Adam Boehlke's professional interests are understanding geochemical processes acting on sediment and sedimentary rocks though investigations that bear on understanding post depositional geochemical reactions acting on mudstones and unconsolidated sediments.
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.
Professional Experience
Geologist with the Central Energy Resources Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver
Education and Certifications
B.S. in environmental science from Metropolitan State University
M.S. degree in environmental science from the University of Colorado.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
Biosiliceous, organic-rich, and phosphatic facies of Triassic strata of northwest Alaska: Transect across a high-latitude, low-angle continental margin
The Shublik Formation (Middle and Upper Triassic) is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate-phosphatic unit in northern Alaska. It generated oil found in Prudhoe Bay and other accumulations and is a prospective self-sourced resource play on Alaska’s North Slope. Its distal, deeper-water equivalent—the Otuk Formation—consists largely of radiolarian chert, mudstone, and limestone and contains potential gas
Authors
Julie A. Dumoulin, Katherine J. Whidden, William A. Rouse, Richard O. Lease, Adam Boehlke, Paul O'Sullivan
Site- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians
Emerging infectious disease outbreaks are one of multiple stressors responsible for amphibian declines globally. In the northeastern United States, ranaviral diseases are prevalent in amphibians and other ectothermic species, but there is still uncertainty as to whether their presence is leading to population level effects. Further, there is also uncertainty surrounding the potential interactions
Authors
Kelly Smalling, Brittany A. Mosher, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith Loftin, Adam Boehlke, Michelle Hladik, Carly R. Muletz-Wolz, Nandadevi Córtes-Rodríguez, Robin Femmer, Evan H. Campbell Grant
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, and shells
Authors
Katherine J. Whidden, Julie A. Dumoulin, James Macquaker, Justin E. Birdwell, Adam Boehlke, Katherine L. French
Pyritization history in the middle to upper Cambrian Alum Shale, Scania Sweden: Evidence for ongoing diagenetic processes
Detailed diagenetic studies of the late Cambrian Alum Shale in southern Sweden were undertaken across an interval that includes the peak Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE) event to evaluate the pyrite mineralization history in the formation. Samples were collected from the Andrarum-3 core (Scania, Sweden); here the Alum was deposited in the distal, siliciclastic mudstone-rich end
Authors
Neil S. Fishman, Sven O. Egenhoff, Heather A. Lowers, Adam Boehlke, Per Ahlberg
Geochemical and mineralogical characterization of the Eagle Ford Shale: Results from the USGS Gulf Coast #1 West Woodway core
The Eagle Ford shale is a major continuous oil and gas resource play in southcentral Texas and a source for other oil accumulations in the East Texas Basin. As part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) petroleum system assessment and research efforts, a coring program to obtain several immature, shallow cores from near the outcrop belt in central Texas has been undertaken. The first of these cor
Authors
Justin E. Birdwell, Adam Boehlke, Stanley T. Paxton, Katherine J. Whidden, Ofori N. Pearson
Documenting mudstone heterogeneity by use of principal component analysis of X-ray diffraction and portable X-ray fluorescence data: A case study in the Triassic Shublik Formation, Alaska North Slope
Determining the chemical and mineralogical variability within fine-grained mudrocks poses analytical challenges but is potentially useful for documenting subtle stratigraphic differences in physicochemical environments that may influence petroleum reservoir properties and behavior. In this study, we investigate the utility of combining principal component analysis (PCA) of X-ray diffraction (XRD)
Authors
Adam Boehlke, Katherine J. Whidden, William Benzel
East African weathering dynamics controlled by vegetation-climate feedbacks
Tropical weathering has important linkages to global biogeochemistry and landscape evolution in the East African rift. We disentangle the influences of climate and terrestrial vegetation on chemical weathering intensity and erosion at Lake Malawi using a long sediment record. Fossil pollen, microcharcoal, particle size, and mineralogy data affirm that the detrital clays accumulating in deep water
Authors
Sarah J. Ivory, Michael M. McGlue, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Adam Boehlke, Anne-Marie Lézine, Annie Vincens, Andrew S. Cohen
Geological, geochemical, and reservoir characterization of the Uteland Butte member of the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah
No abstract available.
