Please Note: All newsletter bodytext hyperlinks are provided in an ordered list at the end of this document. (Begin Newsletter-Page1) USGS science for a changing world "Front&Center!" Quarterly Science Newsletter Frontline Geoscience within the Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center, Reston, Virginia October 31st, 2022 Issue #8 Center Director Note Welcome to the eighth issue of the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center (GEM or GEMSC) quarterly newsletter. Since the last newsletter, GEM staff have released 6 publications, 4 data releases, and presented at several conference venues including The Society for Organic Petrology and the 16th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies. We welcomed 1 new employee this quarter and are excited to onboard additional professionals in the near future. As I write this, I’m nearing the end of my detail as Acting Center Director for GEMSC. Our regular Center Director, Tina Roberts-Ashby, finishes her assignment with the Office of Management and Budget in mid-December. Upon her return, I’ll revert back to my position as Associate Science Center Director for GEMSC work on mineral resources (with the Mineral Resources Program) and geologic mapping (with the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program). In the six months that I’ve been in this position, I’ve seen some significant accomplishments by Center personnel – from major awards (Robert H. Dott Sr. Award – see page 5), through important and beneficial topics of scientific investigations, to influential publications on assessments, resource discoveries, and amazing microbes (see page 2). Science Center staff have made the journey back to the office routine after a pandemic. Research and administrative teams have come together to address daunting technical and support issues, respectively, and have come through with flying colors. We have strengthened our ties with other USGS Science Centers and Northeast Region leadership and now are poised to undertake more collaborative work. We’re revitalizing our staff by bringing on several new, bright scientists and support staff. It’s been a good run. I wish you peace and wonder during the Holiday Season and a successful New Year. To explore more about what we do, please visit our USGS GEMSC website. If you know anyone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, or if you would like to adjust your subscription status, please refer to the online subscription form. As always, please reach out to me directly (cbrezinski@usgs.gov) with any comments, questions, or ideas for collaboration. ~ Carla Kertis Brezinski, Acting Center Director of the GEMSC Science Spotlight Assessment of Undiscovered Conventional Gas Resources in Deep Tuscaloosa Group Sandstones GEMSC scientists Matt Merrill and Catherine Enomoto recently published a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fact Sheet on the assessment of undiscovered conventional gas resources in the deep Tuscaloosa Group in the Western U.S. Gulf Coast region. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated undiscovered and technically recoverable mean resources of 14,785 billion cubic feet of gas in sandstone units within the Tuscaloosa Group reservoir. In addition, the study defined the lateral extent of the deposit, depositional environment, net thickness, and reservoir quality (porosity and permeability). (Begin Page 2) Science Spotlight (Continued) Identification of Bioremediating Microbes that Degrade Soil Contaminants GEMSC scientist Denise Akob and a team of collaborators recently published a journal article in Environmental Microbiology that identified a unique strain of acetylene-consuming microbes and outlined the strain’s potential use as an economic microbe beyond its well-known abilities to improve plant health and crop yields. In this study, researchers used advanced tools for genome delineation, cultivation, and protein prediction analysis. The isolation of Bradyrhizobium strain I71 expanded the knowledge and understanding of the distribution of acetylene-consuming microbes to include a group of economically important microorganisms that can degrade soil contaminants. A link to the study can be found HERE. A Recently Discovered Trachyte-Hosted Rare Earth Element-Niobium-Zirconium Occurrence GEMSC Emeritus Scientist John Slack and a team of collaborators including USGS scientist Anjana Shah (Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Denver, CO) published a paper in Economic Geology describing the discovery of a trachyte-hosted rare earth element (REE) — Niobium (Nb) — Zirconium (Zr) deposit in northern Maine. The deposit was discovered by an airborne radiometric survey that showed anomalously high Th and U concentrations which were confirmed through field and laboratory analyses. The deposit is ~1.2 km2 at the surface and geologic constraints suggest that the trachyte is Ordovician in age. A link to the article can be found HERE. The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP) 2022 Conference GEMSC scientists Paul Hackley, Brett Valentine, and Aaron Jubb, and Florence Bascom Geoscience Center scientist Ryan McAleer taught a short course at the 2022 The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP) conference titled, Spatially resolved techniques and applications of organic petrography in shale petroleum systems. In the two-day course the instructors presented a comprehensive review of spatially resolved techniques for organic petrography and spectroscopy in shale and mudrock. The course focused on petroleum system applications, including thermal maturity interpretation, conversion of sedimentary organic matter to petroleum, and development of organic porosity. The course was based on a review paper by Hackley et al. 2021. An overview of the short course and link to the society can be found HERE. (Begin Page 3) Science Spotlight (Continued) 16th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-16) GEMSC scientists Peter Warwick and Sean Brennan recently presented at the 16th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-16) in Lyon, France. Peter was invited to present