Additional Project Information

USGS Oil Shale Research activities focus on compiling, archiving and publishing oil shale information and developing collaborative research efforts with state and federal agencies. Primary activities focus on the Green River Basin oil shale deposits, with additional research on Denovian-Mississippian of eastern U.S.. Tasks include digitizing geologic and shale-oil resource maps for public release, developing correlation models of oil shale deposits and documenting the lacustrine sequence. Notable collaborators include the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Energy, Utah Geological Survey, Colorado Geological Survey and the Wyoming Geological Survey. Additional information about these activities are described below.

 

Utah Geological Survey Collaboration

John Dyni, USGS Co-investigatorr
David Tabet, UGS Co-investigator
Michael Vanden Berg, UGS Co-investigator

The USGS, former U.S. Bureau of Mines, and Department of Energy have collected large amounts of oil shale data that are not readily available to the Public. In collaboration with the State of Utah, the USGS Energy Resources Program (ERP) is compiling existing oil shale resource information in the State of Utah into a coordinated set of databases, maps, and products. ERP will also provide technical review and edits to ensure accuracy and deliver to the Utah Geological Survey for release.

Collaboration Tasks Include:

• Developing a core location database.
• Assembling digital Fischer assay files and database.
• Preparing lithologic and geophysical logs images.
• Preparing stratigraphic cross sections for Utah oil shale lands.
• Creating GIS base maps of Fischer-assay data.
• Compiling oil shale bibliographic references ( Green River Basin, Eastern U.S., and International).
• Index of oil shale cores and samples at the Core Research Center and Anvil Points mine, northwest Colorado.

For more information on products and status of work, contact David Tabet, Utah Geological Survey, davidtabet@utah.gov.

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Bureau of Land Management – Memorandum of Agreement

USGS-BLM Memorandum of Agreement – The USGS and Bureau of Land Management have entered into a 5-year agreement (11/04 –11/09) to store oil-shale core and samples in the Anvil Points Mine near Rifle, Colorado. Cores can be sampled, with appropriate permissions, by the Public for research and development activities..

Contact Thomas Michalski: tmichalski@usgs.gov

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U.S. Department of Energy

The USGS participates in meetings with the Department of Energy Oil (DOE) Shale Committee. This committee is a consortium of industry and government representatives and is designed to increase communication, foster collaborative research, and evaluate plans for commercializing oil shale in the western United States. Documents and reports of these are prepared and made available to the public by the DOE.

Contact Ron Johnson for more information. rcjohnson@usgs.gov

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