Jennifer L. Nedzweckas
Jennifer Nedzweckas is a Physical Scientist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Jennifer started out as a Pathways Student Intern with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in April of 2014. As a student she was part of the National Research Project - Eastern Branch working as a Hydrology Technician. She provided technical support and analyzed trace atmospheric gases via gas chromatography in the Dissolved Gas Lab.
In June of 2017 she began working with the Eastern Energy Resource Science Center as a Physical Science Student on geologic carbon dioxide storage research, oil and gas resource assessments, and geophysical and geochemical data interpretation and synthesis.
Currently, Jennifer is a Physical Scientist working with the Geologic Research and Assessments Project, Geochemistry of Solid Fuels project, Thermal Indices project and the Collateral Duty Safety and Environmental Program Coordinater for the Science Center.
Professional Experience
2018-Present: Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA
2017-2018: Physical Science (Student), U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA
2014-2017: Hydrology Technician (Student), U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA
2006-2012: Security Forces Member, United States Air Force
Education and Certifications
B.S. Earth Science with Paleontology concentration, George Mason University, 2017
Science and Products
Raman spectral parameters of pyrolyzed samples for three types of graptolites
A series of gold tube pyrolysis experiments (72 hrs, 300–600 °C) conducted on a graptolite-rich lower Paleozoic marine shale generated pyrolysis residues for a comprehensive evaluation of the molecular and structural variability of three types of graptolite periderm, namely granular, non-granular, and nodular graptolite. Raman spectroscopy in combination with organic petrology and field...
Screening geochemistry, gas chromatography, and solid bitumen reflectance data in the Bakken petroleum system, Williston Basin, USA
Thirty-two organic-rich samples from the lower and upper shale members of the Devonian–Mississippian Bakken Formation were collected from eight cores across the Williston Basin, USA, at depths (~7,575–11,330 ft) representing immature through post peak oil/early condensate thermal maturity conditions. Reflectance results were correlated to programmed temperature pyrolysis parameters...
Natural Gas Compositional Analyses Dataset of Gases from United States Wells
This dataset was created to document the natural occurrence of helium and carbon dioxide throughout the United States. This dataset is sourced primarily from publicly available data from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal Helium Program and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Federal Helium Program, which originally began in 1925 under the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has...
Relating systematic molecular and textural properties of graptolite pyrolyzed via gold tube hydrous pyrolysis: Implications for thermal proxies in lower Paleozoic marine shales
A series of gold tube pyrolysis experiments (72 h, 300–550 °C, 50 MPa) conducted on a graptolite-rich lower Paleozoic marine shale generated pyrolysis residues for a comprehensive evaluation of the molecular and structural variability of three types of graptolite periderm. Organic petrology, Raman spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy...
Authors
Xiaowei Zheng, Hamed Sanei, Fujie Jiang, Qingyong Luo, Yewei Wang, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Brett J. Valentine, M. Rebecca Stokes, Liu Cao, Paul C. Hackley
Evaluation of solid bitumen created from marine oil shale bituminite under hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis conditions
To test the influence of environmental conditions on aromaticity of solid bitumen generated during petroleum generation, four organic-rich (26–36 wt% total organic carbon) oil shale samples collected from the Neoproterozoic–Lower Cambrian restricted marine Salt Range Formation in the upper Indus Basin, Pakistan, were pyrolyzed under hydrous and anhydrous conditions. Experiments used...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Brett Valentine, Ryan J. McAleer, Javin J. Hatcherian, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Bonnie McDevitt, Imran Khan
Insights on using solid bitumen reflectance as a thermal maturity proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA
To further refine the use of solid bitumen reflectance (BRo in %) as a measurement of thermal maturity in source-rock reservoirs, we examined its relationship to other thermal proxies in the Bakken Formation. Comparisons included criteria from programmed temperature pyrolysis, gas chromatography (GC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Thirty-two organic-rich samples...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Clint Scott, Justin E. Birdwell, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Brett Valentine, Tongwei Zhang, Timothy O Nesheim
Interlaboratory study: Testing reproducibility of solid biofuels component identification using reflected light microscopy
Considering global market trends and concerns about climate change and sustainability, increased biomass use for energy is expected to continue. As more diverse materials are being utilized to manufacture solid biomass fuels, it is critical to implement quality assessment methods to analyze these fuels thoroughly. One such method is reflected light microscopy (RLM), which has the...