the results of the recently completed USGS assessment of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention resources of the United States. A link to the published USGS fact sheet can be found HERE. Sean gave a presentation on the plans and progress towards performing international geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) resource assessments. This project would help countries, particularly those with emerging economies, understand the mass of CO2 they could store in geologic strata within their borders and provide countries with pathways for reducing emissions to meet their future climate mitigation goals. Papers presented at this conference will be published by the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) and will be available in the near future. Produced Water Sample Collection from Arkansas Oil and Brine Wells GEMSC scientists Madalyn Blondes, Bonnie McDevitt, Amanda Herzberg, and Colin Doolan joined Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center scientist Kathy Knierim and colleagues from the Arkansas Geologic Survey on a successful sampling campaign in August to collect produced water samples from oil and brine wells in southern Arkansas. The main goals of the sampling were to 1) expand on historical datasets to characterize lithium resources in the brines of southern Arkansas, 2) understand the origin of high lithium brines in hydrocarbon settings, 3) obtain samples for collaborative projects on brine lithium extraction technologies, and 4) fill in gaps of the USGS Produced Waters Geochemical Database. The team collected 35 brine samples from 26 wells and adapted specialized sampling techniques to sample sour wells with hazardous levels of H2S gas. The samples are currently being analyzed to help develop a predictive model for lithium in oilfield brines. For more information contact Madalyn Blondes (mblondes@usgs.gov). Employee Corner Margaret (Maggie) Sanders Maggie Sanders joined the GEMSC after completing a USGS postdoc working with the Alaska Petroleum Systems, Thermal Indices Innovation, and Advancements in Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology of Energy Resources (AGGER) GEMSC projects. She received a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Environmental Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology and Geoscience, respectively, from Southern Illinois University. Maggie now works in the USGS Radiogenic Isotope Laboratory where she runs inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipment to support research on the environmental effects of mineral deposits. (Begin Page 4) Scientist Profile ~ Peter Warwick My interest in rocks began as a kid growing up on a farm in eastern North Carolina. I collected rocks and bones and kept them in a box under my bed. Eventually, I earned degrees in geology and studied sedimentology, stratigraphy, and the geology of energy resources. I first came to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a National Research Council (NRC) Research Associate and spent two years studying depositional environments and organic petrology of coal-bearing intervals in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana. After completing the NRC appointment, I was hired by the USGS to work on a coal exploration and assessment project in Pakistan. I lived in Pakistan for several years where I worked jointly with the Geological Survey of Pakistan to conduct field work in support of exploration drilling and regional coal resource assessments. Later, I participated in multiple international energy assessment projects in Armenia, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Czech Republic, India, Mexico, Poland, and South Korea. These projects provided valuable international research experience and broadened my perspective of the global geologic community. During and after my participation in the international projects mentioned above, I was an assessment geologist and project lead or co-lead on assessment projects that evaluated the coal resources and hydrocarbon resources of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal region. The results of the Gulf Coast coal assessment project were published as an American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) “Studies in Geology” publication that consisted of 20 chapters including a digital GIS map product. Later, I was part of a USGS assessment team that evaluated the hydrocarbon resources for the U.S. Gulf Basin onshore and State waters in the Paleogene stratigraphic interval in 2007, and the Lower Cretaceous stratigraphic interval in 2010. Included in the assessment was an evaluation of the coal gas resources of the Gulf Coast region. The results of our oil and gas assessment work provided critical data needed for industry energy exploration in the area and for government planning for national energy security. In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) authorized the USGS to conduct a national assessment of geologic storage resources for anthropogenic CO2. The EISA legislation required that the USGS complete a national assessment of CO2 storage resources within three years of the completion of the assessment methodology (by July 1, 2013). I joined the CO2 project in May of 2010 and served as an assessment geologist and project lead. After the completion of the national CO2 storage assessment reports in 2013, we developed a probabilistic assessment methodology and conducted an assessment of the national technically recoverable oil resources resulting from CO2 injection and storage through CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR). The results on the national CO2-EOR assessment were published earlier this year. Starting in April 2022, I began work on a detail assignment to the USGS Energy Resources Program (ERP) as Science Coordinator for Carbon Sequestration and Energy Storage. In my current position as ERP Science Coordinator my primary roles are to 1) provide scientific leadership and advise the ERP Program Coordinator on issues related to carbon sequestration, energy storage, and energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; 2) represent