Madalyn S. Blondes, Ph.D.
Madalyn Blondes is a Research Geologist at the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Madalyn is the co-Chief of the Oil & Gas Waters Project and also works on the Utilization of Carbon and other Energy Gases Project. Her current research focuses on the geochemistry of water associated with oil and gas production (produced waters), geologic CO2 storage through mineralization, compositional data analysis (CoDa) in the earth sciences, development of probabilistic assessment methodologies for CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in geologic reservoirs, and using geochemistry to understand CO2 flow in natural systems. Madalyn obtained her B.A. from the Pomona College Geology Department in 2003 and her Ph.D. from the Yale University Department of Geology & Geophysics in 2008. She did postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland before joining the USGS in 2010.
Professional Experience
2008 - 2010: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, 2008
M.Phil. Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, 2005
B.A. Geology, Pomona College, 2003
Science and Products
Oil and Gas Waters Project
The primary objective of this project is to provide information on the volume, quality, impacts, and possible uses of water produced during generation and development of energy resources (particularly hydrocarbons) as well as related fluids injected into reservoirs for energy development and associated waste disposal. The purpose of this work is to address scientific and societal questions...
Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters
In the “Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters” task of the Oil and Gas Waters Project, we collect new water samples from conventional and hydraulically fractured unconventional plays in high priority oil and gas basins and use the geochemistry of water produced along with oil and gas (a) as a tool to interpret deep basin fluid flow and to fingerprint brines from specific reservoirs, (b)...
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (ver. 3.0, December 2023)
During hydrocarbon production, water is typically co-produced from the geologic formations producing oil and gas. Understanding the composition of these produced waters is important to help investigate the regional hydrogeology, the source of the water, the efficacy of water treatment and disposal plans, potential economic benefits of mineral commodities in the fluids, and the safety of potential
Absorbance and Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix Data for Produced Waters from Oil and Gas Producing Basins in the United States
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are normally considered wastes but are also possible resources, especially in water-stressed regions. Produced waters can be chemically complex. High salinity, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and organic substances derived from the producing formation can complicate treatment processes. Rapid screening methods to characterize produced water
National assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources - data release
In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources available if current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies were applied in amenable oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters area of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estimates of the magnitude of CO2 s
Geologic formations and mine locations for potential CO2 mineralization
This geodatabase contains geologic unit boundaries and asbestos site locations shown in "Carbon dioxide mineralization feasibility in the United States" (Blondes and others, 2019). Data was compiled from source material at a scale range of 1:100,000 to 1:5,000,000 and is not intended for any greater detail.
Microbiology of the Utica Shale
In order to determine the innate microbial community of shale gas reservoirs and how they are impacted by hydraulic fracturing, this study analyzed biomass collected from produced water and rock from hydraulically fractured wells in the Utica Shale. The samples include rock chips from a drill core from one Utica well, produced water from that same Utica well, and produced water from 12 different U
Input Files and Code for: Machine learning can accurately assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major geochemical parameters
As more hydrocarbon production from hydraulic fracturing and other methods produce large volumes of water, innovative methods must be explored for treatment and reuse of these waters. However, understanding the general water chemistry of these fluids is essential to providing the best treatment options optimized for each producing area. Machine learning algorithms can often be applied to datasets
Model of groundwater flow, gas migration, and reactive transport in the Virgin River Basin, SW Utah
To better understand the possible risks posed to shallow groundwater resources by geologic carbon sequestration (GCS), a multi-scale numerical modeling approach was invoked using the TOUGHREACT code from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The code solves coupled equations representing conservation of mass and energy on a finite difference grid to simulate multiphase, multicomponent, non-isothe
