Paul C. Hackley, Ph.D.
Paul Hackley is a Research Geologist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
As project chief of the Thermal Indices project I pursue research on thermal maturity, chemical composition and physical state of sedimentary organic matter. The Thermal Indices project is part of the Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center and is funded by the Energy Resources Program (ERP). The Thermal Indices project team develops and applies petrographic methods for the reliable identification of different types of sedimentary organic matter, and measures and interprets the response of organic matter to thermal stress in natural environments and in laboratory-based heating experiments. Improved understanding of the thermal evolution of sedimentary organic matter enables more accurate assessment of petroleum source rock maturation, thereby decreasing uncertainty in the determination of thermal histories, the timing of petroleum generation and the placement of resource assessment spatial boundaries. This leads to the overall goal of improving estimates of undiscovered petroleum resources, which is a central mission of the ERP.
My work focuses on four integrated research task areas which have petrographic approaches to thermal indices as their common denominator: 1) standardization and reproducibility of measurement, 2) utilization of hydrous pyrolysis for (artificial) thermal conversion of sedimentary organic matter, 3) petrographic innovation areas for thermal indices and organic evolution, and 4) petrographic laboratory support.
Thermal indices research is accomplished from the Organic Petrology and Hydrous Pyrolysis laboratories in Reston. The laboratories include facilities for sample preparation, hydrous pyrolysis, optical and fluorescence microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The Thermal Indices project team works with external collaborators from global academic, government and industry groups. All thermal indices research efforts reach toward the goal of improving fossil fuel resource assessments by generating new understanding of the processes occurring during thermal evolution of sedimentary organic matter and its conversion to petroleum.
Professional Experience
Unconventional petroleum systems
Conventional oil and gas assessment
Coalbed methane
Coal
Application of organic petrology techniques to fossil fuel resource assessment
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., George Mason University
M.S., George Washington University
B.A., Shippensburg State University
Affiliations and Memberships*
The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP)
International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP)
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Geological Society of America (GSA)
Science and Products
High Microscale Variability in Raman Thermal Maturity Estimates from Shale Organic Matter - Data Release
DDT and related compounds in pore water of shallow sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf, CA
Petroleum geology data from Mesozoic rock samples in the eastern U.S. Gulf Coast collected 2011 to 2017
Appendices for Transgressive-regressive cycles in the metalliferous, oil shale-bearing Heath Formation (Upper Mississippian), central Montana
Sample mounting for organic petrology: No thermal effects from transient exposure to elevated temperatures
Fluorescence spectroscopy of ancient sedimentary organic matter via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM)
Oil-source rock correlation studies in the unconventional Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) petroleum system, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA
Evidence of wildfires and elevated atmospheric oxygen at the Frasnian–Famennian boundary in New York (USA): Implications for the Late Devonian mass extinction
Applications of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) to organic matter in the North American shale petroleum systems
A chemo-mechanical snapshot of in-situ conversion of kerogen to petroleum
Evidence of cosmic impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C
Berea Sandstone petroleum system
Testing reproducibility of vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance measurements in North American unconventional source-rock reservoir petroleum systems
Organic petrography of Leonardian (Wolfcamp A) mudrocks and carbonates, Midland Basin, Texas: The fate of oil-prone sedimentary organic matter in the oil window
Experimental study on the impact of thermal maturity on shale microstructures using hydrous pyrolysis
Nanoscale molecular fractionation of organic matter within unconventional petroleum source beds
Science and Products
High Microscale Variability in Raman Thermal Maturity Estimates from Shale Organic Matter - Data Release
DDT and related compounds in pore water of shallow sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf, CA
Petroleum geology data from Mesozoic rock samples in the eastern U.S. Gulf Coast collected 2011 to 2017
Appendices for Transgressive-regressive cycles in the metalliferous, oil shale-bearing Heath Formation (Upper Mississippian), central Montana
Sample mounting for organic petrology: No thermal effects from transient exposure to elevated temperatures
Fluorescence spectroscopy of ancient sedimentary organic matter via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM)
Oil-source rock correlation studies in the unconventional Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) petroleum system, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA
Evidence of wildfires and elevated atmospheric oxygen at the Frasnian–Famennian boundary in New York (USA): Implications for the Late Devonian mass extinction
Applications of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) to organic matter in the North American shale petroleum systems
A chemo-mechanical snapshot of in-situ conversion of kerogen to petroleum
Evidence of cosmic impact at Abu Hureyra, Syria at the Younger Dryas Onset (~12.8 ka): High-temperature melting at >2200 °C
Berea Sandstone petroleum system
Testing reproducibility of vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance measurements in North American unconventional source-rock reservoir petroleum systems
Organic petrography of Leonardian (Wolfcamp A) mudrocks and carbonates, Midland Basin, Texas: The fate of oil-prone sedimentary organic matter in the oil window
Experimental study on the impact of thermal maturity on shale microstructures using hydrous pyrolysis
Nanoscale molecular fractionation of organic matter within unconventional petroleum source beds
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government