the ERP and/or Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area in working groups and interagency meetings related to carbon sequestration, energy storage, and energy-related GHG emissions; and 3) conduct research on geologic carbon sequestration, energy storage, and related energy resources. As you can see, it has been a while since I was collecting rocks in the plowed fields of eastern North Carolina. However, my love for nature and rocks has been a life-long theme. (Begin-Page5) Center Achievements and Recognition GEMSC Research Geologist Recognized with Robert H. Dott Sr. Memorial Award GEMSC Research Geologist Paul Hackley received the 2022 Robert H. Dott Sr. Memorial Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) for best special publication: AAPG Memoir 120, Mudstone Diagenesis—Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks. AAPG Memoir 120 was co-edited by Hackley with the conference organizers of a joint SEPM-AAPG Mudstone Diagenesis Hedberg Research Conference, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 16-19, 2016. The conference gathered experts from industry, academia, and government to present and discuss new research on the controls and impact of diagenesis on mudstone source rocks, reservoirs, and seals. Work by GEMSC Physical Scientist Also Highlighted AAPG Memoir 120 contains 13 chapters representing research highlights presented during the Santa Fe conference, including a paper by GEMSC Physical Scientist Brett Valentine on applications of correlative light and electron microscopy to dispersed organic matter in shale petroleum systems. The volume provides an up-to-date reference that is intended for professional geologists, research scientists, and students specializing in petroleum geology, organic and inorganic geochemistry, mudstone petrography, and rock mechanics. The book is organized into five sections: 1) New Tools and Techniques, 2) Inorganic Diagenesis, 3) Mechanical Properties, 4) Organic Diagenesis, and 5) Applications and Case Studies. Many Federal workers demonstrate noteworthy dedication to public service. The GEMSC recognizes the following team members who marked significant length of service milestones for their unwavering devotion to serving the American people: Marc Buursink, 20 years, July Steven Anderson, 20 years, August Densise Akob, 10 years, August Join Our Team! ~ Job Opportunities The GEMSC frequently has opportunities for bringing in new staff. However, at this time, we are not advertising for any positions. Future GEMSC vacancies will be advertised in USAJobs. Stay tuned to this space for news on future job opportunities with GEMSC. (Begin-Page6) Quarter 4 Publications and Data Releases by GEMSC Authors Publications (USGS and External) Acetylenotrophic and Diazotrophic Bradyrhizobium Sp. Strain I71 from TCE-Contaminated Soils: https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01219-22 A Recently Discovered Trachyte-Hosted Rare Earth Element-Niobium-Zirconium Occurrence in Northern Maine, USA: https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.4993 Assessment of Undiscovered Conventional Gas Resources in the Deep Tuscaloosa Group Sandstones of the Western Gulf Basin Province, U.S. Gulf Coast Region, 2021: https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20223067 Dynamic Estimates of Geologic CO2 Storage Resources in the Illinois Basin Constrained by Modeling Re-Injectivity of Brine Extracted for Pressure Management: https://doi.org/10.1002/ghg.2189 Perspectives on Premetamorphic Stratabound Tourmalinites: http://doi.org/10.3190/jgeosci.349 Pore Systems and Organic Petrology of Cretaceous Mowry and Niobrara Source-Rock Reservoirs, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2022.104134 USGS Data Releases Pre-mining Environmental Baseline Characterization of the Aynak Copper Deposit: 2019 Field Season: https://doi.org/10.5066/P93XKGUZ Pre-mining Environmental Baseline Characterization of the Hajigak Iron Deposit: 2019 Field Season: https://doi.org/10.5066/P99AR22S Data on the Enrichment and Isolation of the Acetylenotrophic and Diazotrophic Isolate Bradyrhizobium sp. strain I71 (ver 2.0, September 2022): https://doi.org/10.5066/P9DUG9O3 United States Documented Unplugged Orphaned Oil and Gas Well Dataset, 2022: https://doi.org/10.5066/P91PJETI (End of Newsletter) A Complete List of "Bodytext" Hyperlinks Found within this Newsletter: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/geology-energy-and-minerals-science-center https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOIGS/subscriber/new?preferences=true mailto:cbrezinski@usgs.gov https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20223067 https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01219-22 https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.4993 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2021.103745 https://www.tsop.org/TSOP2022/short_course.html https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20213057 https://ghgt.info/ghgt-16-proceedings/ https://doi.org/10.5066/F7J964W8 mailto:mblondes@usgs.gov https://www.usgs.gov/programs/energy-resources-program/science/alaska-petroleum-systems https://www.usgs.gov/centers/geology-energy-and-minerals-science-center/science/thermal-indices-innovation https://www.usgs.gov/centers/geology-energy-and-minerals-science-center/science/advancements-geochemistry-and https://www.usgs.gov/labs/denver-radiogenic-isotope-lab https://www.usgs.gov/centers/gemsc/science/utilization-carbon-and-other https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1489 https://www.usgs.gov/programs/energy-resources-program https://store.aapg.org/detail.aspx?id=1310 https://www.usajobs.gov/ Publications https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01219-22 https://doi.org/10.5382/econgeo.4993 https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20223067 https://doi.org/10.1002/ghg.2189 http://doi.org/10.3190/jgeosci.349 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2022.104134 USGS Data Releases https://doi.org/10.5066/P93XKGUZ https://doi.org/10.5066/P99AR22S https://doi.org/10.5066/P9DUG9O3 https://doi.org/10.5066/P91PJETI