Matthew S. Varonka, Ph.D.
Matthew Varonka is a Research Chemist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Matthew works in the Eastern Energy and Environmental Laboratory (EEEL), which is involved in a variety of research goals relating energy and the environment. Matt graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in chemistry and went on to earn a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Georgetown University before joining the USGS in 2010.
Science and Products
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets are intended as a short publication that provides for rapid publication and dissemination of facts and findings.
Open-File Reports
Open-file reports include unpublished manuscript reports, maps, and other material and are made available for public consultation and use. They are a nonpermanent form of publication that may be cited in other publications as sources of information.
Filter Total Items: 22
Hexane extractable material in water-based and oil-based drilling fluid wastes collected from sites in Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Wyoming in 2021 Hexane extractable material in water-based and oil-based drilling fluid wastes collected from sites in Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Wyoming in 2021
Wells drilled during oil and gas exploration use drilling fluids to cool and lubricate the drilling bit and clear the borehole of cuttings. These fluids are recycled during the drilling process, but eventually can no longer be used. This is an important waste stream from petroleum generation that requires disposal. Chemical characterization of these materials is important to determine if...
Chemistry data from leachates of hydraulic fracturing proppants collected from southeastern New Mexico, 2018-2019 Chemistry data from leachates of hydraulic fracturing proppants collected from southeastern New Mexico, 2018-2019
Proppants used during hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells are manufactured to maximize petroleum yield by controlling the size, shape, density, and strength of the proppant material. The most common types of proppants are mined silica sand and manufactured ceramics, some of which are further modified with organic resin coatings to improve performance. Much of the work on the...
Aqueous and solid phases partitioning of elemental constituents associated with Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) gas well produced wastewater, Morgantown, WV, 2016 - 2019 Aqueous and solid phases partitioning of elemental constituents associated with Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) gas well produced wastewater, Morgantown, WV, 2016 - 2019
The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) site is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River, located in western Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. NNE began drilling two horizontal production wells, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H and MIP-3H, in the Marcellus Shale in...
Geochemical Data for Coal Wastes from Bituminous Coal Mining in Pennsylvania, 2022 Geochemical Data for Coal Wastes from Bituminous Coal Mining in Pennsylvania, 2022
Coal and coal byproducts may be economically important resources if enriched in critical minerals such as rare earth elements. The organic carbon they contain could be converted to gas using stimulated microbial methanogenesis. In this study, samples were collected from two underground mine sites in the bituminous region of southwest Pennsylvania to assess the potential for these uses...
Organic Compounds Identified via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Produced Water Samples Collected at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia Organic Compounds Identified via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Produced Water Samples Collected at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia
The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL) field site in Morgantown, WV was established by West Virginia University in order to increase understanding of factors that affect resource recovery and environmental impacts from unconventional oil and gas development. The site, which is located in the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP) adjacent to the Monongahela River...
Geochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico Geochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico
The Permian Basin, straddling New Mexico and Texas, is one of the most productive oil and gas (OG) provinces in the United States. OG production yields large volumes of wastewater that contain elevated concentrations of major ions including salts (also referred to as brines), and trace organic and inorganic constituents. These OG wastewaters pose unknown environmental health risks...
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Eastern Energy and Environmental Laboratory (EEEL), Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory, Reston Microbiology Laboratory
Filter Total Items: 23
Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse 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...
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. Shelton
Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park
Mercury (Hg) contamination has been a persistent concern in the Florida Everglades for over three decades due to elevated atmospheric deposition and the system's propensity for methylation and rapid bioaccumulation. Given declines in atmospheric Hg concentrations in the conterminous United States and efforts to mitigate nutrient release to the greater Everglades ecosystem, it was vital...
Authors
Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Brett Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem, Jeffrey D Kline
In situ enhancement and isotopic labeling of biogenic coalbed methane In situ enhancement and isotopic labeling of biogenic coalbed methane
Subsurface microbial (biogenic) methane production is an important part of the global carbon cycle that has resulted in natural gas accumulations in many coal beds worldwide. Laboratory studies suggest that complex carbon-containing nutrients (e.g., yeast or algae extract) can stimulate methane production, yet the effectiveness of these nutrients within coal beds is unknown. Here, we use...