Authors
Justin E. Birdwell, Michael D. Vanden Berg, Ronald C. Johnson, Tracey J. Mercier, Adam Boehlke, Michael E. Brownfield
Petrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota
The organic-rich upper shale member of the upper Devonian–lower Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA) has undergone significant diagenetic alteration, irrespective of catagenesis related to hydrocarbon generation. Alteration includes precipitation of numerous cements, replacement of both detrital and authigenic minerals, multiple episodes of fracturing, and compaction
Authors
Neil S. Fishman, Sven O. Egenhoff, Adam Boehlke, Heather A. Lowers
Estuarine bed-sediment-quality data collected in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy, 2013
This report describes a reconnaissance study of estuarine bed-sediment quality conducted June–October 2013 in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 to assess the extent of contamination and the potential long-term human and ecological impacts of the storm. The study, funded through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (PL 113-2), was conducted by the U.S. Geologic
Authors
Jeffrey M. Fischer, Patrick J. Phillips, Timothy J. Reilly, Michael J. Focazio, Keith A. Loftin, William Benzel, Daniel Jones, Kelly L. Smalling, Shawn C. Fisher, Irene J. Fisher, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Kristin M. Romanok, Darkus E. Jenkins, Luke Bowers, Adam Boehlke, William T. Foreman, Anna C. Deetz, Lisa G. Carper, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Justin E. Birdwell
Occurrence of pesticides in groundwater and sediments and mineralogy of sediments and grain coatings underlying the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Upper Deerfield, New Jersey, 2007
Water and sediment samples were collected from June through October 2007 from seven plots at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Upper Deerfield, New Jersey, and analyzed for a suite of pesticides (including fungicides) and other physical and chemical parameters (including sediment mineralogy) by the U.S. Geological Survey. Plots were selected for inclusion in this study on t
Authors
Timothy J. Reilly, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael T. Meyer, Mark W. Sandstrom, Michelle Hladik, Adam R. Boehlke, Neil S. Fishman, William A. Battaglin, Kathryn Kuivila
Shallow groundwater and soil chemistry response to 3 years of subsurface drip irrigation using coalbed-methane-produced water
Disposal of produced waters, pumped to the surface as part of coalbed methane (CBM) development, is a significant environmental issue in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin, USA. High sodium adsorption ratios (SAR) of the waters could degrade agricultural land, especially if directly applied to the soil surface. One method of disposing of CBM water, while deriving beneficial use, is subs
Authors
Carleton R. Bern, Adam R. Boehlke, Mark A. Engle, Nicholas J. Geboy, K.T. Schroeder, J.W. Zupancic
Data release for Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming
This Data Release contains data associated with the journal article "Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming";. Data include bulk organic geochemistry, major and trace element geochemistry, mineralogy, extractable organic matter composition, extractable biomarkers, and organic stable carbon isotope analyses.
Geochemical, Geochronologic, Rock-Eval, and Spectral Gamma Ray Data for Selected Triassic Rocks in Northwestern Alaska
This set of data files contains analyses of samples representing the Triassic Shublik and Otuk Formations in Alaska. The samples were collected from the Brontosaurus 1 well and measured stratigraphic sections at Surprise Creek and Cape Lisburne. The data set includes total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval (Tmax) data, geochemical data from inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy-ma
Current use pesticides in larval amphibian tissues, amphibian pathogen and wetland sediment screening data from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges, 2013-2014
The data include concentrations of current use pesticides in tissues of larval wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the presence of ranavirus in wood frogs and spotted salamanders from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges sampled in 2013 and 2014. The data also include estrogenicity, protein phosphatase 2A inhibition and a suite of 15 major and
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 15
Biosiliceous, organic-rich, and phosphatic facies of Triassic strata of northwest Alaska: Transect across a high-latitude, low-angle continental margin
The Shublik Formation (Middle and Upper Triassic) is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate-phosphatic unit in northern Alaska. It generated oil found in Prudhoe Bay and other accumulations and is a prospective self-sourced resource play on Alaska’s North Slope. Its distal, deeper-water equivalent—the Otuk Formation—consists largely of radiolarian chert, mudstone, and limestone and contains potential gasAuthorsJulie A. Dumoulin, Katherine J. Whidden, William A. Rouse, Richard O. Lease, Adam Boehlke, Paul O'SullivanSite- and individual-level contaminations affect infection prevalence of an emerging infectious disease of amphibians
Emerging infectious disease outbreaks are one of multiple stressors responsible for amphibian declines globally. In the northeastern United States, ranaviral diseases are prevalent in amphibians and other ectothermic species, but there is still uncertainty as to whether their presence is leading to population level effects. Further, there is also uncertainty surrounding the potential interactionsAuthorsKelly Smalling, Brittany A. Mosher, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith Loftin, Adam Boehlke, Michelle Hladik, Carly R. Muletz-Wolz, Nandadevi Córtes-Rodríguez, Robin Femmer, Evan H. Campbell GrantElement 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, and shellsAuthorsKatherine J. Whidden, Julie A. Dumoulin, James Macquaker, Justin E. Birdwell, Adam Boehlke, Katherine L. FrenchPyritization history in the middle to upper Cambrian Alum Shale, Scania Sweden: Evidence for ongoing diagenetic processes
Detailed diagenetic studies of the late Cambrian Alum Shale in southern Sweden were undertaken across an interval that includes the peak Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE) event to evaluate the pyrite mineralization history in the formation. Samples were collected from the Andrarum-3 core (Scania, Sweden); here the Alum was deposited in the distal, siliciclastic mudstone-rich endAuthorsNeil S. Fishman, Sven O. Egenhoff, Heather A. Lowers, Adam Boehlke, Per AhlbergGeochemical and mineralogical characterization of the Eagle Ford Shale: Results from the USGS Gulf Coast #1 West Woodway core
