Zenon Valin
Zenon is a geologist with the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Science and Products
Data supporting the construction of the Three-Dimensional Geologic Map and Geology-based Seismic Velocity Model of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and surrounding region, California
This report includes the previously unpublished primary and derivative data sets that underpin the construction of the three dimensional (3D) geologic map of the upper part of the Earth's crust beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California. The primary data is X,Y,Z locations of stratigraphic horizons and, to a much lesser extent, geologic structures where penetrated by oil and gas we
Digital database for the geologic map along the southern Bartlett Springs fault zone and adjacent area between Cache Creek and Lake Berryessa, Northern Coast Ranges, California
This geologic map database is comprised of new geologic mapping, at a 1:24,000 scale, along the southern Bartlett Springs fault in the northern California Coast Ranges. The map covers an area of 258 square miles in Lake, Napa, Colusa, and Yolo counties, work was undertaken between 2016 and 2021, and supported by the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Map Program. This geodatabase contains the most
Framework geologic map and structure sections along the Bartlett Springs fault zone and adjacent area from Round Valley to Wilbur Springs, northern Coast Ranges, California
The geologic map and accompanying report describes the extent, complexity, architecture, and evolution of the Bartlett Springs Fault Zone between Clear Lake and Round Valley, California. This fault zone is the eastern-most known active member of the San Andreas transform margin in northern California. It is of particular interest for its apparent long-lived history as a Miocene and older subductio
Geologic map of the Providence Mountains in parts of the Fountain Peak and adjacent 7.5' quadrangles, San Bernardino County, California
IntroductionThe Providence Mountains are in the eastern Mojave Desert about 60 km southeast of Baker, San Bernardino County, California. This range, which is noted for its prominent cliffs of Paleozoic limestone, is part of a northeast-trending belt of mountainous terrain more than 100 km long that also includes the Granite Mountains, Mid Hills, and New York Mountains. Providence Mountains State R
Geologic map of the Cerro Gordo Peak 7.5' Quadrangle, Inyo County, California
This digital map database, compiled from new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying pamphlet, it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the strat
Geology, tephrochronology, radiometric ages, and cross sections of the Mark West Springs 7.5' quadrangle, Sonoma and Napa counties, California
The purpose of this geologic map is to provide a context within which to interpret the Neogene evolution of the active strike-slip fault system traversing the Mark West Springs 7.5' quadrangle and adjacent areas. Based on this geologic framework, the timing and total amounts of displacement and the Neogene rates of slip for faults of the right-stepover area between the Healdsburg and Maacama Fault
Filter Total Items: 24
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Susitna Basin of southern Alaska. Using a geology-based methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of about 2 million barrels of oil and nearly 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas may be found in this area.
Authors
Richard G. Stanley, Christopher J. Potter, Kristen A. Lewis, Paul G. Lillis, Anjana K. Shah, Peter J. Haeussler, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Zenon C. Valin, Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald M. Drake, Thomas M. Finn, Seth S. Haines, Debra K. Higley, David W. Houseknecht, Phuong A. Le, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Stanley T. Paxton, Ofori N. Pearson, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, Margarita V. Zyrianova
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cook Inlet region, south-central Alaska, 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a new assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Cook Inlet region of south-central Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of nearly 600 million barrels of oil, about 19 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 46 million barrels of natural gas
Authors
Richard G. Stanley, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Kristen A. Lewis, Paul G. Lillis, Philip H. Nelson, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Potter, William A. Rouse, Richard W. Saltus, Christopher J. Schenk, Anjana K. Shah, Zenon C. Valin
Sedimentary successions of the Arctic Region (58–64° to 90°N) that may be prospective for hydrocarbons
A total of 143 sedimentary successions that contain, or may be prospective for, hydrocarbons were identified in the Arctic Region north of 58–64°N and mapped in four quadrants at a scale of 1:11 000 000. Eighteen of these successions (12.6%) occur in the Arctic Ocean Basin, 25 (17.5%) in the passive and sheared continental margins of the Arctic Basin and 100 (70.0%) on the Circum-Arctic continents
Authors
Arthur Grantz, Robert A. Scott, Sergey S. Drachev, Thomas E. Moore, Zenon C. Valin
Oil and gas resource potential north of the Arctic Circle
