Publications
Browse recent USGS publications related to energy resources.
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Direct trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance Direct trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due to their high salinities and the sheer volumes generated. Produced waters may also contain valuable mineral commodities. While an understanding of produced water trace element composition is required for evaluating the associated...
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Mark Engle, Jessica Chenault, Madalyn Blondes, Cloelle G. Danforth, Colin Doolan, Tanya Gallegos, Dan Mueller, Jenna Shelton
Applications of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) to organic matter in the North American shale petroleum systems Applications of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) to organic matter in the North American shale petroleum systems
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has revolutionized our understanding of shale petroleum systems through microstructural characterization of dispersed organic matter (OM). However, due to the low atomic weight of carbon, all OM appears black in SEM (BSE image) regardless of differences in thermal maturity or OM type (kerogen types or solid bitumen). Traditional petrographic...
Authors
Brett J. Valentine, Paul C. Hackley
Natural gas hydrates: Status of potential as an energy resource Natural gas hydrates: Status of potential as an energy resource
Gas hydrate is a widespread naturally-occurring combination of water and natural gases. Gas hydrate is found in shallow sediments of deepwater regions of the continental margins and in areas of continuous permafrost. Where gas supply is sufficient and migration pathways connect gas sources to favorable reservoirs, gas hydrate can accumulate to resource densities that may be attractive...
Authors
Ray Boswell, Steve Hancock, Koji Yamamoto, Timothy Collett, Mahendra Pratap, Sung-Rock Lee
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (associated and nonassociated) in conventional accumulations in Mississippian through Paleogene strata in the central North Slope of Alaska.
Authors
David W. Houseknecht, Katherine J. Whidden, Christopher D. Connors, Richard O. Lease, Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, William A. Rouse, Palma J. Botterell, Rebecca A. Smith, Margaret M. Sanders, William H. Craddock, Christina A. DeVera, Christopher P. Garrity, Marc L. Buursink, C. Ozgen Karacan, Samuel J. Heller, Thomas E. Moore, Julie A. Dumoulin, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Katherine L. French, Cheryl A. Woodall, Ronald M. Drake, Kristen R. Marra, Thomas M. Finn, Scott A. Kinney, Chilisa M. Shorten
A chemo-mechanical snapshot of in-situ conversion of kerogen to petroleum A chemo-mechanical snapshot of in-situ conversion of kerogen to petroleum
Organic matter (OM) from various biogenic origins converts to solid bitumen in-situ when it undergoes thermal maturation. It is well documented that during this process, the ratios of both hydrogen and oxygen to carbon will decrease, resulting in an increase in OM aromaticity and molecular chemo-mechanical homogeneity. Although there have been extensive efforts to reveal molecular...
Authors
Arash Abarghani, Mehdi Ostadhassan, Paul C. Hackley, Andrew E. Pomerantz, Siamak Nejati
Coal biomethanation potential of various ranks from Pakistan: A possible alternative energy source Coal biomethanation potential of various ranks from Pakistan: A possible alternative energy source
The present study investigated the possibility of microbial transformations of coal to gas (biogasification) as an alternative to conventional coal mining because this approach has the potential to be less expensive, cleaner, and providinge greater access to deeper coal resources. Biogasification is often associated with low rank coal such as lignite and subbituminous coal that hasve...
Authors
Aneela Y. Malik, Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali, Asif Jamal, Uzma Farooq, Nazia Khatoon, William H. Orem, Elliott P. Barnhart, John R. SanFilipo, Huan He, Zaixing Huang
Evidence of cosmic impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C Evidence of cosmic impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C
At Abu Hureyra (AH), Syria, the 12,800-year-old Younger Dryas boundary layer (YDB) contains peak abundances in meltglass, nanodiamonds, microspherules, and charcoal. AH meltglass comprises 1.6 wt.% of bulk sediment, and crossed polarizers indicate that the meltglass is isotropic. High YDB concentrations of iridium, platinum, nickel, and cobalt suggest mixing of melted local sediment with...
