William H. Craddock, Ph.D.
William Craddock is a Research Geologist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
William's interests include tectonics and the economic geology of sedimentary basins. He employs a broad range of techniques in order to address specific research questions, including geologic mapping, stratigraphic and structural analysis, geochronology, thermochronology and geomorphology. William obtained his Ph.D. in geology from Penn State University in 2011, his M.S. in geology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2006, and his B.S. in environmental geology from the College of William and Mary in 2004. He is a member of the Geological Society of America, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Geological Society of Washington D.C.
Professional Experience
2010 - present: U.S. Geological Survey, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center Science Center, Reston, VA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 2010
M.S. Geological Sciences, University of California at Santa Barbara, 2006
B.S. Environmental Geology, College of William and Mary, 2004
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 14
United States Gulf Coast Basin Curated Wells and Logs Database (ver. 4.0, September 2025) United States Gulf Coast Basin Curated Wells and Logs Database (ver. 4.0, September 2025)
The United States (US) Gulf Coast Basin Curated Wells and Logs Database (CWLDB) is an online repository with stratigraphic information for petroleum wells in the United States portion of the onshore US Gulf Coast Basin that provides several of the following attributes: a) deep penetrations (generally, total depth of 10,000 feet or more), b) high quality and diverse geophysical well log...
Apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track geochronologic and thermochronologic data along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States Apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track geochronologic and thermochronologic data along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States
This data release contains apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track data for six samples collected along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States, from Virginia to the Georgia-South Carolina border. The data resolve phases of rapid exhumational cooling in the Permo-Triassic, additional cooling in the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and slower cooling since the middle of the Cretaceous...
ATR Data from Interaction of kerogen with brine-saturated supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and its implications to geologic carbon sequestration and enhanced oil/gas recovery (2018) ATR Data from Interaction of kerogen with brine-saturated supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and its implications to geologic carbon sequestration and enhanced oil/gas recovery (2018)
The dataset covers Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) measurements taken from altered kerogen in shales from the Woodford formation. The ATR measurements were taken after the samples were run through supercritical CO2 alteration experiments in a brine solution.
U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in Paleogene strata of the Gulf Coast U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in Paleogene strata of the Gulf Coast
This data release contains 60 detrital zircon age spectra, based on U and Pb isotope ratio measurements for 9399 single grains. The samples are from Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Of the 9399 single grain measurements, we recommend that 8640 yield ages that are suitable for construction of detrital zircon age spectra. Comments tagged to individual grains explain the reasoning...
Apatite and zircon fission track data from the western Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska Apatite and zircon fission track data from the western Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska
The attached data are apatite and zircon fission track measurements from rock samples collected across the western Brooks Range. Table 1 contains descriptive information on each sample. Tables 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e contain single grain, apatite fission track age data for samples from each of five datasets that comprise the overall apatite fission track age dataset. Tables 3a, 3b, 3c, and...
USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (ver. 2.0, October 2023) USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (ver. 2.0, October 2023)
The USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (GCSRD) is an online repository for all publicly available source rock data (outcrop and subsurface) from the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. "Source rock data" are defined in this context as data that include any of the following measured or calculated parameters: -total organic carbon (TOC),...
Filter Total Items: 35
Multivariate classification of the crude oil petroleum systems in southeast Texas, USA, using conventional and compositional data analysis of biomarkers Multivariate classification of the crude oil petroleum systems in southeast Texas, USA, using conventional and compositional data analysis of biomarkers
Chemically, petroleum is an extraordinarily complex mixture of different types of hydrocarbons that are now possible to isolate and identify because of advances in geochemistry. Here, we use biomarkers and carbon isotopes to establish genetic differences and similarities among oil samples. Conventional approaches for evaluating biomarker and carbon isotope relative abundances include...
Authors
Ricardo A. Olea, J. Martin-Fernandez, William Craddock
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021 Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1,407 billion (1.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas in conventional accumulations in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska.
Authors
David Houseknecht, Tracey Mercier, Christopher Schenk, Thomas Moore, William Rouse, Julie Dumoulin, William Craddock, Richard Lease, Palma Botterell, Margaret Sanders, Rebecca Smith, Christopher Connors, Christopher Garrity, Katherine Whidden, Jared Gooley, John Counts, Joshua Long, Christina DeVera
Potential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah Potential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah
Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is necessary to help meet emissions reduction goals, but groundwater contamination may occur if CO2 and/or brine were to leak out of deep storage formations into the shallow subsurface. For this study, a natural analogue was investigated: in the Virgin River Basin of southwest Utah, water with moderate salinity and high CO2 concentrations is leaking...
