Releases of oil and gas (OG) wastewaters can have complex effects on stream-water quality and downstream organisms, due to sediment-water interactions and groundwater/surface water exchange. Previously, elevated concentrations of sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), and lithium (Li), and trace hydrocarbons were determined to be key markers of OG wastewater releases...
Authors
Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Douglas B. Kent, Martin A. Briggs, Mark A Engle, Adam J. Benthem, Katherine Skalak, Adam C. Mumford, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Aida Farag, John W. Lane, Denise M. Akob
Four-dimensional thermal evolution of the East African Orogen: Accessory phase petrochronology of crustal profiles through the Tanzanian Craton and Mozambique Belt, northeastern Tanzania Four-dimensional thermal evolution of the East African Orogen: Accessory phase petrochronology of crustal profiles through the Tanzanian Craton and Mozambique Belt, northeastern Tanzania
U–Pb petrochronology of deep crustal xenoliths and outcrops across northeastern Tanzania track the thermal evolution of the Mozambique Belt and Tanzanian Craton following the Neoproterozoic East African Orogeny (EAO) and subsequent Neogene rifting. At the craton margin, the upper–middle crust record thermal quiescence since the Archean (2.8–2.5 Ga zircon, rutile, and apatite in granite...
Authors
Francisco E. Apen, Roberta L. Rudnick, John M. Cottle, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Madalyn S. Blondes, Phil Piccoli, Gareth Seward
Estimating the net costs of brine production and disposal to expand pressure-limited dynamic capacity for basin-scale CO2 storage in a saline formation Estimating the net costs of brine production and disposal to expand pressure-limited dynamic capacity for basin-scale CO2 storage in a saline formation
If carbon capture and storage (CCS) needs to be deployed at basin- or larger-scale, it is likely that multiple sites will be injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) into the same geologic formation. This could lead to excessive pressure buildup, overlapping induced pressure fronts, and pressure interference with neighboring uses of the subsurface. Extracting the in situ brine from the storage...
Authors
Steven T. Anderson, Hossein Jahediesfanjani
Examination of inertinite within immature Eagle Ford Shale at the nanometer-scale using atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy Examination of inertinite within immature Eagle Ford Shale at the nanometer-scale using atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy
The nanoscale molecular composition of sedimentary organic matter is challenging to characterize in situ given the limited tools available that can adequately interrogate its complex chemical structure. This is a particularly relevant issue in source rocks, as kerogen composition will strongly impact its reactivity and so is critical to understanding petroleum generation processes during
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Paul C. Hackley, Justin E. Birdwell, Javin J. Hatcherian, Jing Qu
Book review of "Exploration and production of oceanic natural gas hydrate", second edition, by Michael D. Max and Arthur H. Johnson Book review of "Exploration and production of oceanic natural gas hydrate", second edition, by Michael D. Max and Arthur H. Johnson
No abstract available.
Authors
Seth S. Haines
Photoluminescence imaging of whole zircon grains on a petrographic microscope—An underused aide for geochronologic studies Photoluminescence imaging of whole zircon grains on a petrographic microscope—An underused aide for geochronologic studies
The refractory nature of zircon to temperature and pressure allows even a single zircon grain to preserve a rich history of magmatic, metamorphic, and hydrothermal processes. Isotopic dating of micro-domains exposed in cross-sections of zircon grains allows us to interrogate this history. Unfortunately, our ability to select the zircon grains in a heavy mineral concentrate that records...
Authors
Ryan J. McAleer, Aaron M. Jubb, Paul C. Hackley, Gregory J. Walsh, Arthur J. Merschat, Sean P. Regan, William C. Burton, Jorge A. Vazquez
Introduction to Special Issue: Gas Hydrates in Green Canyon Block 955, deep-water Gulf of Mexico: Part I Introduction to Special Issue: Gas Hydrates in Green Canyon Block 955, deep-water Gulf of Mexico: Part I
No abstract available.
Authors
Ray Boswell, Timothy S. Collett, Ann E. Cook, Peter B. Flemings
Pressure coring operations during The University of Texas-Gulf of Mexico 2-1 (UT-GOM2-1) Hydrate Pressure Coring Expedition in Green Canyon Block 955, northern Gulf of Mexico Pressure coring operations during The University of Texas-Gulf of Mexico 2-1 (UT-GOM2-1) Hydrate Pressure Coring Expedition in Green Canyon Block 955, northern Gulf of Mexico
In May 2017, The University of Texas Hydrate Pressure Coring Expedition Gulf of Mexico 2-1 (UT-GOM2-1) drilled two adjacent holes in Green Canyon Block 955 in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico as part of The University of Texas at Austin and US Department of Energy Deepwater Methane Hydrate Characterization and Scientific Assessment. Expedition operations included testing two configurations...
Authors
Carla Thomas, Stephen C. Phillips, Peter B. Flemings, Manasij Santra, Helen Hammon, Timothy S. Collett, Ann Cook, Tom Pettigrew, Mike Mimitz, Melanie Holland, Peter Schultheiss