Geochemistry of Utica Shale Play and other Appalachian produced waters
Citation Note: These data were collected as part of a research study published in Environmental Science and Technology. Please reference the following paper when citing these data. Blondes, M.S., Shelton, J.L., Engle, M.A., Trembly, J.P., Doolan, C.A., Jubb, A.M., Chenault, J.M., Rowan, E.L., Haefner, R.J., and Mailot, B.E., 2020, Utica Shale Play Oil and Gas Brines: Geochemistry and Factors Infl
Microbial Communities Associated with Hot Springs and other CO2-rich Waters, Rocky Mountain Plateau
The Colorado Plateau is associated with several different commercial sources of natural CO2 and other non-hydrocarbon gases, such as noble gases. Twenty-five different hot springs, warm springs, cold springs, and/or rivers across the Utah region of the Colorado Plateau were sampled for microbial biomass. These different locations were associated with some concentration of dissolved or effervesci
Direct Trace Element Determination in Oil and Gas Produced Waters with Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of High Salinity Tolerance (2019)
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due both to their high salinities, which can greatly exceed 35 g/L (seawater equivalent), and also the sheer volume of wastewater generated, which is estimated at nearly 900 billion gallons per year across the United States. Beyond disposal concer
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v2.3
During hydrocarbon production, water is typically co-produced from the geologic formations producing oil and gas. Understanding the composition of these produced waters is important to help investigate the regional hydrogeology, the source of the water, the efficacy of water treatment and disposal plans, potential economic benefits of mineral commodities in the fluids, and the safety of potential
Filter Total Items: 37
Geologic carbon management options for the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) North Atlantic-Appalachian Region is developing the regionwide capacity to provide timely science support for decision-makers attempting to enhance carbon removal, sequestration, and emissions mitigation to meet national atmospheric carbon reduction goals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that in 2021, the fourteen States and the
Authors
Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Steven M. Cahan, C. Özgen Karacan, Kevin D. Kroeger, Matthew D. Merrill
Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse
Wastewater generated during petroleum extraction (produced water) may contain high concentrations of dissolved organics due to their intimate association with organic-rich source rocks, expelled petroleum, and organic additives to fluids used for hydraulic fracturing of unconventional (e.g., shale) reservoirs. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) within produced water represents a challenge for treatmen
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. Shelton
National assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Summary
IntroductionIn 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources that might be produced by using current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies in amenable conventional oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters areas of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes est
Authors
Peter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Steven M. Cahan, Colin A. Doolan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Jenna L. Shelton, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. Varela
National assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Results
In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources available if current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies were applied to amenable oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters areas of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estimates of the mass of CO2 that
Authors
Peter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Steven M. Cahan, Colin A. Doolan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Jenna L. Shelton, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. Varela
Machine learning can assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major ion geochemistry
Understanding the geochemistry of waters produced during petroleum extraction is essential to informing the best treatment and reuse options, which can potentially be optimized for a given geologic basin. Here, we used the US Geological Survey’s National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (PWGD) to determine if major ion chemistry could be used to classify accurately a produced water sample to a
Authors
Jenna L. Shelton, Aaron M. Jubb, Samuel Saxe, Emil D. Attanasi, Alexei Milkov, Mark A Engle, Philip A. Freeman, Christopher Shaffer, Madalyn S. Blondes
Potential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah
Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is necessary to help meet emissions reduction goals, but groundwater contamination may occur if CO2 and/or brine were to leak out of deep storage formations into the shallow subsurface. For this study, a natural analogue was investigated: in the Virgin River Basin of southwest Utah, water with moderate salinity and high CO2 concentrations is leaking upward int