The US Geological Survey recently assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional petroleum in the Arctic. Using a new map compilation of sedimentary elements, the area north of the Arctic Circle was subdivided into 70 assessment units, 48 of which were quantitatively assessed. The Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) was a geologically based, probabilistic study that relied mainly on buri
Authors
Donald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, J. H. Schuenemeyer, K. Sorensen, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. Wandrey
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the Arctic
Among the greatest uncertainties in future energy supply and a subject of considerable environmental concern is the amount of oil and gas yet to be found in the Arctic. By using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, the United States Geological Survey has assessed the area north of the Arctic Circle and concluded that about 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13% of the world’s undiscover
Authors
Donald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, John H. Schuenemeyer, Kai Sorenson, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. Wandrey
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic
Among the greatest uncertainties in future energy supply and a subject of considerable environmental concern is the amount of oil and gas yet to be found in the Arctic. By using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, the United States Geological Survey has assessed the area north of the Arctic Circle and concluded that about 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13% of the world’s undiscover
Authors
Donald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald R. Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, John H. Schuenemeyer, Kai Sorensen, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. Wandrey
De-convoluting mixed crude oil in Prudhoe Bay Field, North Slope, Alaska
Seventy-four crude oil samples from the Barrow arch on the North Slope of Alaska were studied to assess the relative volumetric contributions from different source rocks to the giant Prudhoe Bay Field. We applied alternating least squares to concentration data (ALS-C) for 46 biomarkers in the range C19-C35 to de-convolute mixtures of oil generated from carbonate rich Triassic Shublik Formation and
Authors
K. E. Peters, Ramos L. Scott, J.E. Zumberge, Z. C. Valin, K. J. Bird
Restoration of Circum-Arctic Upper Jurassic source rock paleolatitude based on crude oil geochemistry
Tectonic geochemical paleolatitude (TGP) models were developed to predict the paleolatitude of petroleum source rock from the geochemical composition of crude oil. The results validate studies designed to reconstruct ancient source rock depositional environments using oil chemistry and tectonic reconstruction of paleogeography from coordinates of the present day collection site. TGP models can als
Authors
K. E. Peters, L.S. Ramos, J.E. Zumberge, Z. C. Valin, C.R. Scotese
Geomorphology and tectonics at the intersection of Silurian and Death Valleys, Southern California - 2005 Guidebook Pacific Cell Friends of the Pleistocene
This publication describes results from new regional and detailed surficial geologic mapping, combined with geomorphologic, geochronologic, and tectonic studies, in Silurian Valley and Death Valley, California. The studies address a long-standing problem, the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of the intersection between three regional tectonic provinces: the eastern California shear zone, the Basi
Authors
David M. Miller, Zenon C. Valin
Circum-Arctic petroleum systems identified using decision-tree chemometrics
Source- and age-related biomarker and isotopic data were measured for more than 1000 crude oil samples from wells and seeps collected above approximately 55??N latitude. A unique, multitiered chemometric (multivariate statistical) decision tree was created that allowed automated classification of 31 genetically distinct circumArctic oil families based on a training set of 622 oil samples. The meth
Authors
K. E. Peters, L.S. Ramos, J.E. Zumberge, Z. C. Valin, C.R. Scotese, D. L. Gautier
Source-rock geochemistry of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California: Chapter 11 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Source-rock thickness and organic richness are important input parameters required for numerical modeling of the geohistory of petroleum systems. Present-day depth and thickness maps for the upper Miocene Monterey Formation, Eocene Tumey formation of Atwill (1935), Eocene Kreyenhagen Formation, and Cretaceous-Paleocene Moreno Formation source rocks in the San Joaquin Basin were determined using fo
Authors
Kenneth E. Peters, Leslie B. Magoon, Zenon C. Valin, Paul G. Lillis
North Slope, Alaska: Source rock distribution, richness, thermal maturity, and petroleum charge
Four key marine petroleum source rock units were identified, characterized, and mapped in the subsurface to better understand the origin and distribution of petroleum on the North Slope of Alaska. These marine source rocks, from oldest to youngest, include four intervals: (1) Middle-Upper Triassic Shublik Formation, (2) basal condensed section in the Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Kingak Shale, (3) Cre
Authors
K. E. Peters, L. B. Magoon, K. J. Bird, Z. C. Valin, M.A. Keller
Science and Products
- Data
