Energy Quarterly - Fall 2020
We close the year with highlights of a new assessment, a new partnership for geothermal energy and critical mineral research in western Nevada, a new patent in coalbed methane research, use of remote sensing to look for critical mineral and energy potential, and much more. Happy Holidays and a Science New Year 2021 from the Energy and Minerals Mission Area!
Recent Publications: Energy Quarterly Fall 2020
Featured article in Fall 2020 Edition of the Energy Quarterly Newsletter.
Mixing Oil and Water
In south Texas, a wide band of rocks stretches from the Mexican border all the way to western Louisiana, forming the highly productive Eagle Ford Group. These formations, made up primarily of shale and mudstone, are some of the most prolific oil and gas-producing rocks in the United States.
Earth Science Week 2020 Highlights
USGS has been a longtime sponsor of Earth Science Week founded in 1998 by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI). It is an annual international event held during the second week of October to encourage better public understanding of and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and Earth stewardship.
USGS Estimates Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources in the Austin Chalk
USGS Estimates 6.9 Billion Barrels of Oil in Austin Chalk
Using Remote Sensing to Turn Trash into Treasure
There’s an old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. At the USGS, we’re taking another look at old mine waste and tailings to see if there might still be mineral potential in them.
USGS and EERE: Collaborating to Strengthen America’s Energy and Resource Independence
In a joint blog post hosted by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Rewenable Energy, DOE EERE Assistant Secretary Dan Simmons and Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tim Petty announce a new partnership for geothermal energy and critical mineral research in western Nevada.
New Patent Helps Coalbed Methane Research
Far underground, in a Wyoming well-bore drilled through rock and coal, exciting research is bubbling up. USGS researchers are studying how bacteria and other microbes may play a role in the formation of natural gas from coal, and they’re using one of USGS’ newest patents to do it. This patent is the subsurface environmental sampler, or SES.
Minerals Corner Fall 2020
USGS Mineral Resources Program Highlights for the Fall 2020 Edition of the USGS Energy Quarterly Newsletter