Authors
Michelle Plampin, Madalyn S. Blondes, Eric Sonnenthal, William Craddock
Detrital zircon age spectra of middle and upper Eocene outcrop belts, U.S. Gulf Coast region Detrital zircon age spectra of middle and upper Eocene outcrop belts, U.S. Gulf Coast region
Recently reported detrital zircon (DZ) data help to associate the Paleogene strata of the Gulf of Mexico region to various provenance areas. By far, recent work has emphasised upper Paleocene-lower Eocene and upper Oligocene strata that were deposited during the two episodes of the highest sediment supply in the Paleogene. The data reveal a dynamic drainage history, including (1) initial...
Authors
William Craddock, James L. Coleman Jr., Andrew Kylander-Clark
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (associated and nonassociated) in conventional accumulations in Mississippian through Paleogene strata in the central North Slope of Alaska.
Authors
David Houseknecht, Katherine Whidden, Christopher Connors, Richard Lease, Christopher Schenk, Tracey Mercier, William Rouse, Palma J. Botterell, Rebecca Smith, Margaret M. Sanders, William Craddock, Christina DeVera, Christopher Garrity, Marc Buursink, C. Karacan, Samuel Heller, Thomas Moore, Julie Dumoulin, Marilyn Tennyson, Katherine French, Cheryl Woodall, Ronald Drake, Kristen Marra, Thomas Finn, Scott Kinney, Chilisa Shorten
Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic exhumation of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, revealed from apatite and zircon fission track data Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic exhumation of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, revealed from apatite and zircon fission track data
We report data for 112 apatite and 31 zircon fission track (AFT and ZFT) outcrop sandstone samples along a transect that spans the western Brooks Range. Sampling targeted structures that modify the Middle Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous early Brookian orogen. The AFT samples record latest Cretaceous to Eocene in situ exhumational cooling and resolve two kinematic phases. The first phase was...
Authors
William Craddock, Thomas Moore, Paul O'Sullivan, Christopher Potter, David Houseknecht
Non-USGS Publications**
Craddock, W.H., Burbank, D.W., Bookhagen, Bodo, and Gabet, E.J., 2007, Bedrock channel geometry along an orographic rainfall gradient in the upper Marsyandi River valley in central Nepal: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 112(F3), F03007, doi: 10.1029/2006JF000589.
Craddock, W.H., Kirby, E., and Zhang, Huiping, 2011, Late Miocene-Pliocene range growth in the interior of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Lithosphere, v. 3(6), p. 420 – 438, doi: 10.1130/L159.1 ngeo777.
Craddock, W.H., Kirby, Eric, Harkins, N.W., Zhang, Huiping, Shi, Xuhua, and Liu, Jianhui, 2010, Rapid fluvial incision along the Yellow River during headward basin integration: Nature Geoscience, v. 3, p. 209-213, doi: 10.1038/ngeo777.
Duvall, A.R., Clark, M.K., Kirby, Eric, Farley, K.A., Craddock, W.H., Li, C., and Yuan, Daoyang, 2013, Low-temperature thermochronometry along the Kunlun and Haiyuan Faults, NE Tibetan Plateau: Evidence for kinematic change during late-stage orogenesis: Tectonics, v. 32, n. 5, p. 1190-1211, doi: 10.1002/tect.20072.
Yuan, Daoyang, Ge, Weipeng, Chen, Zhenwei, Li, Chuanyou, Wang, Zhicai, Zhang, Huiping, Zhang, Peizhen, Zheng, Dewen, Zheng, Wenjun, Craddock, W.H., Dayem, K.E., Duvall, A.R., Hough, B.G., Lease, R.O., Champagnac, J.-D., Burbank, D.W., Clark, M.K., Farley, K.A., Garzione, C.N., Kirby, Eric, Molnar, Peter, and Roe, G.H., 2013, The growth of northeastern Tibet and its relevance to large-scale continental geodynamics: A review of recent studies: Tectonics, v. 32, n. 5, p. 1358-1370.