Authors
Agnieszka Drobniak, Maria D. Mastalerz, Zbigniew Jelonek, Iwona Jelonek, Tushar Adsul, Neža Malenšek Andolšek, Omid Haeri Ardakani, Tara Congo, Batbold Demberelsuren, Bryon S. Donohoe, Ashley Douds, Deolinda Flores, Ranjin Ganzorig, Santanu Ghosh, Andrew Gize, Paula Alexandra Gonçalves, Paul C. Hackley, Javin J. Hatcherian, James C. Hower, Stavros Kalaitzidis, Sławomir Kędzior, Wayne Knowles, Jolanta Kus, Kacper Lis, Grzegorz Lis, Bei Liu, Qingyong Luo, Meili Du, Divya Kumari Mishra, Magdalena Misz-Kennan, Theophile Mugerwa, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Jennifer M.K. O'Keefe, Jackie Park, Richard Pearson, Henrik I. Petersen, Julito Reyes, Joana Ribeiro, Genaro de la Rosa-Rodriguez, Piotr Sosnowski, Brett Valentine, Atul Kumar Varma, Małgorzata Wojtaszek-Kalaitzidi, Zhanjie Xu, Alexander Zdravkov, Konrad Ziemianin
Identification of thermal maturity-relevant organic matter in Shale Working Group Report 2021
The Identification of Thermal Maturity-Relevant Organic Matter in Shale Working Group of the ICCP was established in 2008 to provide guidelines for identifying and measuring the reflectance of the population of dispersed organic matter that is relevant to thermal maturity determination. Information products published by the working group include ASTM D7708 Standard Test Method for...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Javin J. Hatcherian, Jennifer L. Rivera, Margaret M. Sanders, Brett Valentine
National assessment of helium resources within known natural gas reservoirs
Using available data, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 306 billion cubic feet of recoverable helium is presently within the known geologic natural gas reservoirs of the United States.
Authors
Sean T. Brennan, Jennifer L. Rivera, Brian A. Varela, Andy J. Park
Science and Products
Raman spectral parameters of pyrolyzed samples for three types of graptolites
A series of gold tube pyrolysis experiments (72 hrs, 300–600 °C) conducted on a graptolite-rich lower Paleozoic marine shale generated pyrolysis residues for a comprehensive evaluation of the molecular and structural variability of three types of graptolite periderm, namely granular, non-granular, and nodular graptolite. Raman spectroscopy in combination with organic petrology and field...
Screening geochemistry, gas chromatography, and solid bitumen reflectance data in the Bakken petroleum system, Williston Basin, USA
Thirty-two organic-rich samples from the lower and upper shale members of the Devonian–Mississippian Bakken Formation were collected from eight cores across the Williston Basin, USA, at depths (~7,575–11,330 ft) representing immature through post peak oil/early condensate thermal maturity conditions. Reflectance results were correlated to programmed temperature pyrolysis parameters...
Natural Gas Compositional Analyses Dataset of Gases from United States Wells
This dataset was created to document the natural occurrence of helium and carbon dioxide throughout the United States. This dataset is sourced primarily from publicly available data from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Federal Helium Program and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Federal Helium Program, which originally began in 1925 under the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has...
