Publications
Browse recent USGS publications related to energy resources.
Filter Total Items: 2826
Geothermal potential of orphan oil and gas wells Geothermal potential of orphan oil and gas wells
The United States is estimated to have hundreds of thousands of orphan oil and gas wells. Orphan wells are abandoned wells that are both unremediated and have no responsible operator. While traditionally considered environmental and economic liabilities, orphan oil and gas wells may offer new opportunities in sustainable geothermal energy development. This study evaluates the potential...
Authors
Rand Gardner, Justin E. Birdwell, Matthew D. Merrill, Ashton M. Wiens, Karl B. Haase, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Uei I. Lei, Patrick Sullivan
Exploring Martian geothermal and liquid water potential with basin modeling Exploring Martian geothermal and liquid water potential with basin modeling
Assessing the potential for geothermal energy and liquid water presence in the Martian subsurface is crucial for future exploration and habitability studies. In this work, we employed comprehensive finite element model simulations adapted specifically for Martian conditions to estimate subsurface temperatures and the potential for liquid water at depth within Martian crater basins. Rock...
Authors
Rand Gardner, Justin E. Birdwell, Katherine L. French, Chris Okubo, Janet K. Pitman, Stanley T. Paxton, Jason A. Flaum
Potential for co-production of lithium and geothermal resources in the Gulf Coast Potential for co-production of lithium and geothermal resources in the Gulf Coast
Lithium brine extractions and geothermal resource developments often are not economically viable as standalone projects, but they May become cost effective when the potential for both resources exist within the same reservoir. Subsurface datasets were analyzed to identify areas in the U.S. Gulf Coast region with potential for lithium brine and geothermal heat recovery. Temperature...
Authors
Rand Gardner, Justin E. Birdwell
The rise of U.S. photovoltaics: An exploration of land use density trends in large-scale solar facility attributes, 2012-2021 The rise of U.S. photovoltaics: An exploration of land use density trends in large-scale solar facility attributes, 2012-2021
An energy transition is underway in the United States; renewable energy generation is now on par with coal and nuclear generation. The number of large-scale solar photovoltaic facilities increased approximately tenfold between 2012 and 2021, with an associated 25-fold increase in cumulative installed capacity. With ambitious decarbonization and renewable energy deployment goals at both...
Authors
K. Sydny Fujita, Ben Hoen, Dana Robson, Joesph Rand, Zachary H. Ancona, James E. Diffendorfer, Louisa Kramer, Christopher Garrity, Jianyu Gu, Jordan Macknick
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Santa Maria Basin Province, California, 2024 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Santa Maria Basin Province, California, 2024
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 67 million barrels of oil and 56 billion cubic feet of gas in the Santa Maria Basin Province of California.
Authors
Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Andrea D. Cicero, Ronald M. Drake II, Sarah E. Gelman, Jane S. Hearon, Benjamin G. Johnson, Jenny H. Lagesse, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
Performance analysis of oil recovery and CO2 retention in a greenfield residual oil zone: CO2-EOR in Tall Cotton Field (Permian Basin, West Texas, USA) Performance analysis of oil recovery and CO2 retention in a greenfield residual oil zone: CO2-EOR in Tall Cotton Field (Permian Basin, West Texas, USA)
Residual oil zones (ROZs) can offer significant oil resources via enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as well as subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) retention during injection. If injected CO2 is anthropogenic, the ROZs can offer a substantial geologic storage potential. The ROZs below the oil/water contact (OWC) of main pay zones (MPZ) in conventional reservoirs or brownfields, are more commonly...
Authors
C. Ozgen Karacan
Metaproteomics and metagenomics reveal microbial pathways of organic matter degradation and methanogenesis in a marginally producing natural gas well Metaproteomics and metagenomics reveal microbial pathways of organic matter degradation and methanogenesis in a marginally producing natural gas well
The expansion of natural gas production and utilization worldwide has led to the decline of many once-productive wells, eventually resulting in costly well-plugging and unused infrastructure. However, in areas like the Michigan basin, MI, where the majority of natural gas is biogenically produced, microbial communities could potentially be stimulated to generate additional methane...