Data supporting the construction of the Three-Dimensional Geologic Map and Geology-based Seismic Velocity Model of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and surrounding region, California
This report includes the previously unpublished primary and derivative data sets that underpin the construction of the three dimensional (3D) geologic map of the upper part of the Earth's crust beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California. The primary data is X,Y,Z locations of stratigraphic horizons and, to a much lesser extent, geologic structures where penetrated by oil and gas weDigital database for the geologic map along the southern Bartlett Springs fault zone and adjacent area between Cache Creek and Lake Berryessa, Northern Coast Ranges, California
This geologic map database is comprised of new geologic mapping, at a 1:24,000 scale, along the southern Bartlett Springs fault in the northern California Coast Ranges. The map covers an area of 258 square miles in Lake, Napa, Colusa, and Yolo counties, work was undertaken between 2016 and 2021, and supported by the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Map Program. This geodatabase contains the most - Maps
Framework geologic map and structure sections along the Bartlett Springs fault zone and adjacent area from Round Valley to Wilbur Springs, northern Coast Ranges, California
The geologic map and accompanying report describes the extent, complexity, architecture, and evolution of the Bartlett Springs Fault Zone between Clear Lake and Round Valley, California. This fault zone is the eastern-most known active member of the San Andreas transform margin in northern California. It is of particular interest for its apparent long-lived history as a Miocene and older subductioGeologic map of the Providence Mountains in parts of the Fountain Peak and adjacent 7.5' quadrangles, San Bernardino County, California
IntroductionThe Providence Mountains are in the eastern Mojave Desert about 60 km southeast of Baker, San Bernardino County, California. This range, which is noted for its prominent cliffs of Paleozoic limestone, is part of a northeast-trending belt of mountainous terrain more than 100 km long that also includes the Granite Mountains, Mid Hills, and New York Mountains. Providence Mountains State RGeologic map of the Cerro Gordo Peak 7.5' Quadrangle, Inyo County, California
This digital map database, compiled from new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying pamphlet, it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratGeology, tephrochronology, radiometric ages, and cross sections of the Mark West Springs 7.5' quadrangle, Sonoma and Napa counties, California
The purpose of this geologic map is to provide a context within which to interpret the Neogene evolution of the active strike-slip fault system traversing the Mark West Springs 7.5' quadrangle and adjacent areas. Based on this geologic framework, the timing and total amounts of displacement and the Neogene rates of slip for faults of the right-stepover area between the Healdsburg and Maacama Fault - Publications
Filter Total Items: 24
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Susitna Basin of southern Alaska. Using a geology-based methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of about 2 million barrels of oil and nearly 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas may be found in this area.AuthorsRichard G. Stanley, Christopher J. Potter, Kristen A. Lewis, Paul G. Lillis, Anjana K. Shah, Peter J. Haeussler, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Zenon C. Valin, Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald M. Drake, Thomas M. Finn, Seth S. Haines, Debra K. Higley, David W. Houseknecht, Phuong A. Le, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Stanley T. Paxton, Ofori N. Pearson, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl A. Woodall, Margarita V. ZyrianovaAssessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cook Inlet region, south-central Alaska, 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a new assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Cook Inlet region of south-central Alaska. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of nearly 600 million barrels of oil, about 19 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 46 million barrels of natural gasAuthorsRichard G. Stanley, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Kristen A. Lewis, Paul G. Lillis, Philip H. Nelson, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Richard M. Pollastro, Christopher J. Potter, William A. Rouse, Richard W. Saltus, Christopher J. Schenk, Anjana K. Shah, Zenon C. ValinSedimentary successions of the Arctic Region (58–64° to 90°N) that may be prospective for hydrocarbons
A total of 143 sedimentary successions that contain, or may be prospective for, hydrocarbons were identified in the Arctic Region north of 58–64°N and mapped in four quadrants at a scale of 1:11 000 000. Eighteen of these successions (12.6%) occur in the Arctic Ocean Basin, 25 (17.5%) in the passive and sheared continental margins of the Arctic Basin and 100 (70.0%) on the Circum-Arctic continentsAuthorsArthur Grantz, Robert A. Scott, Sergey S. Drachev, Thomas E. Moore, Zenon C. ValinOil and gas resource potential north of the Arctic Circle
