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
Database of the United States Coal Pellet Collection of the U.S. Geological Survey Organic Petrology Laboratory
Review and update of the applications of organic petrology: Part 1, geological applications
Geological and geochemical characterization of the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation, Maverick Basin, south Texas: A future shale gas resource?
Organic geochemistry and petrology of subsurface Paleocene-Eocene Wilcox and Claiborne Group coal beds, Zavala County, Maverick Basin, Texas, USA
Preliminary evaluation of the shale gas prospectivity of the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation in the onshore Gulf Coast region, United States
Review and update of the applications of organic petrology: Part 2, geological and multidisciplinary applications
Definition of Greater Gulf Basin Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous lower Cenomanian Shale Gas Assessment Unit, United States Gulf of Mexico basin onshore and state waters
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Gulf Coast, 2010
Reply to Effect of concentration of organic matter on optical maturity parameters. Interlaboratory results of the organic matter concentration working group of the ICCP. Discussion by Vinay K. Sahay
Organic geochemical investigation and coal-bed methane characteristics of the Guasare coals (Paso Diablo mine, western Venezuela)
A review of the lignite resources of Arkansas
A review of lignite resources of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area, western Kentucky
Science and Products
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 139
Database of the United States Coal Pellet Collection of the U.S. Geological Survey Organic Petrology Laboratory
The Organic Petrology Laboratory (OPL) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eastern Energy Resources Science Center in Reston, Virginia, contains several thousand processed coal sample materials that were loosely organized in laboratory drawers for the past several decades. The majority of these were prepared as 1-inch-diameter particulate coal pellets (more than 6,000 pellets; one sample usuallyAuthorsNikolaus J. Deems, Paul C. HackleyReview and update of the applications of organic petrology: Part 1, geological applications
Organic petrology developed as coal petrology at the beginning of the 20th century dedicated mainly to the study of coals because of their utilization in industry. Coal petrology was then considered a branch of coal science. Later, with the development of specialized nomenclature, classification of coal components, and the standardization and improvement of analytical (microscopical) methods, thisAuthorsIsabel Suárez-Ruiz, Deolinda Flores, João Graciano Mendonça Filho, Paul C. HackleyGeological and geochemical characterization of the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation, Maverick Basin, south Texas: A future shale gas resource?
As part of an assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in the northern Gulf of Mexico onshore Mesozoic section, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) evaluated the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation of the Maverick Basin, south Texas, as a potential shale gas resource. Wireline logs were used to determine the stratigraphic distribution of the Pearsall Formation and to select available core anAuthorsPaul C. HackleyOrganic geochemistry and petrology of subsurface Paleocene-Eocene Wilcox and Claiborne Group coal beds, Zavala County, Maverick Basin, Texas, USA
Coal samples from a coalbed methane exploration well in northern Zavala County, Maverick Basin, Texas, were characterized through an integrated analytical program. The well was drilled in February, 2006 and shut in after coal core desorption indicated negligible gas content. Cuttings samples from two levels in the Eocene Claiborne Group were evaluated by way of petrographic techniques and Rock–EvaAuthorsPaul C. Hackley, Peter D. Warwick, Robert W. Hook, Hossein Alimi, Maria Mastalerz, Sharon M. SwansonPreliminary evaluation of the shale gas prospectivity of the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation in the onshore Gulf Coast region, United States
Recent work by the U.S. Geological Survey indicated that the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation contains an estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable unconventional gas resource of 8.8 trillion cubic ft in the Maverick Basin, South Texas. Cumulative gas production from horizontal wells in the core area of the emerging play has exceeded 5 billion cubic ft since 2008. However, very littlAuthorsCatherine B. Enomoto, Kristina Scott, Brett J. Valentine, Paul C. Hackley, Kristin Dennen, Celeste D. LohrReview and update of the applications of organic petrology: Part 2, geological and multidisciplinary applications
The present paper is focused on organic petrology applied to unconventional and multidisciplinary investigations and is the second part of a two part review that describes the geological applications and uses of this branch of earth sciences. Therefore, this paper reviews the use of organic petrology in investigations of: (i) ore genesis when organic matter occurs associated with mineralization; (AuthorsIsabel Suarez-Ruiz, Deolinda Flores, João Graciano Mendonça Filho, Paul C. HackleyDefinition of Greater Gulf Basin Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous lower Cenomanian Shale Gas Assessment Unit, United States Gulf of Mexico basin onshore and state waters
An assessment unit (AU) for undiscovered continuous “shale” gas in Lower Cretaceous (Aptian and Albian) and basal Upper Cretaceous (lower Cenomanian) rocks in the USA onshore Gulf of Mexico coastal plain recently was defined by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The AU is part of the Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. Definition oAuthorsKristin O. Dennen, Paul C. HackleyAssessment 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 ValentineReply to Effect of concentration of organic matter on optical maturity parameters. Interlaboratory results of the organic matter concentration working group of the ICCP. Discussion by Vinay K. Sahay
This reply is motivated by Sahay's comments on the paper published by Mendonça Filho et al. (2010) dealing with the effect of concentration of an organic matter on optical maturity parameters. Four points were raised by Sahay: suggestion to use of chemical parameters to assess the effect of isolation, indication that suppression of vitrinite reflectance in liptinite-rich rocks was insufficiently aAuthorsJ.G. Mendonca Filho, C.V. Araujo, A.G. Borrego, A. Cook, D. Flores, Paul C. Hackley, J.C. Hower, M.L. Kern, K. Kommeren, J. Kus, Maria Mastalerz, J.O. Mendonca, T.R. Menezes, J. Newman, P. Ranasinghe, I.V.A.F. Souza, I. Suarez-Ruiz, Y. UjiieOrganic geochemical investigation and coal-bed methane characteristics of the Guasare coals (Paso Diablo mine, western Venezuela)
The aim of this work was to carry out a geochemical study of channel samples collected from six coal beds in the Marcelina Formation (Zulia State, western Venezuela) and to determine experimentally the gas content of the coals from the Paso Diablo mine. Organic geochemical analyses by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and isotopic analyses on-line in coalbed gas samples were performed. The resuAuthorsK. Quintero, M. Martinez, P. Hackley, G. Marquez, G. Garban, I. Esteves, M. EscobarA review of the lignite resources of Arkansas
This review of the lignite resources of Arkansas is a part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA) of the Gulf Coastal Plain Coal Province, which also includes coal-bearing areas in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky (see Ruppert et al., 2002; Dennen, 2009; and other chapters of this publication). Lignite mining isAuthorsPaul C. Hackley, Jason C. Willett, Peter D. Warwick, S.J. Law, 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. Nichols - Web Tools
*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