Authors
Michelle R. Plampin, Madalyn S. Blondes, Eric Sonnenthal, William H. Craddock
Utica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management
The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few studies from the Utica Shale Play. This study presen
Authors
Madalyn S. Blondes, Jenna L. Shelton, Mark A Engle, Jason Trembly, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Jessica Chenault, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Ralph J. Haefner, Brian E. Mailot
Four-dimensional thermal evolution of the East African Orogen: Accessory phase petrochronology of crustal profiles through the Tanzanian Craton and Mozambique Belt, northeastern Tanzania
U–Pb petrochronology of deep crustal xenoliths and outcrops across northeastern Tanzania track the thermal evolution of the Mozambique Belt and Tanzanian Craton following the Neoproterozoic East African Orogeny (EAO) and subsequent Neogene rifting. At the craton margin, the upper–middle crust record thermal quiescence since the Archean (2.8–2.5 Ga zircon, rutile, and apatite in granite and amphibo
Authors
Francisco E. Apen, Roberta L. Rudnick, John M. Cottle, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Madalyn S. Blondes, Phil Piccoli, Gareth Seward
Repetitive sampling and control threshold improve 16S rRNA results from produced waters associated with hydraulically fractured shales
Sequencing microbial DNA from deep subsurface environments is complicated by a number of issues ranging from contamination to non-reproducible results. Many samples obtained from these environments - which are of great interest due to the potential to stimulate microbial methane generation - contain low biomass. Therefore, samples from these environments are difficult to study as sequencing result
Authors
Jenna L. Shelton, Elliott Barnhart, Leslie F. Ruppert, Aaron M. Jubb, Madalyn S. Blondes, Christina A. DeVera
Modeling geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in a deep saline carbonate reservoir with TOUGH2–ChemPlugin, a new tool for reactive transport modeling
This paper outlines the development and demonstration of a new tool, TOUGH2–ChemPlugin (T2CPI) for predicting rock–water–CO2 interaction following injection of supercritical CO2 into a heterogeneous carbonate system. Specifically, modeling capabilities of TOUGH2, which examines multiphase flow and supercritical CO2 behavior, were combined with the geochemical modeling capabilities of The Geochemis
Authors
Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Peter M. Berger, Jeffrey A. Cunningham, Ram Kumar, Madalyn S. Blondes
Direct trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due to their high salinities and the sheer volumes generated. Produced waters may also contain valuable mineral commodities. While an understanding of produced water trace element composition is required for evaluating the associated resource and
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Mark Engle, Jessica Chenault, Madalyn Blondes, Cloelle G. Danforth, Colin Doolan, Tanya Gallegos, Dan Mueller, Jenna Shelton
A probabilistic assessment methodology for carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention
The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorized the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of the potential volume of hydrocarbons recoverable by injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into known oil reservoirs with historical production. The implementation of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) techniques could increase the U.S. recoverable hydrocarbon resource
Authors
Peter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Ricardo A. Olea, Madalyn S. Blondes, Philip A. Freeman, Sean T. Brennan, Matthew D. Merrill, Mahendra K. Verma, C. Özgen Karacan, Jenna L. Shelton, Celeste D. Lohr, Hossein Jahediesfanjani, Jacqueline N. Roueché
Non-USGS Publications**
Blondes, M.S., Brandon, M.T., Reiners, P.W., Kita, N.T., Page, F.Z., 2012. Generation of forsteritic olivine (Fo99.8) by subsolidus oxidation in basaltic flows: Journal of Petrology, v. 53, p. 971-984.
Blondes, M.S., 2008. Single Eruption Temporal-Compositional Variation in Basalts: Ph.D. Thesis, Yale University.
Blondes, M.S., Reiners, P.W., Ducea, M.N., Singer, B.S., Chesley, J., 2008. Temporal-compositional trends over short and long time-scales in basalts of the Big Pine Volcanic Field, CA: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 269, p. 140-154.
Blondes, M.S., Reiners, P.W., Edwards, B.R., Biscontini, A., 2007. Dating young basalt eruptions by (U-Th)/He on xenolithic zircons: Geology, v. 35, no. 1, p. 17-20.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (ver. 3.0, December 2023) Viewer
The U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database Viewer (ver. 3.0) provides access to an updated compilation of geochemical and related information for water from oil and gas wells in the United States. The information includes identification and location information, well descriptions, dates, rock properties, physical properties of the water, organic chemistry and more.
