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Central Energy Resources Science Center

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC) addresses national and global energy geoscience issues and conducts interdisciplinary research on energy systems.   You can explore the projects that are based here using the 'Science' option to the left.

News

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helps fund new USGS facility at Colorado School of Mines, focused on energy and minerals research

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helps fund new USGS facility at Colorado School of Mines, focused on energy and minerals research

MEDIA ADVISORY: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Brain, Director Applegate to Attend Groundbreaking for USGS Energy and Minerals Research Facility

MEDIA ADVISORY: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Brain, Director Applegate to Attend Groundbreaking for USGS Energy and Minerals Research Facility

EMRF Public Meeting Notice & Public Comment Period for Draft Environmental Assessment

EMRF Public Meeting Notice & Public Comment Period for Draft Environmental Assessment

Publications

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the North Chukchi Basin, outer continental shelf of the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, Arctic Ocean, 2023

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of 1.8 billion barrels of oil and 119.9 trillion cubic feet of gas technically recoverable from undiscovered, conventional accumulations in Cretaceous and Cenozoic strata of the North Chukchi Basin.
Authors
David W. Houseknecht, Craig P. Markey, Tracey J. Mercier, Christopher J. Schenk, Christopher D. Connors, Jared T. Gooley, Palma J. Botterell, Rebecca A. Smith, William A. Rouse, Christopher P. Garrity

Influence of rrganic matter thermal maturity on rare earth element distribution: A study of Middle Devonian black shales from the Appalachian Basin, USA

This study focuses on understanding the association of rare earth elements (REE; lanthanides + yttrium + scandium) with organic matter from the Middle Devonian black shales of the Appalachian Basin. Developing a better understanding of the role of organic matter (OM) and thermal maturity in REE partitioning may help improve current geochemical models of REE enrichment in a wide range of black shal
Authors
Shailee Bhattacharya, Shikha Sharma, Vikas Agrawal, Michael C. Dix, Giovanni Zanoni, Justin E. Birdwell, Albert S. Wylie, Tom Wagner

Cathodoluminescence differentiates sedimentary organic matter types

High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) visualization of sedimentary organic matter is widely utilized in the geosciences for evaluating microscale rock properties relevant to depositional environment, diagenesis, and the processes of fluid generation, transport, and storage. However, despite thousands of studies which have incorporated SEM methods, the inability of SEM to differentiate
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Ryan J. McAleer, Aaron M. Jubb, Brett J. Valentine, Justin E. Birdwell