Tanya Gallegos is an Associate Program Coordinator, Mineral Resources Program (MRP) in Reston, VA.
Dr. Tanya Gallegos is a research engineer at the U.S. Geological survey and a registered professional engineer in New Mexico. She joined USGS in 2007 as a Mendenhall Post-Doctoral fellow to study the redox chemistry of iron sulfide, arsenic and uranium in uranium mine waters. Her current research encompasses field and lab studies to understand the products, byproducts and wastes from the energy resource life cycles – unconventional oil and shale gas recovery via hydraulic fracturing and uranium recovery via mining and milling. Research topics include: geochemical and isotopic characterization of mine influenced water, oilfield brine, ore, and solid surfaces (gamma spectrometry, SEM, XRD, ICP-OES, ICP-MS EXAFS/XAS); geochemical modeling; integrated assessments for energy resource development; assessing water use in hydraulic fracturing and uranium mining; groundwater restoration at ISR uranium mines; dilute inorganic chemistry; groundwater remediation of trace elements; and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). She is currently managing the Naturally Occurring Radionuclide Lab and the Advancements in Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology of Energy Resources project. She leads three tasks: Developing sensing Methods to Identify Abandoned Mines, Waste as a Resource in Abandoned Mines, and NORM Products in Energy Resource Life Cycles. Tanya also serves on the steering committees for the Federal Remediation Technology Roundtable and the Federal Mining Dialogue and has previously served on the New Mexico Uranium Mining Task Force. She is also an associate editor for Applied Geochemistry. From 2010-2012, she served on the USGS Strategic Science Planning Team for the Energy and Minerals Resource Mission Area.
Work Experience
Research and Applied Engineering Expertise
- Geochemical and isotopic interpretation of unconventional oil and gas produced waters
- Water use in oil and gas production using hydraulic fracturing in the United States
- Water use and groundwater contamination following uranium mining
- Spectroscopic study of nanoscale iron sulfide and uranium reaction products
- Gamma ray spectroscopy for evaluation of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM)
- Development of geoenvironmental assessment methodology for uranium mining
- Rock-water-oil interactions during hydraulic fracturing of tight oil plays
- Laboratory studies to understand the redox behavior of iron sulfides, uranium and arsenic
- Geochemical controls on uranium following in-situ uranium recovery (ISR)
- Geochemical and isotopic tracers of elements from uranium mining and hydraulic fracturing
- Characteristics of uranium deposits amenable to situ recovery of uranium in WY and TX
- Civil engineering design of water, wastewater, and drainage systems.
Science and Products
Remote Sensing Techniques for Characterizing Energy Resources in Waste
NORM Byproducts of Energy Resources
Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: An Assessment of the Potential Effects of Shale Gas Development on Water Resources in the United States
Science and Products
- Science
Remote Sensing Techniques for Characterizing Energy Resources in Waste
Funded by the USGS Energy Resource Program “Shark Tank” grant. The goal of this project is to develop a method to use remotely collected satellite and airborne data to ascertain the quantity and quality of waste at abandoned uranium mines to better estimate the resource potential, identify abandoned mines and explore potential applications to other energy resources. This is a collaborative effort...NORM Byproducts of Energy Resources
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) is found in waste produced during the extraction of uranium, phosphate, rare earth elements (REE), coal, oil and gas resources. The focus of this effort is to understand the potential for byproduct recovery of U-235 and Th-232, the fissionable isotopes used to generate nuclear energy from wastes produced during energy resource development. The NORM...Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: An Assessment of the Potential Effects of Shale Gas Development on Water Resources in the United States
Shale gas is a key source of onshore domestic energy for the United States and production of this resource is increasing rapidly. Development and extraction of shale gas requires hydraulic fracturing, which entails horizontal drilling, perforation of steel casing and cement grout using explosive charges, and expansion of fractures using fluids under high pressure. Concern over potential environmen - Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
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