Science and Products
- Science
Oil and Gas Waters Project
The primary objective of this project is to provide information on the volume, quality, impacts, and possible uses of water produced during generation and development of energy resources (particularly hydrocarbons) as well as related fluids injected into reservoirs for energy development and associated waste disposal. The purpose of this work is to address scientific and societal questions...Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters
In the “Characterization and Reuse of Oil and Gas Waters” task of the Oil and Gas Waters Project, we collect new water samples from conventional and hydraulically fractured unconventional plays in high priority oil and gas basins and use the geochemistry of water produced along with oil and gas (a) as a tool to interpret deep basin fluid flow and to fingerprint brines from specific reservoirs, (b)... - Data
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (ver. 3.0, December 2023)
During hydrocarbon production, water is typically co-produced from the geologic formations producing oil and gas. Understanding the composition of these produced waters is important to help investigate the regional hydrogeology, the source of the water, the efficacy of water treatment and disposal plans, potential economic benefits of mineral commodities in the fluids, and the safety of potentialAbsorbance and Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix Data for Produced Waters from Oil and Gas Producing Basins in the United States
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are normally considered wastes but are also possible resources, especially in water-stressed regions. Produced waters can be chemically complex. High salinity, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and organic substances derived from the producing formation can complicate treatment processes. Rapid screening methods to characterize produced waterNational assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources - data release
In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources available if current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies were applied in amenable oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters area of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estimates of the magnitude of CO2 sGeologic formations and mine locations for potential CO2 mineralization
This geodatabase contains geologic unit boundaries and asbestos site locations shown in "Carbon dioxide mineralization feasibility in the United States" (Blondes and others, 2019). Data was compiled from source material at a scale range of 1:100,000 to 1:5,000,000 and is not intended for any greater detail.Microbiology of the Utica Shale
In order to determine the innate microbial community of shale gas reservoirs and how they are impacted by hydraulic fracturing, this study analyzed biomass collected from produced water and rock from hydraulically fractured wells in the Utica Shale. The samples include rock chips from a drill core from one Utica well, produced water from that same Utica well, and produced water from 12 different UInput Files and Code for: Machine learning can accurately assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major geochemical parameters
As more hydrocarbon production from hydraulic fracturing and other methods produce large volumes of water, innovative methods must be explored for treatment and reuse of these waters. However, understanding the general water chemistry of these fluids is essential to providing the best treatment options optimized for each producing area. Machine learning algorithms can often be applied to datasetsModel of groundwater flow, gas migration, and reactive transport in the Virgin River Basin, SW Utah
To better understand the possible risks posed to shallow groundwater resources by geologic carbon sequestration (GCS), a multi-scale numerical modeling approach was invoked using the TOUGHREACT code from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The code solves coupled equations representing conservation of mass and energy on a finite difference grid to simulate multiphase, multicomponent, non-isotheGeochemistry of Utica Shale Play and other Appalachian produced waters
Citation Note: These data were collected as part of a research study published in Environmental Science and Technology. Please reference the following paper when citing these data. Blondes, M.S., Shelton, J.L., Engle, M.A., Trembly, J.P., Doolan, C.A., Jubb, A.M., Chenault, J.M., Rowan, E.L., Haefner, R.J., and Mailot, B.E., 2020, Utica Shale Play Oil and Gas Brines: Geochemistry and Factors InflMicrobial Communities Associated with Hot Springs and other CO2-rich Waters, Rocky Mountain Plateau
The Colorado Plateau is associated with several different commercial sources of natural CO2 and other non-hydrocarbon gases, such as noble gases. Twenty-five different hot springs, warm springs, cold springs, and/or rivers across the Utah region of the Colorado Plateau were sampled for microbial biomass. These different locations were associated with some concentration of dissolved or effervesciDirect Trace Element Determination in Oil and Gas Produced Waters with Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of High Salinity Tolerance (2019)
