Paul C. Hackley, Ph.D.
Paul Hackley is a Research Geologist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
As project chief of the Thermal Indices project I pursue research on thermal maturity, chemical composition and physical state of sedimentary organic matter. The Thermal Indices project is part of the Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center and is funded by the Energy Resources Program (ERP). The Thermal Indices project team develops and applies petrographic methods for the reliable identification of different types of sedimentary organic matter, and measures and interprets the response of organic matter to thermal stress in natural environments and in laboratory-based heating experiments. Improved understanding of the thermal evolution of sedimentary organic matter enables more accurate assessment of petroleum source rock maturation, thereby decreasing uncertainty in the determination of thermal histories, the timing of petroleum generation and the placement of resource assessment spatial boundaries. This leads to the overall goal of improving estimates of undiscovered petroleum resources, which is a central mission of the ERP.
My work focuses on four integrated research task areas which have petrographic approaches to thermal indices as their common denominator: 1) standardization and reproducibility of measurement, 2) utilization of hydrous pyrolysis for (artificial) thermal conversion of sedimentary organic matter, 3) petrographic innovation areas for thermal indices and organic evolution, and 4) petrographic laboratory support.
Thermal indices research is accomplished from the Organic Petrology and Hydrous Pyrolysis laboratories in Reston. The laboratories include facilities for sample preparation, hydrous pyrolysis, optical and fluorescence microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The Thermal Indices project team works with external collaborators from global academic, government and industry groups. All thermal indices research efforts reach toward the goal of improving fossil fuel resource assessments by generating new understanding of the processes occurring during thermal evolution of sedimentary organic matter and its conversion to petroleum.
Professional Experience
Unconventional petroleum systems
Conventional oil and gas assessment
Coalbed methane
Coal
Application of organic petrology techniques to fossil fuel resource assessment
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., George Mason University
M.S., George Washington University
B.A., Shippensburg State University
Affiliations and Memberships*
The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP)
International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP)
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Geological Society of America (GSA)
Science and Products
Analyzing Heterogeneity in Artificially Matured Samples of Bakken Shales (2018)
Data release for Organic geochemistry and petrology of Devonian shale in eastern Ohio: implications for petroleum systems assessment (2018)
Sample mounting for organic petrology: no thermal effects from transient exposure to elevated temperatures (2019)
Data release for mean random reflectance for products of hydrous pyrolysis experiments on artificial rock mixtures of humic Wyodak-Anderson coal (2018)
Data Release for Application of Raman spectroscopy as thermal maturity probe in shale petroleum systems: insights from natural and artificial maturation series (2018)
Reflectance, Raman band separation and Mean multivariant curve resolution (MCR) in organic matter in Boquillas Shale
Bitumen Reflectance Data from the Tattoo Well in the Horn River Basin, Sample E200205
Testing reproducibility of vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance measurements in North American unconventional petroleum systems (2019)
Petroleum geology data from hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis residues for coals and shales from the Cambrian through the Miocene (ver. 2.0, January 2023)
Photoluminescence Imaging of Whole Zircon Grains on a Petrographic Microscope - An Underused Aide for Geochronologic Studies
Nanoscale Molecular Composition of Solid Bitumen from the Eagle Ford Group Across a Natural Thermal Maturity Gradient
Oil-source rock correlation studies in the unconventional Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale petroleum system, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA (2019)
Vitrinite reflectance analysis
Hydrous pyrolysis of New Albany Shale: A study examining maturation changes and porosity development
Compositional evolution of organic matter in Boquillas Shale across a thermal gradient at the single particle level
Meter-scale lithofacies cycle and controls on variations in oil saturation, Wolfcamp A, Delaware and Midland Basins
Relating Tmax and hydrogen index to vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance in hydrous pyrolysis residues: Comparisons to natural thermal indices
An integrated geochemical, spectroscopic, and petrographic approach to examining the producibility of hydrocarbons from liquids-rich unconventional formations
Organo-facies and mineral effects on sorption capacity of low-maturity Permian Barakar shales from the Auranga Basin, Jharkhand, India
A review of spatially resolved techniques and applications of organic petrography in shale petroleum systems
Organic geochemistry and petrology of Devonian shale in eastern Ohio: Implications for petroleum systems assessment
Organic petrology and geochemistry of the Sunbury and Ohio Shales in eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio
Oil–source correlation studies in the shallow Berea Sandstone petroleum system, eastern Kentucky
Molecular and isotopic gas composition of the Devonian Berea Sandstone and implications for gas evolution, eastern Kentucky
Science and Products
Analyzing Heterogeneity in Artificially Matured Samples of Bakken Shales (2018)
Data release for Organic geochemistry and petrology of Devonian shale in eastern Ohio: implications for petroleum systems assessment (2018)
Sample mounting for organic petrology: no thermal effects from transient exposure to elevated temperatures (2019)
Data release for mean random reflectance for products of hydrous pyrolysis experiments on artificial rock mixtures of humic Wyodak-Anderson coal (2018)
Data Release for Application of Raman spectroscopy as thermal maturity probe in shale petroleum systems: insights from natural and artificial maturation series (2018)
Reflectance, Raman band separation and Mean multivariant curve resolution (MCR) in organic matter in Boquillas Shale
Bitumen Reflectance Data from the Tattoo Well in the Horn River Basin, Sample E200205
Testing reproducibility of vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance measurements in North American unconventional petroleum systems (2019)
Petroleum geology data from hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis residues for coals and shales from the Cambrian through the Miocene (ver. 2.0, January 2023)
Photoluminescence Imaging of Whole Zircon Grains on a Petrographic Microscope - An Underused Aide for Geochronologic Studies
Nanoscale Molecular Composition of Solid Bitumen from the Eagle Ford Group Across a Natural Thermal Maturity Gradient
Oil-source rock correlation studies in the unconventional Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale petroleum system, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA (2019)
Vitrinite reflectance analysis
Hydrous pyrolysis of New Albany Shale: A study examining maturation changes and porosity development
Compositional evolution of organic matter in Boquillas Shale across a thermal gradient at the single particle level
Meter-scale lithofacies cycle and controls on variations in oil saturation, Wolfcamp A, Delaware and Midland Basins
Relating Tmax and hydrogen index to vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance in hydrous pyrolysis residues: Comparisons to natural thermal indices
An integrated geochemical, spectroscopic, and petrographic approach to examining the producibility of hydrocarbons from liquids-rich unconventional formations
Organo-facies and mineral effects on sorption capacity of low-maturity Permian Barakar shales from the Auranga Basin, Jharkhand, India
A review of spatially resolved techniques and applications of organic petrography in shale petroleum systems
Organic geochemistry and petrology of Devonian shale in eastern Ohio: Implications for petroleum systems assessment
Organic petrology and geochemistry of the Sunbury and Ohio Shales in eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio
Oil–source correlation studies in the shallow Berea Sandstone petroleum system, eastern Kentucky
Molecular and isotopic gas composition of the Devonian Berea Sandstone and implications for gas evolution, eastern Kentucky
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government