Erick R Burns
Erick is a Research Hydrologist at the USGS Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center. He specializes in the development of methods and tools for analysis and simulation of groundwater and heat flow in the subsurface, particularly in the volcanogenic terranes of California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Erick Burns is a Research Geologist with the USGS Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center. His research experience is varied, including groundwater flow and transport, geothermal energy, geostatistical methods and stochastic analysis, process thermodynamics, agricultural water pollution, and seawater intrusion. Additionally, Erick has taught hydrology and geostatistics courses.
Non-USGS Partners:
- U.S. Department of Energy - Geothermal Technologies Office
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Bioresource Engineering, Oregon State University, 2004
M.S. Mathematics, Oregon State University, 2004
M.S. Hydrologic Sciences (Groundwater), University of Nevada - Reno, 1996
B.S. Geology (extended major: Geophysics), Northern Arizona University, 1994
Science and Products
Renewable Resilience: City-Scale Geothermal Energy Everywhere
Geothermal Resource Investigations Project
Hydrogeologic and Geothermal Conditions of the Northwest Volcanic Aquifers
Columbia Plateau Groundwater Availability Study
Three-dimensional temperature model of the Great Basin, USA
Maps of elevation trend and detrended elevation for the Great Basin, USA
MODFLOW-NWT model used to evaluate the groundwater availability of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho
Wells and water levels used in the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System Study, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
Heat flow maps and supporting data for the Great Basin, USA
Compiled reference list to support reservoir thermal energy storage research
SUTRA model used to evaluate Saline or Brackish Aquifers as Reservoirs for Thermal Energy Storage in the Portland Basin, Oregon, USA
Three-dimensional temperature maps of the Williston Basin, USA: Implications for deep hot sedimentary and enhanced geothermal resources
Updated three-dimensional temperature maps for the Great Basin, USA
Don’t Let Negatives Hold You Back: Accounting for Underlying Physics and Natural Distributions of Hydrothermal Systems When Selecting Negative Training Sites Leads to Better Machine Learning Predictions
Selecting negative training sites is an important challenge to resolve when utilizing machine learning (ML) for predicting hydrothermal resource favorability because ideal models would discriminate between hydrothermal systems (positives) and all types of locations without hydrothermal systems (negatives). The Nevada Machine Learning project (NVML) fit an artificial neural network to identify area
Cursed? Why one does not simply add new data sets to supervised geothermal machine learning models
Recent advances in machine learning (ML) identifying areas favorable to hydrothermal systems indicate that the resolution of feature data remains a subject of necessary improvement before ML can reliably produce better models. Herein, we consider the value of adding new features or replacing other, low-value features with new input features in existing ML pipelines. Our previous work identified st
Predicting large hydrothermal systems
We train five models using two machine learning (ML) regression algorithms (i.e., linear regression and XGBoost) to predict hydrothermal upflow in the Great Basin. Feature data are extracted from datasets supporting the INnovative Geothermal Exploration through Novel Investigations Of Undiscovered Systems project (INGENIOUS). The label data (the reported convective signals) are extracted from meas
Detrending Great Basin elevation to identify structural patterns for identifying geothermal favorability
Exploratory analysis of machine learning techniques in the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis
Geologic energy storage
Introduction As the United States transitions away from fossil fuels, its economy will rely on more renewable energy. Because current renewable energy sources sometimes produce variable power supplies, it is important to store energy for use when power supply drops below power demand. Battery storage is one method to store power. However, geologic (underground) energy storage may be able to retain
City-scale geothermal energy everywhere to support renewable resilience – A transcontinental cooperation
When less is more: How increasing the complexity of machine learning strategies for geothermal energy assessments may not lead toward better estimates
New maps of conductive heat flow in the Great Basin, USA: Separating conductive and convective influences
Effects of structure and volcanic stratigraphy on groundwater and surface water flow: Hat Creek basin, California, USA
Science and Products
Renewable Resilience: City-Scale Geothermal Energy Everywhere
Geothermal Resource Investigations Project
Hydrogeologic and Geothermal Conditions of the Northwest Volcanic Aquifers
Columbia Plateau Groundwater Availability Study
Three-dimensional temperature model of the Great Basin, USA
Maps of elevation trend and detrended elevation for the Great Basin, USA
MODFLOW-NWT model used to evaluate the groundwater availability of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho
Wells and water levels used in the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System Study, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
Heat flow maps and supporting data for the Great Basin, USA
Compiled reference list to support reservoir thermal energy storage research
SUTRA model used to evaluate Saline or Brackish Aquifers as Reservoirs for Thermal Energy Storage in the Portland Basin, Oregon, USA
Three-dimensional temperature maps of the Williston Basin, USA: Implications for deep hot sedimentary and enhanced geothermal resources
Updated three-dimensional temperature maps for the Great Basin, USA
Don’t Let Negatives Hold You Back: Accounting for Underlying Physics and Natural Distributions of Hydrothermal Systems When Selecting Negative Training Sites Leads to Better Machine Learning Predictions
Selecting negative training sites is an important challenge to resolve when utilizing machine learning (ML) for predicting hydrothermal resource favorability because ideal models would discriminate between hydrothermal systems (positives) and all types of locations without hydrothermal systems (negatives). The Nevada Machine Learning project (NVML) fit an artificial neural network to identify area
Cursed? Why one does not simply add new data sets to supervised geothermal machine learning models
Recent advances in machine learning (ML) identifying areas favorable to hydrothermal systems indicate that the resolution of feature data remains a subject of necessary improvement before ML can reliably produce better models. Herein, we consider the value of adding new features or replacing other, low-value features with new input features in existing ML pipelines. Our previous work identified st
Predicting large hydrothermal systems
We train five models using two machine learning (ML) regression algorithms (i.e., linear regression and XGBoost) to predict hydrothermal upflow in the Great Basin. Feature data are extracted from datasets supporting the INnovative Geothermal Exploration through Novel Investigations Of Undiscovered Systems project (INGENIOUS). The label data (the reported convective signals) are extracted from meas
Detrending Great Basin elevation to identify structural patterns for identifying geothermal favorability
Exploratory analysis of machine learning techniques in the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis
Geologic energy storage
Introduction As the United States transitions away from fossil fuels, its economy will rely on more renewable energy. Because current renewable energy sources sometimes produce variable power supplies, it is important to store energy for use when power supply drops below power demand. Battery storage is one method to store power. However, geologic (underground) energy storage may be able to retain