Publications
Browse recent USGS publications related to energy resources.
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Multiple stacked plays to drive continued Permian development Multiple stacked plays to drive continued Permian development
The exploitation of unconventional (continuous) resource plays with horizontal drilling and fracturing techniques continues to spur renewed development in mature producing basins in the US. The Permian basin of west Texas has emerged as a particularly strong prospect due to the potential for multiple stacked resource plays in formations such as the Wolfcamp shale and Spraberry and Bone...
Authors
Kristen R. Marra, Stephanie B. Gaswirth
Paleozoic shale gas resources in the Sichuan Basin, China Paleozoic shale gas resources in the Sichuan Basin, China
The Sichuan Basin, China, is commonly considered to contain the world’s most abundant shale gas resources. Although its Paleozoic marine shales share many basic characteristics with successful United States gas shales, numerous geologic uncertainties exist, and Sichuan Basin shale gas production is nascent. Gas retention was likely compromised by the age of the shale reservoirs, multiple...
Authors
Christopher J. Potter
World distribution of uranium deposits World distribution of uranium deposits
Deposit data derived from IAEA UDEPO (http://infcis.iaea.org/UDEPO/About.cshtml) database with assistance from P. Bruneton (France) and M. Mihalasky (U.S.A.). The map is an updated companion to "World Distribution of Uranium Deposits (UDEPO) with Uranium Deposit Classification, IAEA Tech-Doc-1629". Geology was derived from L.B. Chorlton, Generalized Geology of the World, Geological...
Authors
M. C. Fairclough, J. A. Irvine, L. F. Katona, W. L. Simmon, P. Bruneton, Mark J. Mihalasky, M. Cuney, M. Aranha, O. Pylypenko, K. Poliakovska
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Canning Basin Province, Australia, 2017 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Canning Basin Province, Australia, 2017
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 34.4 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Canning Basin Province of Australia.
Authors
Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Cheryl A. Woodall, Thomas M. Finn, Phuong A. Le, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
Gas hydrate quantification using full-waveform inversion of sparse ocean-bottom seismic data: A case study from Green Canyon Block 955, Gulf of Mexico Gas hydrate quantification using full-waveform inversion of sparse ocean-bottom seismic data: A case study from Green Canyon Block 955, Gulf of Mexico
We present a case study of gas hydrate quantification using dense short-offset multichannel seismic (MCS) and sparse long-offset ocean-bottom-seismometer (OBS) data in lease block Green Canyon 955 (GC955), Gulf of Mexico (GOM), where the presence of gas hydrate was interpreted using logging while drilling (LWD) data acquired by the GOM Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II expedition...
Authors
Jiliang Wang, Priyank Jaiswal, Seth S. Haines, Patrick E. Hart, Shiguo Wu
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the downdip Paleogene formations, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2017 Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the downdip Paleogene formations, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2017
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional resources of 100 million barrels of oil and 16.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the downdip Paleogene formations in onshore lands and State waters of the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
Authors
Marc L. Buursink, Colin A. Doolan, Catherine B. Enomoto, William H. Craddock, James L. Coleman, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Timothy R. Klett, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Ofori N. Pearson, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Katherine J. Whidden, Cheryl A. Woodall
Downhole physical property-based description of a gas hydrate petroleum system in NGHP-02 Area C: A channel, levee, fan complex in the Krishna-Godavari Basin offshore eastern India Downhole physical property-based description of a gas hydrate petroleum system in NGHP-02 Area C: A channel, levee, fan complex in the Krishna-Godavari Basin offshore eastern India
India’s second National Gas Hydrate Program expedition, NGHP-02, collected logging while drilling and sediment core data in Area C offshore eastern India, to investigate controls on the distribution and peak saturations of methane gas hydrate occurrences in buried channel, levee and fan deposits. Physical property results are presented here for the four Area C coring sites: NGHP-02-07...
Authors
William F. Waite, Junbong Jang, Timothy S. Collett, Ronish Kumar
Assessing rockfall susceptibility in steep and overhanging slopes using three-dimensional analysis of failure mechanisms Assessing rockfall susceptibility in steep and overhanging slopes using three-dimensional analysis of failure mechanisms
Rockfalls strongly influence the evolution of steep rocky landscapes and represent a significant hazard in mountainous areas. Defining the most probable future rockfall source areas is of primary importance for both geomorphological investigations and hazard assessment. Thus, a need exists to understand which areas of a steep cliff are more likely to be affected by a rockfall. An...
Authors
Battista Matasci, Greg M. Stock, Michael Jaboyedoff, Dario Carrea, Brian D. Collins, Antoine Guerin, G. Matasci, L. Ravanel
Quantitative evaluation of vitrinite reflectance and atomic O/C in coal using Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis Quantitative evaluation of vitrinite reflectance and atomic O/C in coal using Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis
Vitrinite reflectance (VRo) is a standard petrographic method for assessing thermal maturity (rank) of coal. The vitrinite reflectance technique, however, requires significant petrographic experience, can be time-consuming, and may be biased by analyst subjectivity. Correlations between coal rank and Raman spectral properties are a promising alternative that can supplant some of the...
Authors
Jason S. Lupoi, Luke P Fritz, Paul C. Hackley, Logan Solotky, Amy Weislogel, Steve Schlaegle
Crustal structure and quaternary acceleration of deformation rates in central Washington revealed by stream profile inversion, potential field geophysics, and structural geology of the Yakima folds Crustal structure and quaternary acceleration of deformation rates in central Washington revealed by stream profile inversion, potential field geophysics, and structural geology of the Yakima folds
Post‐Miocene tectonic uplift along fault‐cored anticlines within central Washington produced the Yakima Fold Province, a region of active NNE‐SSW shortening in the Cascadian backarc. The relative timing and rate of deformation along individual structures is coarsely defined yet imperative for seismic hazard assessment. In this work, we use geomorphic and geophysical mapping, stream...
Authors
Lydia M. Staisch, Richard J. Blakely, Harvey Kelsey, Richard Styron, Brian L. Sherrod
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of Upper Cretaceous Shales in the Songliao Basin of China, 2017 Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of Upper Cretaceous Shales in the Songliao Basin of China, 2017
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 3.3 billion barrels of oil and 887 billion cubic feet of gas in shale reservoirs of the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou and Nenjiang Formations in the Songliao Basin of northeastern China.
Authors
Christopher J. Potter, Christopher J. Schenk, Janet K. Pitman, Timothy R. Klett, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Thomas M. Finn, Michael E. Brownfield, Tracey J. Mercier, Kristen R. Marra, Cheryl A. Woodall