Adam Boehlke

Adam Boehlke is a Geologist with the Central Energy Resources Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver. He received a B.S. in environmental science from Metropolitan State University and a M.S. degree in environmental science from the University of Colorado. Adam manages the Central Energy Resource’s Diffraction and Electron Microscopy laboratory which supports USGS assessments of unconventional source rocks. Analytical techniques include x-ray analysis of fine grained sedimentary rocks by means of x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and associated energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The focus of these investigations is to gain a better understanding of diagenesis and its relationship with rock character. Investigations of stratigraphic correlations using mineralogy techniques to better understand unconventional resource plays, organo-clay interactions as it relates to petroleum generation and trace element geochemistry, and porosity evolution in mudstones are some of the research efforts currently underway. Collaborative investigations outside the Energy Resources Program include: arsenic and iron mineralogy in oxidizing environments; salt dynamics in arid environments; fate and transport of arsenic and selenium in surficial sediments; the role of clay minerals and Fe-Al-oxyhydroxides on the fate and transport of fertilizers, pesticides and pesticide degradant products in agricultural settings.