Authors
Elliott Barnhart, Leslie F. Ruppert, Randy Heibert, Heidi J. Smith, Hannah Schweitzer, Arthur Clark, Edwin Weeks, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, George A. Platt, Jenna L. Shelton, Katherine J Davis, Robert Hyatt, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Kilian Ashley, Shuhei Ono, Anna M. Martini, Keith Hackley, Robin Gerlach, Lee Spangler, Adrienne Phillips, Mark Barry, Alfred B. Cunningham, Matthew W. Fields
Oil and gas wastewater components alter streambed microbial community structure and function Oil and gas wastewater components alter streambed microbial community structure and function
The widespread application of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies expanded oil and gas (OG) development to previously inaccessible resources. A single OG well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, which is a mixture of brine produced from the fractured formations and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFFs). With thousands of wells completed each year...
Authors
Denise M. Akob, Adam Mumford, Andrea Fraser, Cassandra Rashan Harris, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells
Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in...
Authors
Tanya J. Gallegos, Colin A. Doolan, Rodney R. Caldwell, Mark A Engle, Matthew S. Varonka, Justin E. Birdwell, Glenn D. Jolly, Tyler B. Coplen, Thomas A. Oliver
By
Water resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma, with an analysis of data gaps through 2015 Water resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma, with an analysis of data gaps through 2015
This report provides an overview of existing hydrologic information describing the quality, quantity, and extent of the major surface-water and groundwater resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma. Hydrologic information is provided for five major river systems (Cimarron River, North Canadian River, Canadian River, Washita River, and North...
Authors
Carol Becker, Matthew S. Varonka
Non-USGS Publications**
Orem, W.; Varonka, M.; Crosby, L.; Haase, K.; Loftin, K.; Hladik, M.; Akob, D.M.; Tatu, C.; Mumford, A.; Jaeschke, J.; Bates, A.; Schell, T. Organic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations, Appl. Geochem., 2017, 80, 155-167.
Barnhart, E.P.; Davis, K.J.; Varonka, M.; Orem, W.; Cunningham, A.B.; Ramsay, B.D.; Fields, M.W. Enhanced coal-dependent methanogenesis coupled with algal biofuels: Potential water recycle and carbon capture, Int. J. of Coal Geol., 2017, 171, 69-75.
Hall, M. D.; Brimacombe, K. R.; Varonka, M. S.; Pluchino, K. M.; Monda, J. K.; Li, J.; Walsh, M. J.; Boxer, M. B.; Warren, T. H.; Fales, H. M.; Gottesman, M. M. Synthesis and Structure-Activity Evalution of Isatin-β-thiosemicarbazones with Improved Selective Activity toward Multidrug-Resistant Cells Expressing P-Glycoprotein, J. Med. Chem., 2011, 54(16), 5878-5889.
Wiese, S.; Badiei, Y. M.; Gephart, R. T.; Mossin, S.; Varonka, M. S.; Melzer, M. M.; Meyer, K.; Cundari, T. R.; Warren, T. H. Catalytic C-H Amination with Unactivated Amines through Copper(II) Amides, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2010, 49(47), 8850-8855.
Varonka, M. S.; Warren, T. H. Three-Coordinate N-Heterocyclic Carbene Nickel Nitrosyl Complexes, Organometallics, 2010, 29(4), 717-720.
Varonka, Matthew S.; Warren, Timothy H.; Dugan, Thomas R.; Cowley, Ryan E.; Holland, Patrick L. “β-diketiminate Precursors HLMe,Me3 and TlLMe,Me3 (LMe,Me3 = 2,4-bis(2,6-mesitylimido)pentyl),” Complexes of Bulky β-Diketiminate Ligands, in Inorg. Synth. 2010, 35, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA.
Varonka, M. S.; Warren, T. H. S-Nitrosothiol and Nitric Oxide Reactivity at Zinc Thiolates, Inorg. Chem., 2009, 48(13), 5605-5607.
Varonka, M.S.; Warren, T.H. S-nitrosothiol and nitric oxide reactivity at β-diketiminato zinc thiolates, Inorg. Chim. Acta, 2007, 360(1), 317-328.