The US Geological Survey recently assessed the potential for undiscovered conventional petroleum in the Arctic. Using a new map compilation of sedimentary elements, the area north of the Arctic Circle was subdivided into 70 assessment units, 48 of which were quantitatively assessed. The Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA) was a geologically based, probabilistic study that relied mainly on buriAuthorsDonald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, J. H. Schuenemeyer, K. Sorensen, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. WandreyAssessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the Arctic
Among the greatest uncertainties in future energy supply and a subject of considerable environmental concern is the amount of oil and gas yet to be found in the Arctic. By using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, the United States Geological Survey has assessed the area north of the Arctic Circle and concluded that about 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13% of the world’s undiscoverAuthorsDonald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, John H. Schuenemeyer, Kai Sorenson, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. WandreyAssessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic
Among the greatest uncertainties in future energy supply and a subject of considerable environmental concern is the amount of oil and gas yet to be found in the Arctic. By using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, the United States Geological Survey has assessed the area north of the Arctic Circle and concluded that about 30% of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13% of the world’s undiscoverAuthorsDonald L. Gautier, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald R. Charpentier, Arthur Grantz, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas E. Moore, Janet K. Pitman, Christopher J. Schenk, John H. Schuenemeyer, Kai Sorensen, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Zenon C. Valin, Craig J. WandreyDe-convoluting mixed crude oil in Prudhoe Bay Field, North Slope, Alaska
Seventy-four crude oil samples from the Barrow arch on the North Slope of Alaska were studied to assess the relative volumetric contributions from different source rocks to the giant Prudhoe Bay Field. We applied alternating least squares to concentration data (ALS-C) for 46 biomarkers in the range C19-C35 to de-convolute mixtures of oil generated from carbonate rich Triassic Shublik Formation andAuthorsK. E. Peters, Ramos L. Scott, J.E. Zumberge, Z. C. Valin, K. J. BirdRestoration of Circum-Arctic Upper Jurassic source rock paleolatitude based on crude oil geochemistry
Tectonic geochemical paleolatitude (TGP) models were developed to predict the paleolatitude of petroleum source rock from the geochemical composition of crude oil. The results validate studies designed to reconstruct ancient source rock depositional environments using oil chemistry and tectonic reconstruction of paleogeography from coordinates of the present day collection site. TGP models can alsAuthorsK. E. Peters, L.S. Ramos, J.E. Zumberge, Z. C. Valin, C.R. ScoteseGeomorphology and tectonics at the intersection of Silurian and Death Valleys, Southern California - 2005 Guidebook Pacific Cell Friends of the Pleistocene
This publication describes results from new regional and detailed surficial geologic mapping, combined with geomorphologic, geochronologic, and tectonic studies, in Silurian Valley and Death Valley, California. The studies address a long-standing problem, the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of the intersection between three regional tectonic provinces: the eastern California shear zone, the BasiAuthorsDavid M. Miller, Zenon C. ValinCircum-Arctic petroleum systems identified using decision-tree chemometrics
Source- and age-related biomarker and isotopic data were measured for more than 1000 crude oil samples from wells and seeps collected above approximately 55??N latitude. A unique, multitiered chemometric (multivariate statistical) decision tree was created that allowed automated classification of 31 genetically distinct circumArctic oil families based on a training set of 622 oil samples. The methAuthorsK. E. Peters, L.S. Ramos, J.E. Zumberge, Z. C. Valin, C.R. Scotese, D. L. GautierSource-rock geochemistry of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California: Chapter 11 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California
Source-rock thickness and organic richness are important input parameters required for numerical modeling of the geohistory of petroleum systems. Present-day depth and thickness maps for the upper Miocene Monterey Formation, Eocene Tumey formation of Atwill (1935), Eocene Kreyenhagen Formation, and Cretaceous-Paleocene Moreno Formation source rocks in the San Joaquin Basin were determined using foAuthorsKenneth E. Peters, Leslie B. Magoon, Zenon C. Valin, Paul G. LillisNorth Slope, Alaska: Source rock distribution, richness, thermal maturity, and petroleum charge
Four key marine petroleum source rock units were identified, characterized, and mapped in the subsurface to better understand the origin and distribution of petroleum on the North Slope of Alaska. These marine source rocks, from oldest to youngest, include four intervals: (1) Middle-Upper Triassic Shublik Formation, (2) basal condensed section in the Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Kingak Shale, (3) CreAuthorsK. E. Peters, L. B. Magoon, K. J. Bird, Z. C. Valin, M.A. Keller