Brian N. Shaffer, P.G. is a Supervisory Geologist with the USGS and Co-Project Chief of the Evolving Utilization of Solid Energy Fuels Project. Utilizing his 26+ years of experience as a geologist in the coal industry, he leads the Project's research efforts to assess the quantity, quality, location, and accessibility of the Nation’s remaining recoverable coal resour
Career History:
Since January, 2016, Brian has been a Supervisory Geologist for the USGS in the Central Energy Resources Science Center in Denver, CO. He is Co-Project Chief for the Evolving Utilization of Solid Energy Fuels Project, tasked with assessing the coal resources and reserves of the United States. Currently, the U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project is conducting assessment studies in the Yampa coal field in northwestern Colorado and Williston Basin in Montana and North Dakota. Team members are also conducting research to develop geostatistical methods for quantifying geological uncertainty in coal resource assessments and utilizing geostatistical methods to develop equations to predict values for certain coal quality parameters.
Previously, Brian was the Senior Manager Geology of the Northern Appalachian Region (NAPP) for Alpha Natural Resources. He began his career in 1989 as a geology co-op student for Cyprus Coal Company at Emerald Mine in Waynesburg, PA. Starting in 1990, Brian worked at the Cyprus Coal Company's Emerald Mine and Cumberland Mine, in Greene County, PA, where he gained experience in defining, mapping, and interpreting underground geologic conditions and ground control issues associated with longwall coal mining operations. Brian was also involved in the exploration and geologic mapping of the Upper Freeport, Greene Hill, and Greene Manor reserve blocks in Greene County for Cyprus-Amax and Foundation Coal Companies. As Senior Manager Geology, Brian supervised a team of three geologists that managed exploration and geologic mapping activities, conducted reserve assessments, and modeled geologic and coal quality trends for the Emerald and Cumberland longwall deep mines, as well as for Amfire Mining, which produced both thermal and metallurgical coal from numerous underground and surface mines in central Pennsylvania. He has over 26 years of experience as a geologist in the coal industry and has worked in underground coal mines in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.
Brian has worked as a part time instructor for Waynesburg University, where he taught physical geology courses. He also has worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Geography and Geology at West Virginia University.
Professional Experience
USGS 2016-present
Education and Certifications
Juniata College - B.S. Degree in Geology, 1988.
West Virginia University - M.S. Degree in Geology, 1992. Thesis research: Geology and depositional environment of the Upper Freeport coal bed in northeastern Greene County, PA.
Academic interests include historical geology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, coal geology, and paleoclimates.
Affiliations and Memberships*
Registered professional geologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Certified mine examiner in the Commonwealth of PA.
Certified MSHA instructor for underground hazard recognition training.
Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME)
Member of the Pittsburgh Section of SME, serving on the Section's Board of Directors from 2003 through 2009. Secretary of the Pittsburgh Section from 2009-2010 and Treasurer from 2011-2012.
Chairman of the Pittsburgh Section of SME in 2013-2014 and Past Chair in 2015-2016. Transferred to the Colorado Section of SME in 2016.
Pittsburgh Section Distinguished Member in 2015.
Currently serving on the SME Coal & Energy Division’s Executive Committee and was the chairman of the Coal & Energy Division’s Scholarship Committee, in 2020.
Member of the SME Advisory Panel that assisted in the development of the Mining In Society merit badge for the Boy Scouts of America.
Served on the Annual Joint Meeting Committee, which organizes the Annual Joint Meeting of the Pittsburgh Section of SME and the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA) from 2006-2015
He was the treasurer for the Annual Joint Meeting from 2009 through 2015 and has been a session chair and co-chair at the meeting.
Member of the Geological Society of America (GSA), serving on the Geology in Industry mentoring panel.
Member of the Denver Coal Club.
Honors and Awards
Received the 2010 SME GEM Individual Award for mining and mineral education outreach activities.