Authors
Elisha Kelly Moore, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Elizabeth J. Tomaszewski, Matthew S. Varonka, Anna Martini, Michael Carley, James Schramski, Haiyan Zheng, Elliott P. Barnhart
Sedimentological and geochemical characterization of lacustrine deposits of the Babouri-Figuil basin, northern Cameroon: Implications for source rocks distribution and petroleum exploration Sedimentological and geochemical characterization of lacustrine deposits of the Babouri-Figuil basin, northern Cameroon: Implications for source rocks distribution and petroleum exploration
The West and Central African Rift System (WCARS) refers to the series of Cretaceous rift basins where commercial hydrocarbon accumulations have been discovered. Some of the WCARS frontier basins are currently being investigated to increase our understanding of these basins in light of new commercial discoveries. The present study was performed in the Babouri-Figuil Basin (BFB), which is
Authors
William Gaspard O. Manga, Paul C. Hackley, Moïse Bessong, Javin J. Hatcherian, Ethel K. Ashukem, Alifa Guedala, Arsène Meying, Elias Samankassou
The abiotic background as a central component of a Sample Safety Assessment Protocol for Mars Sample Return The abiotic background as a central component of a Sample Safety Assessment Protocol for Mars Sample Return
Martian rock and regolith samples are being collected and cached by NASA’s Perseverance rover, with the goal of returning them to Earth as soon as the mid-2030s. Upon return, samples would be housed in a sample receiving facility under biological containment to prevent exposing Earth’s biosphere to any potential biohazards that might be present. Samples could be released from high...
Authors
Bronwyn L. Teece, David W. Beaty, Heather V. Graham, Gerald McDonnell, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Sandra M. Siljeström, Andrew Steele, SSAP Tiger Team, Rachel Mackelprang, Brooke M. Ahern, Nicolle Baird, Noel Cressie, Richard Davis, Katherine L. French, Mihaela Glamoclija, Kimberly B. Hummel, Lisa E. Mayhew, John McQuiston, William Page, Neil Pearce, Aaron B. Regberg, David A. Relman, Mark Sephton, Timothy B. Shirey, Jessica Vanhomwegen, Mary Beth Wilhelm
Confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM)-based thermal maturity of Tasmanites and progress in standardization of fluorescence microspectrometry Confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM)-based thermal maturity of Tasmanites and progress in standardization of fluorescence microspectrometry
Evaluation of thermal maturity in vitrinite-free or vitrinite-deficient sediments via fluorescence microspectrometry can provide relevant information related to petroleum exploration and thermal history assessment. However, variation in spectral fluorescence properties of alginite macerals with increasing thermal maturity is largely underexplored. Here, authors of this study have applied...
Authors
Jolanta Kus, Paul C. Hackley
Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Project measurement definition team final report Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Project measurement definition team final report
No abstract available.
Authors
Brandi L. Carrier, Elliot Sefton-Nash, Heather V. Graham, John C. Bridges, Vinciane Debaille, Christopher D.K. Herd, Allison C. Fox, Katherine L. French, Timothy Haltigin, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Agata M. Krzesinska, Daniel Paardekooper, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Michelle Viotti, Jean Duprat, Marco Ferrari, Mihaela Glamoclija, Andrea Harringon, Aurore Hutzler, Yang Liu, Cara Magnabosco, Jeffrey J. Marlow, Clara Maurel, Hannah McLaurin, Ryan Ogliore, Andreas Pack, Segaran Pillai, Christian Schroeder, Alex L. Sessions, Sandra M. Siljeström, Andrew Steele, Bronwyn L. Teece, Valerie M. Tu, Kun Wang
Sample Science Traceability Matrix (SSTM) for Perseverance’s Mars sample return collection Sample Science Traceability Matrix (SSTM) for Perseverance’s Mars sample return collection
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign aims to retrieve a set of carefully selected and documented samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in and around Jezero Crater on Mars and deliver this set to Earth for comprehensive laboratory analyses. To emphasize the immense scientific return of this unique collection, this work presents a Sample Science Traceability Matrix (SSTM), a...
Authors
Maria-Paz Zorzano, Andrew D. Czaja, Tanja Bosak, Audrey Bouvier, Brandi L. Carrier, Katherine L. French, Daniel P. Glavin, Andrea D. Harrington, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Christopher D.K. Herd, Keyron Hickman-Lewis, Lisa E. Mayhew, Francis M. McCubbin, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Elliot Sefton-Nash, Sandra M. Siljeström, Justin L. Simon, Bronwyn L. Teece, Fiona Thiessen, Ben P. Weiss, the MSR Campaign Science Group, Gerhard Kminek, Lindsay E. Hays, Nicolas Dauphas, Lydia Hallis, Rachel Harris, Ernst Hauber, Laura Rodriguez, Andrew Steele, Kimberly Tait, Michael T. Thorpe, Tomo Usui, Michael Velbel, Jessica Vanhomwegen