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due both to their high salinities, which can greatly exceed 35 g/L (seawater equivalent), and also the sheer volume of wastewater generated, which is estimated at nearly 900 billion gallons per year across the United States. Beyond disposal concerU.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database v2.3
During hydrocarbon production, water is typically co-produced from the geologic formations producing oil and gas. Understanding the composition of these produced waters is important to help investigate the regional hydrogeology, the source of the water, the efficacy of water treatment and disposal plans, potential economic benefits of mineral commodities in the fluids, and the safety of potential - Publications
Filter Total Items: 37
Geologic carbon management options for the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) North Atlantic-Appalachian Region is developing the regionwide capacity to provide timely science support for decision-makers attempting to enhance carbon removal, sequestration, and emissions mitigation to meet national atmospheric carbon reduction goals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that in 2021, the fourteen States and theAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Steven M. Cahan, C. Özgen Karacan, Kevin D. Kroeger, Matthew D. MerrillDissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse
Wastewater generated during petroleum extraction (produced water) may contain high concentrations of dissolved organics due to their intimate association with organic-rich source rocks, expelled petroleum, and organic additives to fluids used for hydraulic fracturing of unconventional (e.g., shale) reservoirs. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) within produced water represents a challenge for treatmenAuthorsBonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. SheltonNational assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Summary
IntroductionIn 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources that might be produced by using current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies in amenable conventional oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters areas of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Steven M. Cahan, Colin A. Doolan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Jenna L. Shelton, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. VarelaNational assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources — Results
In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a probabilistic assessment of the volume of technically recoverable oil resources available if current carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) technologies were applied to amenable oil reservoirs underlying the onshore and State waters areas of the conterminous United States. The assessment also includes estimates of the mass of CO2 thatAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Steven M. Cahan, Colin A. Doolan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Celeste D. Lohr, Matthew D. Merrill, Ricardo A. Olea, Jenna L. Shelton, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. VarelaMachine learning can assign geologic basin to produced water samples using major ion geochemistry
Understanding the geochemistry of waters produced during petroleum extraction is essential to informing the best treatment and reuse options, which can potentially be optimized for a given geologic basin. Here, we used the US Geological Survey’s National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (PWGD) to determine if major ion chemistry could be used to classify accurately a produced water sample to aAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Aaron M. Jubb, Samuel Saxe, Emil D. Attanasi, Alexei Milkov, Mark A Engle, Philip A. Freeman, Christopher Shaffer, Madalyn S. BlondesPotential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah
Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is necessary to help meet emissions reduction goals, but groundwater contamination may occur if CO2 and/or brine were to leak out of deep storage formations into the shallow subsurface. For this study, a natural analogue was investigated: in the Virgin River Basin of southwest Utah, water with moderate salinity and high CO2 concentrations is leaking upward intAuthorsMichelle R. Plampin, Madalyn S. Blondes, Eric Sonnenthal, William H. CraddockUtica shale play oil and gas brines: Geochemistry and factors influencing wastewater management
The Utica and Marcellus Shale Plays in the Appalachian Basin are the fourth and first largest natural gas producing plays in the United States, respectively. Hydrocarbon production generates large volumes of brine (“produced water”) that must be disposed of, treated, or reused. Though Marcellus brines have been studied extensively, there are few studies from the Utica Shale Play. This study presen