Science and Products
U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment
Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in McLean County, North Dakota
Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Mercer and Oliver Counties, North Dakota
Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Billings County, North Dakota
Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Dunn County, North Dakota
Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Golden Valley County, North Dakota
Cherokee coal bed drill hole data from the Fort Union Formation in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert Area, Wyoming
Geology and assessment of coal resources for the Cherokee coal bed in the Fort Union Formation, south-central Wyoming
Probabilistic methodology for the assessment of original and recoverable coal resources, illustrated with an application to a coal bed in the Fort Union Formation, Wyoming
An assessment of the economic potential of lignite and leonardite resources in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
Assessment of water and proppant quantities associated with petroleum production from the Eagle Ford Group, Gulf Coast, Texas, 2019
Coal geology and assessment of resources and reserves in the Little Snake River Coal Field and Red Desert Assessment Area, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming
Assessment of coal resources and reserves in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert assessment area, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming
Assessing U.S. coal resources and reserves
Geology and mineral resources of the North-Central Idaho Sagebrush Focal Area: Chapter C in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
Geology and mineral resources of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Oregon and Nevada), the Southeastern Oregon and North-Central Nevada, and the Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada (and Utah) Sagebrush Focal Areas: Chapter B in
Geology and mineral resources of the North-Central Montana Sagebrush Focal Area: Chapter D in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
Computer programs for the assessment of coal resources (ver. 2.0, April 2021)
Computer programs for the assessment of coal resources (ver. 2.0, April 2021)
Science and Products
- Science
U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment
The U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, conducts systematic, geology-based, regional assessments of significant coal beds in major coal basins in the United States. These assessments detail the quantity, quality, location, and economic potential of the Nation’s remaining coal resources and reserves and provide... - Data
Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in McLean County, North Dakota
The data set contains location, depth, and geologic data from drill holes penetrating the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in McLean County in west-central North Dakota.Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Mercer and Oliver Counties, North Dakota
The data set contains location, depth, and geologic data from drill holes penetrating the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Mercer and Oliver Counties in central North Dakota.Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Billings County, North Dakota
The data set contains location, depth, and geologic data from drill holes penetrating the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Billings County in western North Dakota.Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Dunn County, North Dakota
The data set contains location, depth, and geologic data from drill holes penetrating the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Dunn County in western North Dakota.Drill hole data for coal beds in the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Golden Valley County, North Dakota
The data set contains location, depth, and geologic data from drill holes penetrating the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin in Golden Valley County in western North Dakota.Cherokee coal bed drill hole data from the Fort Union Formation in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert Area, Wyoming
The data set contains geologic and mining engineering data from drill holes penetrating through the Cherokee coal bed interval of the Overland Member of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert area in south-central Wyoming. - Multimedia
- Publications
Geology and assessment of coal resources for the Cherokee coal bed in the Fort Union Formation, south-central Wyoming
The Cherokee coal bed is a locally thick and laterally continuous coal bed in the Overland Member of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in south-central Wyoming. It represents a significant resource that is easily accessible and may be extractable through both surface and underground mining methods. A database of more than 600 data points, comprising coalbed methane wells, coal exploration drill hAuthorsBrian N. Shaffer, Ricardo A. OleaProbabilistic methodology for the assessment of original and recoverable coal resources, illustrated with an application to a coal bed in the Fort Union Formation, Wyoming
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been using its Circular 891 for evaluating uncertainty in coal resource assessments for more than 35 years. Calculated cell tonnages are assigned to four qualitative reliability classes depending exclusively on distance to the nearest drill hole. The main appeal of this methodology, simplicity, is also its main drawback. Reliability may dependAuthorsRicardo A. Olea, Brian N. Shaffer, Jon E. Haacke, James A. LuppensAn assessment of the economic potential of lignite and leonardite resources in the Williston Basin, North Dakota