**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.
Science and Products
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets are intended as a short publication that provides for rapid publication and dissemination of facts and findings.
Open-File Reports
Open-file reports include unpublished manuscript reports, maps, and other material and are made available for public consultation and use. They are a nonpermanent form of publication that may be cited in other publications as sources of information.
Filter Total Items: 22
Hexane extractable material in water-based and oil-based drilling fluid wastes collected from sites in Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Wyoming in 2021 Hexane extractable material in water-based and oil-based drilling fluid wastes collected from sites in Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Wyoming in 2021
Wells drilled during oil and gas exploration use drilling fluids to cool and lubricate the drilling bit and clear the borehole of cuttings. These fluids are recycled during the drilling process, but eventually can no longer be used. This is an important waste stream from petroleum generation that requires disposal. Chemical characterization of these materials is important to determine if...
Chemistry data from leachates of hydraulic fracturing proppants collected from southeastern New Mexico, 2018-2019 Chemistry data from leachates of hydraulic fracturing proppants collected from southeastern New Mexico, 2018-2019
Proppants used during hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells are manufactured to maximize petroleum yield by controlling the size, shape, density, and strength of the proppant material. The most common types of proppants are mined silica sand and manufactured ceramics, some of which are further modified with organic resin coatings to improve performance. Much of the work on the...
Aqueous and solid phases partitioning of elemental constituents associated with Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) gas well produced wastewater, Morgantown, WV, 2016 - 2019 Aqueous and solid phases partitioning of elemental constituents associated with Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) gas well produced wastewater, Morgantown, WV, 2016 - 2019
The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) site is a long-term field site and laboratory at the Northeast Natural Energy LLC (NNE) production facility, adjacent to the Monongahela River, located in western Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. NNE began drilling two horizontal production wells, MIP (Morgantown Industrial Park) -5H and MIP-3H, in the Marcellus Shale in...
Geochemical Data for Coal Wastes from Bituminous Coal Mining in Pennsylvania, 2022 Geochemical Data for Coal Wastes from Bituminous Coal Mining in Pennsylvania, 2022
Coal and coal byproducts may be economically important resources if enriched in critical minerals such as rare earth elements. The organic carbon they contain could be converted to gas using stimulated microbial methanogenesis. In this study, samples were collected from two underground mine sites in the bituminous region of southwest Pennsylvania to assess the potential for these uses...
Organic Compounds Identified via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Produced Water Samples Collected at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia Organic Compounds Identified via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Produced Water Samples Collected at the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) 2015-2019, Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP), West Virginia
The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL) field site in Morgantown, WV was established by West Virginia University in order to increase understanding of factors that affect resource recovery and environmental impacts from unconventional oil and gas development. The site, which is located in the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP) adjacent to the Monongahela River...
Geochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico Geochemistry and microbiology data collected to study the effects of oil and gas wastewater dumping on arid lands in New Mexico
The Permian Basin, straddling New Mexico and Texas, is one of the most productive oil and gas (OG) provinces in the United States. OG production yields large volumes of wastewater that contain elevated concentrations of major ions including salts (also referred to as brines), and trace organic and inorganic constituents. These OG wastewaters pose unknown environmental health risks...
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Eastern Energy and Environmental Laboratory (EEEL), Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory, Reston Microbiology Laboratory
Filter Total Items: 23
Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse 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...
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. Shelton
Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park
Mercury (Hg) contamination has been a persistent concern in the Florida Everglades for over three decades due to elevated atmospheric deposition and the system's propensity for methylation and rapid bioaccumulation. Given declines in atmospheric Hg concentrations in the conterminous United States and efforts to mitigate nutrient release to the greater Everglades ecosystem, it was vital...
Authors
Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Brett Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem, Jeffrey D Kline
In situ enhancement and isotopic labeling of biogenic coalbed methane In situ enhancement and isotopic labeling of biogenic coalbed methane
Subsurface microbial (biogenic) methane production is an important part of the global carbon cycle that has resulted in natural gas accumulations in many coal beds worldwide. Laboratory studies suggest that complex carbon-containing nutrients (e.g., yeast or algae extract) can stimulate methane production, yet the effectiveness of these nutrients within coal beds is unknown. Here, we use...