Zhang, Huiping, Zhang, Peizhen, Champagnac, J.-D., Molnar, Peter, Anderson, R.S., Kirby, Eric, Craddock, W.H., and Liu, Shaofeng, 2014, Pleistocene drainage reorganization driven by the isostatic response to deep incision into the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Geology, v. 42, n. 4, p. 303-304, doi. 10.1130/G35115.1.
**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
Filter Total Items: 14
United States Gulf Coast Basin Curated Wells and Logs Database (ver. 4.0, September 2025) United States Gulf Coast Basin Curated Wells and Logs Database (ver. 4.0, September 2025)
The United States (US) Gulf Coast Basin Curated Wells and Logs Database (CWLDB) is an online repository with stratigraphic information for petroleum wells in the United States portion of the onshore US Gulf Coast Basin that provides several of the following attributes: a) deep penetrations (generally, total depth of 10,000 feet or more), b) high quality and diverse geophysical well log...
Apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track geochronologic and thermochronologic data along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States Apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track geochronologic and thermochronologic data along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States
This data release contains apatite and zircon U/Pb and fission track data for six samples collected along the Fall Line of the southeastern United States, from Virginia to the Georgia-South Carolina border. The data resolve phases of rapid exhumational cooling in the Permo-Triassic, additional cooling in the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and slower cooling since the middle of the Cretaceous...
ATR Data from Interaction of kerogen with brine-saturated supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and its implications to geologic carbon sequestration and enhanced oil/gas recovery (2018) ATR Data from Interaction of kerogen with brine-saturated supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and its implications to geologic carbon sequestration and enhanced oil/gas recovery (2018)
The dataset covers Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) measurements taken from altered kerogen in shales from the Woodford formation. The ATR measurements were taken after the samples were run through supercritical CO2 alteration experiments in a brine solution.
U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in Paleogene strata of the Gulf Coast U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in Paleogene strata of the Gulf Coast
This data release contains 60 detrital zircon age spectra, based on U and Pb isotope ratio measurements for 9399 single grains. The samples are from Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Of the 9399 single grain measurements, we recommend that 8640 yield ages that are suitable for construction of detrital zircon age spectra. Comments tagged to individual grains explain the reasoning...
Apatite and zircon fission track data from the western Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska Apatite and zircon fission track data from the western Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska
The attached data are apatite and zircon fission track measurements from rock samples collected across the western Brooks Range. Table 1 contains descriptive information on each sample. Tables 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e contain single grain, apatite fission track age data for samples from each of five datasets that comprise the overall apatite fission track age dataset. Tables 3a, 3b, 3c, and...
USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (ver. 2.0, October 2023) USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (ver. 2.0, October 2023)
The USGS Gulf Coast Source Rock Database (GCSRD) is an online repository for all publicly available source rock data (outcrop and subsurface) from the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. "Source rock data" are defined in this context as data that include any of the following measured or calculated parameters: -total organic carbon (TOC),...
Filter Total Items: 35
Multivariate classification of the crude oil petroleum systems in southeast Texas, USA, using conventional and compositional data analysis of biomarkers Multivariate classification of the crude oil petroleum systems in southeast Texas, USA, using conventional and compositional data analysis of biomarkers
Chemically, petroleum is an extraordinarily complex mixture of different types of hydrocarbons that are now possible to isolate and identify because of advances in geochemistry. Here, we use biomarkers and carbon isotopes to establish genetic differences and similarities among oil samples. Conventional approaches for evaluating biomarker and carbon isotope relative abundances include...
Authors
Ricardo A. Olea, J. Martin-Fernandez, William Craddock
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021 Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1,407 billion (1.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas in conventional accumulations in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska.
Authors
David Houseknecht, Tracey Mercier, Christopher Schenk, Thomas Moore, William Rouse, Julie Dumoulin, William Craddock, Richard Lease, Palma Botterell, Margaret Sanders, Rebecca Smith, Christopher Connors, Christopher Garrity, Katherine Whidden, Jared Gooley, John Counts, Joshua Long, Christina DeVera
Potential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah Potential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah
Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is necessary to help meet emissions reduction goals, but groundwater contamination may occur if CO2 and/or brine were to leak out of deep storage formations into the shallow subsurface. For this study, a natural analogue was investigated: in the Virgin River Basin of southwest Utah, water with moderate salinity and high CO2 concentrations is leaking...