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requested assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct an assessment study to identify areas that may have economic potential for the future extraction of lignite and leonardite resources in the Williston Basin in North Dakota. The study will be used by the BLM to assist with the preparation of a revised resource management plan for the WillistonAuthorsBrian N. ShafferAssessment 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 presented herAuthorsNicholas 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. WoodallCoal geology and assessment of resources and reserves in the Little Snake River Coal Field and Red Desert Assessment Area, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming
The U.S. Geological Survey is studying regional-scale assessments of resources and reserves of primary coal beds in the major coal bed basins in the United States to help formulate policy for Federal, State, and local energy and land use. This report summarizes the geology and coal resources and reserves in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert assessment area in the Greater Green RiverAuthorsDavid C. Scott, Brian N. Shaffer, Jon E. Haacke, Paul E. Pierce, Scott A. KinneyAssessment of coal resources and reserves in the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert assessment area, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming
The assessment of the Little Snake River coal field and Red Desert area covers approximately 2,300 square miles in the eastern portion of the Greater Green River Basin in south-central Wyoming. Coal-bearing formations are present throughout the Eocene, Paleocene, and Cretaceous strata in the assessment area. Paleogene-age coal beds are present in the Eocene Wasatch Formation and Paleocene Fort UniAuthorsBrian N. Shaffer, Paul E. Pierce, Scott A. Kinney, Ricardo A. Olea, James A. LuppensAssessing U.S. coal resources and reserves
The U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, conducts systematic, geology-based, regional assessments of significant coal beds in major coal basins in the United States. These assessments detail the quantity, quality, location, and economic potential of the Nation’s remaining coal resources and reserves and provideAuthorsBrian N. ShafferGeology and mineral resources of the North-Central Idaho Sagebrush Focal Area: Chapter C in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
SummaryThe U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands from mineral entry (subject to valid existing rights) from 12 million acres of lands defined as Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming (for further discussion on the lands involved see Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–A). The purpoAuthorsKaren Lund, Lukas Zürcher, Albert H. Hofstra, Bradley S. Van Gosen, Mary Ellen Benson, Stephen E. Box, Eric D. Anderson, Donald I. Bleiwas, Jacob DeAngelo, Ronald M. Drake, Gregory L. Fernette, Stuart A. Giles, Jonathan M. G. Glen, Jon E. Haacke, John D. Horton, David John, Gilpin R. Robinson, Barnaby W. Rockwell, Carma A. San Juan, Brian N. Shaffer, Steven M. Smith, Colin F. WilliamsByEnergy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information CenterGeology and mineral resources of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Oregon and Nevada), the Southeastern Oregon and North-Central Nevada, and the Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada (and Utah) Sagebrush Focal Areas: Chapter B in
SummaryThe U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands from mineral entry (subject to valid existing rights) from 12 million acres of lands defined as Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming (for further discussion on the lands involved see Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–A). The purpoAuthorsPeter G. Vikre, Mary Ellen Benson, Donald I. Bleiwas, Joseph Colgan, Pamela M. Cossette, Jacob DeAngelo, Connie L. Dicken, Ronald M. Drake, Edward A. du Bray, Gregory L. Fernette, Jonathan M. G. Glen, Jon E. Haacke, Susan M. Hall, Albert H. Hofstra, David John, Stephen Ludington, Mark J. Mihalasky, James J. Rytuba, Brian N. Shaffer, Lisa L. Stillings, John C. Wallis, Colin F. Williams, Douglas B. Yager, Lukas ZürcherGeology and mineral resources of the North-Central Montana Sagebrush Focal Area: Chapter D in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
SummaryThe U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands from mineral entry (subject to valid existing rights) from 12 million acres of lands defined as Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming (for further discussion on the lands involved see Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–A). The purpoAuthorsJeffrey L. Mauk, Michael L. Zientek, B. Carter Hearn, Heather L. Parks, M. Christopher Jenkins, Eric D. Anderson, Mary Ellen Benson, Donald I. Bleiwas, Jacob DeAngelo, Paul Denning, Connie L. Dicken, Ronald M. Drake, Gregory L. Fernette, Helen W. Folger, Stuart A. Giles, Jonathan M. G. Glen, Matthew Granitto, Jon E. Haacke, John D. Horton, Karen D. Kelley, Joyce A. Ober, Barnaby W. Rockwell, Carma A. San Juan, Elizabeth S. Sangine, Peter N. Schweitzer, Brian N. Shaffer, Steven M. Smith, Colin F. Williams, Douglas B. YagerByEnergy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information Center - Software
Computer programs for the assessment of coal resources (ver. 2.0, April 2021)
The USGS assessment and methodology reports cited within this software release require extensive processing using computational methods and modeling. The most demanding aspects of the modeling were performed using publicly available software: SGeMS and GSLIB (See the 'related External Resources' section on this webpage to learn more about this software). This publication releases the FORTRAN sourcComputer programs for the assessment of coal resources (ver. 2.0, April 2021)
The USGS assessment and methodology reports cited within this software release require extensive processing using computational methods and modeling. The most demanding aspects of the modeling were performed using publicly available software: SGeMS and GSLIB. - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government