Relating systematic molecular and textural properties of graptolite pyrolyzed via gold tube hydrous pyrolysis: Implications for thermal proxies in lower Paleozoic marine shales
A series of gold tube pyrolysis experiments (72 h, 300–550 °C, 50 MPa) conducted on a graptolite-rich lower Paleozoic marine shale generated pyrolysis residues for a comprehensive evaluation of the molecular and structural variability of three types of graptolite periderm. Organic petrology, Raman spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy...
Authors
Xiaowei Zheng, Hamed Sanei, Fujie Jiang, Qingyong Luo, Yewei Wang, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Brett J. Valentine, M. Rebecca Stokes, Liu Cao, Paul C. Hackley
Evaluation of solid bitumen created from marine oil shale bituminite under hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis conditions
To test the influence of environmental conditions on aromaticity of solid bitumen generated during petroleum generation, four organic-rich (26–36 wt% total organic carbon) oil shale samples collected from the Neoproterozoic–Lower Cambrian restricted marine Salt Range Formation in the upper Indus Basin, Pakistan, were pyrolyzed under hydrous and anhydrous conditions. Experiments used...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Brett Valentine, Ryan J. McAleer, Javin J. Hatcherian, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Bonnie McDevitt, Imran Khan
Insights on using solid bitumen reflectance as a thermal maturity proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA
To further refine the use of solid bitumen reflectance (BRo in %) as a measurement of thermal maturity in source-rock reservoirs, we examined its relationship to other thermal proxies in the Bakken Formation. Comparisons included criteria from programmed temperature pyrolysis, gas chromatography (GC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Thirty-two organic-rich samples...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Clint Scott, Justin E. Birdwell, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Brett Valentine, Tongwei Zhang, Timothy O Nesheim
Interlaboratory study: Testing reproducibility of solid biofuels component identification using reflected light microscopy
Considering global market trends and concerns about climate change and sustainability, increased biomass use for energy is expected to continue. As more diverse materials are being utilized to manufacture solid biomass fuels, it is critical to implement quality assessment methods to analyze these fuels thoroughly. One such method is reflected light microscopy (RLM), which has the...
Authors
Agnieszka Drobniak, Maria D. Mastalerz, Zbigniew Jelonek, Iwona Jelonek, Tushar Adsul, Neža Malenšek Andolšek, Omid Haeri Ardakani, Tara Congo, Batbold Demberelsuren, Bryon S. Donohoe, Ashley Douds, Deolinda Flores, Ranjin Ganzorig, Santanu Ghosh, Andrew Gize, Paula Alexandra Gonçalves, Paul C. Hackley, Javin J. Hatcherian, James C. Hower, Stavros Kalaitzidis, Sławomir Kędzior, Wayne Knowles, Jolanta Kus, Kacper Lis, Grzegorz Lis, Bei Liu, Qingyong Luo, Meili Du, Divya Kumari Mishra, Magdalena Misz-Kennan, Theophile Mugerwa, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Jennifer M.K. O'Keefe, Jackie Park, Richard Pearson, Henrik I. Petersen, Julito Reyes, Joana Ribeiro, Genaro de la Rosa-Rodriguez, Piotr Sosnowski, Brett Valentine, Atul Kumar Varma, Małgorzata Wojtaszek-Kalaitzidi, Zhanjie Xu, Alexander Zdravkov, Konrad Ziemianin
Identification of thermal maturity-relevant organic matter in Shale Working Group Report 2021
The Identification of Thermal Maturity-Relevant Organic Matter in Shale Working Group of the ICCP was established in 2008 to provide guidelines for identifying and measuring the reflectance of the population of dispersed organic matter that is relevant to thermal maturity determination. Information products published by the working group include ASTM D7708 Standard Test Method for...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Javin J. Hatcherian, Jennifer L. Rivera, Margaret M. Sanders, Brett Valentine
National assessment of helium resources within known natural gas reservoirs
Using available data, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 306 billion cubic feet of recoverable helium is presently within the known geologic natural gas reservoirs of the United States.
Authors
Sean T. Brennan, Jennifer L. Rivera, Brian A. Varela, Andy J. Park