AuthorsMadalyn S. Blondes, Jenna L. Shelton, Mark A Engle, Jason Trembly, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Jessica Chenault, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Ralph J. Haefner, Brian E. MailotFour-dimensional thermal evolution of the East African Orogen: Accessory phase petrochronology of crustal profiles through the Tanzanian Craton and Mozambique Belt, northeastern Tanzania
U–Pb petrochronology of deep crustal xenoliths and outcrops across northeastern Tanzania track the thermal evolution of the Mozambique Belt and Tanzanian Craton following the Neoproterozoic East African Orogeny (EAO) and subsequent Neogene rifting. At the craton margin, the upper–middle crust record thermal quiescence since the Archean (2.8–2.5 Ga zircon, rutile, and apatite in granite and amphiboAuthorsFrancisco E. Apen, Roberta L. Rudnick, John M. Cottle, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Madalyn S. Blondes, Phil Piccoli, Gareth SewardRepetitive sampling and control threshold improve 16S rRNA results from produced waters associated with hydraulically fractured shales
Sequencing microbial DNA from deep subsurface environments is complicated by a number of issues ranging from contamination to non-reproducible results. Many samples obtained from these environments - which are of great interest due to the potential to stimulate microbial methane generation - contain low biomass. Therefore, samples from these environments are difficult to study as sequencing resultAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Elliott Barnhart, Leslie F. Ruppert, Aaron M. Jubb, Madalyn S. Blondes, Christina A. DeVeraModeling geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in a deep saline carbonate reservoir with TOUGH2–ChemPlugin, a new tool for reactive transport modeling
This paper outlines the development and demonstration of a new tool, TOUGH2–ChemPlugin (T2CPI) for predicting rock–water–CO2 interaction following injection of supercritical CO2 into a heterogeneous carbonate system. Specifically, modeling capabilities of TOUGH2, which examines multiphase flow and supercritical CO2 behavior, were combined with the geochemical modeling capabilities of The GeochemisAuthorsTina L. Roberts-Ashby, Peter M. Berger, Jeffrey A. Cunningham, Ram Kumar, Madalyn S. BlondesDirect trace element determination in oil and gas produced waters with inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES): Advantages of high salinity tolerance
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are the largest waste stream from oil and gas development. Reuse or disposal of these waters is difficult due to their high salinities and the sheer volumes generated. Produced waters may also contain valuable mineral commodities. While an understanding of produced water trace element composition is required for evaluating the associated resource andAuthorsAaron M. Jubb, Mark Engle, Jessica Chenault, Madalyn Blondes, Cloelle G. Danforth, Colin Doolan, Tanya Gallegos, Dan Mueller, Jenna SheltonA probabilistic assessment methodology for carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention
The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorized the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of the potential volume of hydrocarbons recoverable by injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into known oil reservoirs with historical production. The implementation of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) techniques could increase the U.S. recoverable hydrocarbon resourceAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Ricardo A. Olea, Madalyn S. Blondes, Philip A. Freeman, Sean T. Brennan, Matthew D. Merrill, Mahendra K. Verma, C. Özgen Karacan, Jenna L. Shelton, Celeste D. Lohr, Hossein Jahediesfanjani, Jacqueline N. RouechéNon-USGS Publications**
Blondes, M.S., Brandon, M.T., Reiners, P.W., Kita, N.T., Page, F.Z., 2012. Generation of forsteritic olivine (Fo99.8) by subsolidus oxidation in basaltic flows: Journal of Petrology, v. 53, p. 971-984.Blondes, M.S., 2008. Single Eruption Temporal-Compositional Variation in Basalts: Ph.D. Thesis, Yale University.Blondes, M.S., Reiners, P.W., Ducea, M.N., Singer, B.S., Chesley, J., 2008. Temporal-compositional trends over short and long time-scales in basalts of the Big Pine Volcanic Field, CA: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 269, p. 140-154.Blondes, M.S., Reiners, P.W., Edwards, B.R., Biscontini, A., 2007. Dating young basalt eruptions by (U-Th)/He on xenolithic zircons: Geology, v. 35, no. 1, p. 17-20.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Web Tools
U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database (ver. 3.0, December 2023) Viewer
The U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database Viewer (ver. 3.0) provides access to an updated compilation of geochemical and related information for water from oil and gas wells in the United States. The information includes identification and location information, well descriptions, dates, rock properties, physical properties of the water, organic chemistry and more.
- News