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
Bibliography of the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain coal geology
Introduction
Coal resources for part of the Wilcox group (Paleocene-Eocene), northeast Texas
Coal resources for part of the Wilcox group (Paleocene through Eocene), central Texas
Coal resources for the Chemard Lake (Naborton No. 2) coal zone of the lower Wilcox group (Paleocene), northwestern Louisiana
A review of Alabama lignite deposits
Paleogene coal deposits of the Wilcox group and the Indio formation of south Texas
A review of lignite resources of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area, western Kentucky
Upper Cretaceous bituminous coal deposits of the Olmos Formation, Maverick County, Texas
Eocene bituminous coal deposits of the Claiborne group, Webb County, Texas
Wilcox group (Paleocene to Eocene) coals of the Sabine Uplift area, Texas and Louisiana
Paleocene coal deposits of the Wilcox group, central Texas
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 56
Bibliography of the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain coal geology
Unlike scientific literature pertaining to most other coal-bearing regions in the conterminous United States, this bibliography on the coal geology of the Gulf Coastal Plain is dominated by work from the late 20th century. Although coals of this region were mined commercially in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were eclipsed by the production and use of oil and gas in the middle 1920s and wereAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. Warwick, Alexander W. Karlsen, Susan J. TewaltIntroduction
The National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA) team of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has assessed the quantity and quality of coal beds and zones that could be mined during the next 20 years or more. Geologic, geochemical, and resource information was collected and compiled for the five major coal-producing regions of the United States: the Appalachian Basin, Illinois Basin, Northern Rocky MountAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Robert W. Hook, John R. SanFilipoCoal resources for part of the Wilcox group (Paleocene-Eocene), northeast Texas
The Wilcox Group of northeast Texas contains shallow (less than 500 ft) coal deposits that are mined for use in mine-mouth electric power generating plants. The coal deposits, which are lignite in apparent rank (Pierce et al., 2011), are separated from similar shallow coal deposits in the Sabine uplift area by the East Texas Basin (Figure 1). The coal zones and associated strata in the northeast aAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Claire E. Aubourg, Steven M. Podwysocki, Adam C. SchultzCoal resources for part of the Wilcox group (Paleocene through Eocene), central Texas
The Wilcox Group of central Texas contains shallow (less than 500 ft) coal deposits that are mined for use in mine-mouth electric power generating plants. These coal deposits range in apparent rank from lignite to sub-bituminous (Pierce et al., 2011) and are similar in rank and composition to shallow coal deposits in the northeast and south Texas areas (Figure 1). The coal zones and associated strAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Claire E. Aubourg, Stephen E. Suitt, Steven M. Podwysocki, Adam C. SchultzCoal resources for the Chemard Lake (Naborton No. 2) coal zone of the lower Wilcox group (Paleocene), northwestern Louisiana
The lower part of the Wilcox Group of northwest Louisiana contains shallow (less than 500 ft) coal deposits that are mined for use in mine-mouth electric power-generating plants. The coal deposits, which are lignite A in apparent rank (Pierce et al., 2011), occur on the eastern part of the Sabine uplift (Figure 1). The coal zones and associated strata in the assessment area generally dip away fromAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Steven M. Podwysocki, Adam C. SchultzA review of Alabama lignite deposits
This review of Alabama lignite deposits is a part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA) of the Gulf Coast region (see Ruppert et al., 2002; Dennen, 2009; and other chapters of this publication). Because lignite is not currently mined in Alabama, a detailed assessment of the state was not made, and only a review is presented in this chapter.Lignite beds are fAuthorsClaire E. AubourgPaleogene coal deposits of the Wilcox group and the Indio formation of south Texas
Coal deposits of the undivided Wilcox Group and its southern equivalent Indio Formation (Paleogene) of south Texas are among the coal resources that are not evaluated quantitatively in the current Gulf Coastal Plain coal re-source assessment. South Texas Wilcox and Indio coals have not been extensively mined, nor have they been mined commercially for at least the past 60 years. These coals constitAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. Warwick, John R. SanFilipo, Douglas J. NicholsA review of lignite resources of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area, western Kentucky
This review of the lignite deposits of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area in western Kentucky (Figure 1) is an updated report on part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Coal Resource Assessment of the Gulf Coastal Plain Coal Province (see Ruppert et al., 2002; Hackley et al., 2006; Dennen, 2009; and other chapters of this publication). Lignite deposits of western Kentucky and TeAuthorsPaul C. Hackley, Peter D. Warwick, Roger E. Thomas, Douglas J. NicholsUpper Cretaceous bituminous coal deposits of the Olmos Formation, Maverick County, Texas
This report describes the bituminous coal deposits of the Olmos Formation (Navarro Group, Upper Cretaceous; Figures 1, 2) of Maverick County in south Texas. Although these were not evaluated quantitatively as part of the current Gulf Coastal Plain coal-resource assessment, a detailed review is presented in this chapter.Prior to the late 1920s, these coal beds were mined underground on a large scalAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. Warwick, John R. SanFilipoEocene bituminous coal deposits of the Claiborne group, Webb County, Texas
Two bituminous coal zones, the San Pedro and the Santo Tomas, in the middle Eocene Claiborne Group of Webb County, south Texas (Figure 1), are among the coal resources that are not evaluated quantitatively as part of the current Gulf Coastal Plain coal resource assessment. Coal beds within these zones were mined by underground methods northwest of Laredo until 1939 and have been intermittently minAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. WarwickWilcox group (Paleocene to Eocene) coals of the Sabine Uplift area, Texas and Louisiana
The Wilcox Group (Paleocene to Eocene) of the Sabine uplift, a structural arch in northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana (Figure 1), has lignite zones that approach subbituminous rank (see Chapter 4, this publication). These coals are among the highest quality resources known within the Gulf Coastal Plain because of their low ash yield and sulfur content. The surface expression of the SabinAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. Warwick, John R. SanFilipoPaleocene coal deposits of the Wilcox group, central Texas
Coal deposits in the Wilcox Group of central Texas have been regarded as the richest coal resources in the Gulf Coastal Plain. Although minable coal beds appear to be less numerous and generally higher in sulfur content (1 percent average, as-received basis; table 1) than Wilcox coal deposits in the Northeast Texas and Louisiana Sabine assessment areas (0.5 and 0.6 percent sulfur, respectively; taAuthorsRobert W. Hook, Peter D. Warwick, John R. SanFilipo, Adam C. Schultz, Douglas J. Nichols, Sharon M. Swanson - Web Tools
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