The Eagle Ford shale is a major continuous oil and gas resource play in southcentral Texas and a source for other oil accumulations in the East Texas Basin. As part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) petroleum system assessment and research efforts, a coring program to obtain several immature, shallow cores from near the outcrop belt in central Texas has been undertaken. The first of these corAuthorsJustin E. Birdwell, Adam Boehlke, Stanley T. Paxton, Katherine J. Whidden, Ofori N. PearsonDocumenting mudstone heterogeneity by use of principal component analysis of X-ray diffraction and portable X-ray fluorescence data: A case study in the Triassic Shublik Formation, Alaska North Slope
Determining the chemical and mineralogical variability within fine-grained mudrocks poses analytical challenges but is potentially useful for documenting subtle stratigraphic differences in physicochemical environments that may influence petroleum reservoir properties and behavior. In this study, we investigate the utility of combining principal component analysis (PCA) of X-ray diffraction (XRD)AuthorsAdam Boehlke, Katherine J. Whidden, William BenzelEast African weathering dynamics controlled by vegetation-climate feedbacks
Tropical weathering has important linkages to global biogeochemistry and landscape evolution in the East African rift. We disentangle the influences of climate and terrestrial vegetation on chemical weathering intensity and erosion at Lake Malawi using a long sediment record. Fossil pollen, microcharcoal, particle size, and mineralogy data affirm that the detrital clays accumulating in deep waterAuthorsSarah J. Ivory, Michael M. McGlue, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Adam Boehlke, Anne-Marie Lézine, Annie Vincens, Andrew S. CohenGeological, geochemical, and reservoir characterization of the Uteland Butte member of the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah
No abstract available.AuthorsJustin E. Birdwell, Michael D. Vanden Berg, Ronald C. Johnson, Tracey J. Mercier, Adam Boehlke, Michael E. BrownfieldPetrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota
The organic-rich upper shale member of the upper Devonian–lower Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA) has undergone significant diagenetic alteration, irrespective of catagenesis related to hydrocarbon generation. Alteration includes precipitation of numerous cements, replacement of both detrital and authigenic minerals, multiple episodes of fracturing, and compactionAuthorsNeil S. Fishman, Sven O. Egenhoff, Adam Boehlke, Heather A. LowersEstuarine bed-sediment-quality data collected in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy, 2013
This report describes a reconnaissance study of estuarine bed-sediment quality conducted June–October 2013 in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 to assess the extent of contamination and the potential long-term human and ecological impacts of the storm. The study, funded through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (PL 113-2), was conducted by the U.S. GeologicAuthorsJeffrey M. Fischer, Patrick J. Phillips, Timothy J. Reilly, Michael J. Focazio, Keith A. Loftin, William Benzel, Daniel Jones, Kelly L. Smalling, Shawn C. Fisher, Irene J. Fisher, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Kristin M. Romanok, Darkus E. Jenkins, Luke Bowers, Adam Boehlke, William T. Foreman, Anna C. Deetz, Lisa G. Carper, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Justin E. BirdwellOccurrence of pesticides in groundwater and sediments and mineralogy of sediments and grain coatings underlying the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Upper Deerfield, New Jersey, 2007
Water and sediment samples were collected from June through October 2007 from seven plots at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Upper Deerfield, New Jersey, and analyzed for a suite of pesticides (including fungicides) and other physical and chemical parameters (including sediment mineralogy) by the U.S. Geological Survey. Plots were selected for inclusion in this study on tAuthorsTimothy J. Reilly, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael T. Meyer, Mark W. Sandstrom, Michelle Hladik, Adam R. Boehlke, Neil S. Fishman, William A. Battaglin, Kathryn KuivilaShallow groundwater and soil chemistry response to 3 years of subsurface drip irrigation using coalbed-methane-produced water
Disposal of produced waters, pumped to the surface as part of coalbed methane (CBM) development, is a significant environmental issue in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin, USA. High sodium adsorption ratios (SAR) of the waters could degrade agricultural land, especially if directly applied to the soil surface. One method of disposing of CBM water, while deriving beneficial use, is subsAuthorsCarleton R. Bern, Adam R. Boehlke, Mark A. Engle, Nicholas J. Geboy, K.T. Schroeder, J.W. Zupancic - Data
Data release for Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming
This Data Release contains data associated with the journal article "Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming";. Data include bulk organic geochemistry, major and trace element geochemistry, mineralogy, extractable organic matter composition, extractable biomarkers, and organic stable carbon isotope analyses.Geochemical, Geochronologic, Rock-Eval, and Spectral Gamma Ray Data for Selected Triassic Rocks in Northwestern Alaska
This set of data files contains analyses of samples representing the Triassic Shublik and Otuk Formations in Alaska. The samples were collected from the Brontosaurus 1 well and measured stratigraphic sections at Surprise Creek and Cape Lisburne. The data set includes total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval (Tmax) data, geochemical data from inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy-maCurrent use pesticides in larval amphibian tissues, amphibian pathogen and wetland sediment screening data from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges, 2013-2014
The data include concentrations of current use pesticides in tissues of larval wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the presence of ranavirus in wood frogs and spotted salamanders from three northeastern National Wildlife Refuges sampled in 2013 and 2014. The data also include estrogenicity, protein phosphatase 2A inhibition and a suite of 15 major and