Authors
Michelle Plampin, Madalyn S. Blondes, Eric Sonnenthal, William Craddock
Detrital zircon age spectra of middle and upper Eocene outcrop belts, U.S. Gulf Coast region Detrital zircon age spectra of middle and upper Eocene outcrop belts, U.S. Gulf Coast region
Recently reported detrital zircon (DZ) data help to associate the Paleogene strata of the Gulf of Mexico region to various provenance areas. By far, recent work has emphasised upper Paleocene-lower Eocene and upper Oligocene strata that were deposited during the two episodes of the highest sediment supply in the Paleogene. The data reveal a dynamic drainage history, including (1) initial...
Authors
William Craddock, James L. Coleman Jr., Andrew Kylander-Clark
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Central North Slope of Alaska, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (associated and nonassociated) in conventional accumulations in Mississippian through Paleogene strata in the central North Slope of Alaska.
Authors
David Houseknecht, Katherine Whidden, Christopher Connors, Richard Lease, Christopher Schenk, Tracey Mercier, William Rouse, Palma J. Botterell, Rebecca Smith, Margaret M. Sanders, William Craddock, Christina DeVera, Christopher Garrity, Marc Buursink, C. Karacan, Samuel Heller, Thomas Moore, Julie Dumoulin, Marilyn Tennyson, Katherine French, Cheryl Woodall, Ronald Drake, Kristen Marra, Thomas Finn, Scott Kinney, Chilisa Shorten
Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic exhumation of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, revealed from apatite and zircon fission track data Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic exhumation of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, revealed from apatite and zircon fission track data
We report data for 112 apatite and 31 zircon fission track (AFT and ZFT) outcrop sandstone samples along a transect that spans the western Brooks Range. Sampling targeted structures that modify the Middle Jurassic‐Early Cretaceous early Brookian orogen. The AFT samples record latest Cretaceous to Eocene in situ exhumational cooling and resolve two kinematic phases. The first phase was...
Authors
William Craddock, Thomas Moore, Paul O'Sullivan, Christopher Potter, David Houseknecht
Non-USGS Publications**
Craddock, W.H., Burbank, D.W., Bookhagen, Bodo, and Gabet, E.J., 2007, Bedrock channel geometry along an orographic rainfall gradient in the upper Marsyandi River valley in central Nepal: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 112(F3), F03007, doi: 10.1029/2006JF000589.
Craddock, W.H., Kirby, E., and Zhang, Huiping, 2011, Late Miocene-Pliocene range growth in the interior of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Lithosphere, v. 3(6), p. 420 – 438, doi: 10.1130/L159.1 ngeo777.
Craddock, W.H., Kirby, Eric, Harkins, N.W., Zhang, Huiping, Shi, Xuhua, and Liu, Jianhui, 2010, Rapid fluvial incision along the Yellow River during headward basin integration: Nature Geoscience, v. 3, p. 209-213, doi: 10.1038/ngeo777.
Duvall, A.R., Clark, M.K., Kirby, Eric, Farley, K.A., Craddock, W.H., Li, C., and Yuan, Daoyang, 2013, Low-temperature thermochronometry along the Kunlun and Haiyuan Faults, NE Tibetan Plateau: Evidence for kinematic change during late-stage orogenesis: Tectonics, v. 32, n. 5, p. 1190-1211, doi: 10.1002/tect.20072.
Yuan, Daoyang, Ge, Weipeng, Chen, Zhenwei, Li, Chuanyou, Wang, Zhicai, Zhang, Huiping, Zhang, Peizhen, Zheng, Dewen, Zheng, Wenjun, Craddock, W.H., Dayem, K.E., Duvall, A.R., Hough, B.G., Lease, R.O., Champagnac, J.-D., Burbank, D.W., Clark, M.K., Farley, K.A., Garzione, C.N., Kirby, Eric, Molnar, Peter, and Roe, G.H., 2013, The growth of northeastern Tibet and its relevance to large-scale continental geodynamics: A review of recent studies: Tectonics, v. 32, n. 5, p. 1358-1370.
Zhang, Huiping, Zhang, Peizhen, Champagnac, J.-D., Molnar, Peter, Anderson, R.S., Kirby, Eric, Craddock, W.H., and Liu, Shaofeng, 2014, Pleistocene drainage reorganization driven by the isostatic response to deep incision into the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Geology, v. 42, n. 4, p. 303-304, doi. 10.1130/G35115.1.
**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.