Authors
Elliott Barnhart, Leslie F. Ruppert, Randy Heibert, Heidi J. Smith, Hannah Schweitzer, Arthur Clark, Edwin Weeks, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, George A. Platt, Jenna L. Shelton, Katherine J Davis, Robert Hyatt, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Kilian Ashley, Shuhei Ono, Anna M. Martini, Keith Hackley, Robin Gerlach, Lee Spangler, Adrienne Phillips, Mark Barry, Alfred B. Cunningham, Matthew W. Fields
Oil and gas wastewater components alter streambed microbial community structure and function Oil and gas wastewater components alter streambed microbial community structure and function
The widespread application of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies expanded oil and gas (OG) development to previously inaccessible resources. A single OG well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, which is a mixture of brine produced from the fractured formations and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFFs). With thousands of wells completed each year...
Authors
Denise M. Akob, Adam Mumford, Andrea Fraser, Cassandra Rashan Harris, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells
Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in...
Authors
Tanya J. Gallegos, Colin A. Doolan, Rodney R. Caldwell, Mark A Engle, Matthew S. Varonka, Justin E. Birdwell, Glenn D. Jolly, Tyler B. Coplen, Thomas A. Oliver
By
Water resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma, with an analysis of data gaps through 2015 Water resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma, with an analysis of data gaps through 2015
This report provides an overview of existing hydrologic information describing the quality, quantity, and extent of the major surface-water and groundwater resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma. Hydrologic information is provided for five major river systems (Cimarron River, North Canadian River, Canadian River, Washita River, and North...
Authors
Carol Becker, Matthew S. Varonka
Non-USGS Publications**
Orem, W.; Varonka, M.; Crosby, L.; Haase, K.; Loftin, K.; Hladik, M.; Akob, D.M.; Tatu, C.; Mumford, A.; Jaeschke, J.; Bates, A.; Schell, T. Organic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations, Appl. Geochem., 2017, 80, 155-167.
Barnhart, E.P.; Davis, K.J.; Varonka, M.; Orem, W.; Cunningham, A.B.; Ramsay, B.D.; Fields, M.W. Enhanced coal-dependent methanogenesis coupled with algal biofuels: Potential water recycle and carbon capture, Int. J. of Coal Geol., 2017, 171, 69-75.
Hall, M. D.; Brimacombe, K. R.; Varonka, M. S.; Pluchino, K. M.; Monda, J. K.; Li, J.; Walsh, M. J.; Boxer, M. B.; Warren, T. H.; Fales, H. M.; Gottesman, M. M. Synthesis and Structure-Activity Evalution of Isatin-β-thiosemicarbazones with Improved Selective Activity toward Multidrug-Resistant Cells Expressing P-Glycoprotein, J. Med. Chem., 2011, 54(16), 5878-5889.
Wiese, S.; Badiei, Y. M.; Gephart, R. T.; Mossin, S.; Varonka, M. S.; Melzer, M. M.; Meyer, K.; Cundari, T. R.; Warren, T. H. Catalytic C-H Amination with Unactivated Amines through Copper(II) Amides, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2010, 49(47), 8850-8855.
Varonka, M. S.; Warren, T. H. Three-Coordinate N-Heterocyclic Carbene Nickel Nitrosyl Complexes, Organometallics, 2010, 29(4), 717-720.
Varonka, Matthew S.; Warren, Timothy H.; Dugan, Thomas R.; Cowley, Ryan E.; Holland, Patrick L. “β-diketiminate Precursors HLMe,Me3 and TlLMe,Me3 (LMe,Me3 = 2,4-bis(2,6-mesitylimido)pentyl),” Complexes of Bulky β-Diketiminate Ligands, in Inorg. Synth. 2010, 35, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA.
Varonka, M. S.; Warren, T. H. S-Nitrosothiol and Nitric Oxide Reactivity at Zinc Thiolates, Inorg. Chem., 2009, 48(13), 5605-5607.
Varonka, M.S.; Warren, T.H. S-nitrosothiol and nitric oxide reactivity at β-diketiminato zinc thiolates, Inorg. Chim. Acta, 2007, 360(1), 317-328.
**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.