Publications
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Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, and Wyoming-Idaho-Utah Thrust Belt
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140) directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). The methodology used by the USGS for the national CO2 assessment follows up on previous USGS work. The methodology is non-economic and intended to be used at regional to subbasinal scales. Thi
Authors
Marc L. Buursink, Ernie R. Slucher, Sean T. Brennan, Colin A. Doolan, Ronald M. Drake, Matthew D. Merrill, Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Celeste D. Lohr
National Assessment of Oil and Gas Project: geologic assessment of undiscovered gas hydrate resources on the North Slope, Alaska
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have completed the first assessment of the undiscovered, technically recoverable gas hydrate resources beneath the North Slope of Alaska. This assessment indicates the existence of technically recoverable gas hydrate resources—that is, resources that can be discovered, developed, and produced using current technology.
The approach used in this assessment
Authors
Timothy S. USGS AK Gas Hydrate Assessment Team: Collett, Warren F. Agena, Myung Woong Lee, Kristen A. Lewis, Margarita V. Zyrianova, Kenneth J. Bird, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, David W. Houseknecht, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro
Thermal-maturity limit for primary thermogenic-gas generation from humic coals as determined by hydrous pyrolysis
Hydrous-pyrolysis experiments at 360°C (680°F) for 72 h were conducted on 53 humic coals representing ranks from lignite through anthracite to determine the upper maturity limit for hydrocarbon-gas generation from their kerogen and associated bitumen (i.e., primary gas generation). These experimental conditions are below those needed for oil cracking to ensure that generated gas was not derived fr
Authors
Michael Lewan, M.J. Kotarba
Distal facies variability within the Upper Triassic part of the Otuk Formation in northern Alaska
The Triassic-Jurassic Otuk Formation is a potentially important source rock in allochthonous structural positions in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range in the North Slope of Alaska. This study focuses on three localities of the Upper Triassic (Norian) limestone member, which form a present-day, 110-km-long, east-west transect in the central Brooks Range. All three sections are within the s
Authors
Katherine J. Whidden, Julie A. Dumoulin, M.T. Whalen, E. Hutton, Thomas E. Moore, Stephanie B. Gaswirth
In-place oil shale resources in the saline-mineral and saline-leached intervals, Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation, Piceance Basin, Colorado
A recent U.S. Geological Survey analysis of the Green River Formation of the Piceance Basin in western Colorado shows that about 920 and 352 billion barrels of oil are potentially recoverable from oil shale resources using oil-yield cutoffs of 15 and 25 gallons per ton (GPT), respectively. This represents most of the high-grade oil shale in the United States. Much of this rich oil shale is found i
Authors
Justin E. Birdwell, Tracey J. Mercier, Ronald C. Johnson, Michael E. Brownfield, John D. Dietrich
Differentiation of pre-existing trapped methane from thermogenic methane in an igneous-intruded coal by hydrous pyrolysis
So as to better understand how the gas generation potential of coal changes with increasing rank, same-seam samples of bituminous coal from the Illinois Basin that were naturally matured to varying degrees by the intrusion of an igneous dike were subjected to hydrous pyrolysis (HP) conditions of 360 °C for 72 h. The accumulated methane in the reactor headspace was analyzed for δ13C and δ2H, and mo
Authors
Robert F. Dias, Michael D. Lewan, Justin E. Birdwell, Maciej J. Kotarba
Rock-Eval pyrolysis and vitrinite reflectance results from the Sheep Creek 1 well, Susitna basin, south-central Alaska
We used Rock-Eval pyrolysis and vitrinite reflectance to examine the petroleum source potential of rock samples from the Sheep Creek 1 well in the Susitna basin of south-central Alaska. The results show that Miocene nonmarine coal, carbonaceous shale, and mudstone are potential sources of hydrocarbons and are thermally immature with respect to the oil window. In the samples that we studied, coals
Authors
Richard G. Stanley, Paul G. Lillis, Mark J. Pawlewicz, Peter J. Haeussler
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Fossil plants from a proximal alluvial-fan complex: Implications for late Paleozoic sedimentary processes in western tropical Pangea
No abstract available.
Authors
Jacqueline E. Huntoon, Krystle Boks, Len Mankowski, Tara L. Campbell Wyrembelski, Russell Dubiel, John D. Stanesco
Arsenic speciation in solids using X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an in situ, minimally-destructive, element-specific, molecular-scale structural probe that has been employed to study the chemical forms (species) of arsenic (As) in solid and aqueous phases (including rocks, soils, sediment, synthetic compounds, and numerous types of biota including humans) for more than 20 years. Although several excellent
Authors
Andrea L. Foster, Chris S. Kim
Upper Devonian–Mississippian stratigraphic framework of the Arkoma Basin and distribution of potential source-rock facies in the Woodford–Chattanooga and Fayetteville–Caney shale-gas systems
Wireline logs were used to document the stratigraphic framework of Upper Devonian–Mississippian strata in the Arkoma Basin, and maps of high-gamma ray (HGR) log response were used to analyze the spatial distribution of potential source rocks in the Woodford–Chattanooga and Fayetteville–Caney shale-gas systems. The Woodford–Chattanooga shale is a transgressive deposit that accumulated on an arid co
Authors
David W. Houseknecht, William A. Rouse, Stanley T. Paxton, John C. Mars, Bryant R. Fulk
A synoptic examination of causes of land loss in southern Louisiana as related to the exploitation of subsurface geologic resources
During the last 80 years, Louisiana has been losing wetlands at an average rate of 62 km2/y (24 mi2/y) for an accumulated loss of approximately 4900 km2 (1900 mi2). The loss seems to be the combined result of natural and anthropogenic causes that are behind primarily land subsidence averaging about 10 mm/y (0.4 in/y) coinciding with a sea level rise now at 3 mm/y (0.1 in/y), both contributing to c
Authors
Ricardo A. Olea, James L. Coleman
Noble gas geochemistry investigation of high CO2 natural gas at the LaBarge Platform, Wyoming, USA
A regional sampling of gases from thermal springs near the LaBarge Field, Wyoming, USA to determine the extent of the total carbon dioxide system (TCDS) indicates that the system may extend up to 70 km to the northwest of the field. Geochemical evidence from noble gas isotopes, stable element isotopes, and gas composition provide the foundation for these conclusions. Samples from Soda Springs to t
Authors
Matthew D. Merrill, Andrew G. Hunt, Celeste D. Lohr