Authors
Andrew M.T. Moore, James P. Kennett, Douglas J. Kennett, William M. Napier, Ted E. Bunch, James C. Weaver, Malcolm A. LeCompte, Victor Adedji, Paul C. Hackley, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Gunther K. Kletetschka, Brendan J. Culleton, Robert E. Hermes, James H. Wittke, Joshua J. Razink, Michael Gaultois, Allen West
Sulfur isotope composition of individual compounds in immature organic-rich rocks and possible geochemical implications Sulfur isotope composition of individual compounds in immature organic-rich rocks and possible geochemical implications
We applied compound-specific sulfur isotope analysis (CSSIA) to organic matter (OM) extracted from ancient and immature organic-rich rocks from the Cretaceous Ghareb (Shefela Basin locality, Israel) and Miocene Monterey (Naples Beach locality, California, USA) Formations. Large variations in the δ34S values of different organosulfur compounds (OSCs), that reach up to 28‰ and 36‰, were...
Authors
Lubna Shawar, Ward Said-Ahmad, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Alon Amrani
Assessment of water and proppant quantities associated with petroleum production from the Eagle Ford Group, Gulf Coast, Texas, 2019 Assessment of water and proppant quantities associated with petroleum production from the Eagle Ford Group, Gulf Coast, Texas, 2019
Building on a geology-based assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable petroleum resources in the Eagle Ford Group in south Texas, the U.S. Geological Survey has estimated the required water and proppant demands and formation water production volumes associated with possible future development of these petroleum resources. The results of the water and proppant assessment are...
Authors
Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Seth S. Haines, Brian A. Varela, Katherine J. Whidden, Justin E. Birdwell, Lauri A. Burke, Ronald M. Drake, Thomas M. Finn, Katherine L. French, Karen E. Jenni, Scott A. Kinney, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Stanley T. Paxton, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, Brian N. Shaffer, Chilisa M. Shorten, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall
Element cycling in the Middle-Late Triassic Shublik Formation: Mineralization vs. recycling of biolimiting nutrients in an unconventional resource play Element cycling in the Middle-Late Triassic Shublik Formation: Mineralization vs. recycling of biolimiting nutrients in an unconventional resource play
The Triassic Shublik Formation in northern Alaska is one of the major source rocks in North America, having generated much of the petroleum in Prudhoe Bay and associated fields. The middle Shublik Formation, the focus of this study, is a highly phosphatic, organic-rich carbonate mudstone interval. Apatite cements can occur as phosphatic peloids, steinkerns, elongate or angular nodules...
Authors
Katherine J. Whidden, Julie A. Dumoulin, James Macquaker, Justin E. Birdwell, Adam Boehlke, Katherine L. French
Implications of aggregating daily production data on estimates of ultimate recovery from horizontal hydraulically fractured Bakken oil wells Implications of aggregating daily production data on estimates of ultimate recovery from horizontal hydraulically fractured Bakken oil wells
The level to which data are aggregated can impact analytical and predictive modeling results. In this short paper we discuss some of our findings regarding the impacts of data aggregation on estimating change points in the production profiles of horizontal hydraulically fractured Bakken oil wells. Change points occur when production transitions from one flow regime to another. Change...
Authors
T. C. Coburn, Emil D. Attanasi
Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in Jurassic Shales of the eastern Arabian Peninsula, 2019 Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in Jurassic Shales of the eastern Arabian Peninsula, 2019
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 5.6 billion barrels of oil and 109.1 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Jurassic Hanifa-Tuwaiq Total Petroleum System of the Arabian Peninsula.
Authors
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Cheryl A. Woodall, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Thomas M. Finn, Michael E. Brownfield, Kristen R. Marra, Phuong A. Le, Ronald M. Drake, Scott A. Kinney