Matthew D. Merrill
Matthew Merrill is a Research Geologist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Matt received a masters and a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in Earth Sciences with focuses in Mars remote sensing and Andean volcanology respectively. Since joining the USGS in 2005 he has focused on numerous energy and minerals issues and specializes in carbon dioxide related topics, such as natural CO2 geochemistry, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. Other areas of research include various oil and gas assessments and methodology creation for assessing enhanced oil recovery with CO2 and also the impacts to wildlife from wind turbine facilities.
Professional Experience
2007 - present: Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, USGS
2005 - 2007: Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center, USGS
Education and Certifications
M.A. Earth Science, Wesleyan University, 2005
B.A. Earth and Environmental Science, Wesleyan University, 2003
Science and Products
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: U.S. Gulf Coast
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, and Wyoming-Idaho-Utah Thrust Belt
Noble gas geochemistry investigation of high CO2 natural gas at the LaBarge Platform, Wyoming, USA
Geographic information system (GIS)-based maps of Appalachian basin oil and gas fields
National assessment of geologic carbon dioxide storage resources: methodology implementation
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Hanna, Laramie, and Shirley Basins, Wyoming: Chapter C in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Powder River Basin, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska: Chapter B in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana: Chapter A in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Gulf Coast, 2010
Eocene Yegua Formation (Claiborne group) and Jackson group lignite deposits of Texas
Front matter: Preface, acknowledgements, table of contents
Executive summary - Geologic assessment of coal in the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, U.S.A.
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 56
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: U.S. Gulf Coast
This report presents 27 storage assessment units (SAUs) within the United States (U.S.) Gulf Coast. The U.S. Gulf Coast contains a regionally extensive, thick succession of clastics, carbonates, salts, and other evaporites that were deposited in a highly cyclic depositional environment that was subjected to a fluctuating siliciclastic sediment supply and transgressive and regressive sea levels. AtAuthorsTina L. Roberts-Ashby, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Jacob A. Covault, William H. Craddock, Ronald M. Drake, Matthew D. Merrill, Ernie R. Slucher, Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mayur A. Gosai, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Celeste D. LohrGeologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, and Wyoming-Idaho-Utah Thrust Belt
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140) directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). The methodology used by the USGS for the national CO2 assessment follows up on previous USGS work. The methodology is non-economic and intended to be used at regional to subbasinal scales. ThiAuthorsMarc L. Buursink, Ernie R. Slucher, Sean T. Brennan, Colin A. Doolan, Ronald M. Drake, Matthew D. Merrill, Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Celeste D. LohrNoble gas geochemistry investigation of high CO2 natural gas at the LaBarge Platform, Wyoming, USA
A regional sampling of gases from thermal springs near the LaBarge Field, Wyoming, USA to determine the extent of the total carbon dioxide system (TCDS) indicates that the system may extend up to 70 km to the northwest of the field. Geochemical evidence from noble gas isotopes, stable element isotopes, and gas composition provide the foundation for these conclusions. Samples from Soda Springs to tAuthorsMatthew D. Merrill, Andrew G. Hunt, Celeste D. LohrGeographic information system (GIS)-based maps of Appalachian basin oil and gas fields
One of the more recent maps of Appalachian basin oil and gas fields (and the adjoining Black Warrior basin) is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compilation by Mast and others (1998) (see Trippi and others, this volume, chap. I.1). This map is part of a larger oil and gas field map for the conterminous United States that was derived by Mast and others (1998) from the Well History Control System (WAuthorsRobert T. Ryder, Scott A. Kinney, Stephen E. Suitt, Matthew D. Merrill, Michael H. TrippiNational assessment of geologic carbon dioxide storage resources: methodology implementation
In response to the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). Storage of CO2 in subsurface saline formations is one important method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb global climate change. This report provides updates and implementation details of the assesAuthorsMadalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Matthew D. Merrill, Marc L. Buursink, Peter D. Warwick, Steven M. Cahan, M.D. Corum, Troy A. Cook, William H. Craddock, Christina A. DeVera, Ronald M. Drake, Lawrence J. Drew, P.A. Freeman, Celeste D. Lohr, Ricardo A. Olea, Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Ernie R. Slucher, Brian A. VarelaGeologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Hanna, Laramie, and Shirley Basins, Wyoming: Chapter C in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110-140) directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). The methodology used for the national CO2 assessment is non-economic and intended to be used at regional to subbasinal scales. This report identifies and contains geologic descriptions of twelAuthorsMatthew D. Merrill, Jacob A. Covault, William H. Craddock, Ernie R. Slucher, Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mayur A. Gosai, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Celeste D. LohrGeologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Powder River Basin, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska: Chapter B in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources
This report presents ten storage assessment units (SAUs) within the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The Powder River Basin contains a thick succession of sedimentary rocks that accumulated steadily throughout much of the Phanerozoic, and at least three stratigraphic packages contain strata that are suitable for CO2 storage. Pennsylvanian through Triassic silicicAuthorsWilliam H. Craddock, Ronald M. Drake, John L. Mars, Matthew D. Merrill, Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mayur A. Gosai, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Celeste D. LohrGeologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana: Chapter A in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140) directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). The methodology used for the national CO2 assessment follows that of previous USGS work. The methodology is non-economic and intended to be used at regional to subbasinal scales. This report iAuthorsJacob A. Covault, Mark L. Buursink, William H. Craddock, Matthew D. Merrill, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mayur A. Gosai, P.A. FreemanAssessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Gulf Coast, 2010
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 147.4 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, 2.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, and 2.96 billion barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata in onshore lands and State waters of the Gulf Coast.AuthorsRussell F. Dubiel, Peter D. Warwick, Sharon Swanson, Lauri Burke, Laura Biewick, Ronald R. Charpentier, James L. Coleman, Troy A. Cook, Kris Dennen, Colin A. Doolan, Catherine Enomoto, Paul C. Hackley, Alexander W. Karlsen, Timothy R. Klett, Scott A. Kinney, Michael D. Lewan, Matthew D. Merrill, Krystal Pearson, Ofori N. Pearson, Janet K. Pitman, Richard M. Pollastro, Elizabeth L. Rowan, Christopher J. Schenk, Brett ValentineEocene Yegua Formation (Claiborne group) and Jackson group lignite deposits of Texas
The lignite deposits within the upper Eocene Yegua Formation (Claiborne Group) and the overlying Jackson Group are among the coal resources that were not quantitatively assessed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA) program in the Gulf Coastal Plain coal province. In the past, these lignite-bearing stratigraphic units often have been evaluated togeAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. Warwick, Sharon M. Swanson, Paul C. HackleyFront matter: Preface, acknowledgements, table of contents
This volume is the fifth in a series of reports by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on the assessment of the quantity and quality of the nation’s coal deposits that potentially could be mined during the next few decades. For eight years (1995-2003), geologic, geochemical, and resource information was collected and compiled for the five major coal-producing regions of the United States: the AppalaExecutive summary - Geologic assessment of coal in the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain, U.S.A.
The National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA) project of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has assessed the quantity and quality of the nation's coal deposits that potentially could be mined during the next few decades. For eight years, geologic, geochemical, and resource information was collected and compiled for the five major coal-producing regions of the United States: the Appalachian Basin, IlAuthorsPeter D. Warwick - Web Tools
- News