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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Unlocking the Tight Oil Reservoirs of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

The project focused on detailed geologic characterization, geomechanical studies, well completion optimization, stimulation monitoring, and field development strategies. A key aspect involved partnerships with industry and academic collaborators such as Occidental Petroleum, Southern Illinois University, Britt Rock Mechanics and Piri Technologies. Data acquisition included drilling, logging, coring, deployment of fiber optics, and microseismic monitoring. The project emphasized feedback loops for continuous model updating and integration of economic evaluations to guide development strategies.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1987

Meteoritic basalts: The nakhlites, their parental magmas, cooling rates, and equivalents on Earth

Proposed one-bar phase equilibrium experiments, designed to determine the compositions of the nakhlites' parental magmas, are in progress. Proposed field studies on Earth, designed to find occurrences of rocks like the nakhlites, were extraordinarily successful. Other work supported in the past year included: attendance at the 1986 national meeting of the Geological Society of America; attendance at the 18th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference; completion and publication of a study of core formation in the SNC parent body; initiation of a study of the flux of SNC meteorites onto the Earth; and initiation of petrologic study of the Angra dos Reis achondrite.

Treiman, Allan H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Searching for an Acidic Aquifer in the Rio Tinto Basin: First Geobiology Results of MARTE Project

Among the conceivable modern habitats to be explored for searching life on Mars are those potentially developed underground. Subsurface habitats are currently environments that, under certain physicochemical circumstances, have high thermal and hydrochemical stability [1, 2]. In planets like Mars lacking an atmospheric shield, such systems are obviously protected against radiation, which strongly alters the structure of biological macromolecules. Low porosity but fractured aquifers currently emplaced inside ancient volcano/sedimentary and hydrothermal systems act as excellent habitats [3] due to its thermal and geochemical properties. In these aquifers the temperature is controlled by a thermal balance between conduction and advection processes, which are driven by the rock composition, geological structure, water turnover of aquifers and heat generation from geothermal processes or chemical reactions [4]. Moreover, microbial communities based on chemolithotrophy can obtain energy by the oxidation of metallic ores that are currently associated to these environments. Such a community core may sustain a trophic web composed of non-autotrophic forms like heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and protozoa.

Fernandez-Remolar, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Analysis of Remote Sensing Data

A brief assessment of remote sensing applied to geological studies is given. An analysis of thematic mapping data on oak-hickory forests in southern Missouri is discussed. It was found that there is a control on the infrared reflectance (bands 4, 5, and 7 of the Thematic Mapper (TM) of the forests that correlates with rock and soil types. During the growing season, soils with low water retention capacities correlate with high infrared (band 4, lesser with band 5 and 7) signatures. A metamorphic core complex called the Meatiq located in the Eastern Desert of Egypt was studied. The dome provides exposure of most of the rock units of the Arabian-Nubian Precambrian Shield. The dome bears many resemblances to Cordilleran metamorphic complexes. LANDSAT TM data was used to improve on reconnaissance maps of the dome. The remote sensing data was interpreted in the context of field observations, petrographic, and chemical analysis of rock units in the dome, in order to map similar domes in the Eastern Desert from TM data. Mapping projects such as the one just described will help constrain the geologic evolution of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. Two particular hypotheses that researchers hope to test for the development of the shield are: (1) closure of a proto-Red Sea; and (2) accretion of a primitive island arc system onto the shield.

Guiness, E. A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Correlative X-ray micro-nanotomography with scanning electron microscopy at the Advanced Light Source

Geological samples are inherently multi-scale. Understanding their bulk physical and chemical properties requires characterization down to the nano-scale. A powerful technique to study the three-dimensional microstructure is X-ray tomography, but it lacks information about the chemistry of samples. To develop a methodology for measuring the multi-scale 3D microstructure of geological samples, correlative X-ray micro- and nanotomography were performed on two rocks followed by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis. The study was performed in five steps: (i) micro X-ray tomography was performed on rock sample cores, (ii) samples for nanotomography were prepared using laser milling, (iii) nanotomography was performed on the milled sub-samples, (iv) samples were mounted and polished for SEM analysis and (v) SEM imaging and compositional mapping was performed on micro and nanotomography samples for complimentary information. Correlative study performed on samples of serpentine and basalt revealed multiscale 3D structures involving both solid mineral phases and pore networks. Significant differences in the volume fraction of pores and mineral phases were also observed dependent on the imaging spatial resolution employed. This highlights the necessity for the application of such a multiscale approach for the characterization of complex aggregates such as rocks. Information acquired from the chemical mapping of different phases was also helpful in segmentation of phases that did not exhibit significant contrast in X-ray imaging. Adoption of the protocol used in this study can be broadly applied to 3D imaging studies being performed at the Advanced Light Source and other user facilities.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cenozoic extension and magmatism in Arizona

The Basin and Range Province of Arizona was the site of two episodes of Cenozoic extension that can be distinguished on the basis of timing, direction and style of extension, and associated magmatism. The first episode of extension occurred during Oligocene to mid-Miocene time and resulted in the formation of low-angle detachment faults, ductile shear zones (metamorphic core complexes), and regional domains of tilted fault blocks. Evidence for extreme middle Tertiary crustal extension in a NE to SW to SW to ENE to WSW direction has been recognized in various parts of the Basin and Range of Arizona, especially in the Lake Mead area and along the belf of metamorphic core complexes that crosses southern Arizona from Parker to Tucson. New geologic mapping and scrutiny of published geologic maps indicates that significant middle Tertiary extension is more widely distributed than previously thought. The state can be subdivided into regional tilt-block domains in which middle Tertiary rocks dip consistently in one direction. The dip direction in any tilt-block domain is generally toward the breakaway of a low-angle detachment fault that underlies the tilt-block domain; we interpret this an indicating that normal faults in the upper plate of a detechment fault are generally synthetic, rather than antithetic, with respect to the detachment fault.

Reynolds, S. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Site Characterization of the Highest-Priority Geologic Formations for CO2 Storage in Wyoming

The project Site Characterization of the Highest-Priority Geologic Formations for CO2 Storage in Wyoming is one of 9 site characterization projects that were implemented as part of ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Data from this project was used to improve resolution of data in NATCARB in the area of study. Data related to this study has already been incorporated in NATCARB Atlas. The Wyoming Carbon Underground Storage Project (WY-CUSP) consisted of CO2 storage site characterization and evaluation, focusing on Wyoming’s most promising CO2 storage reservoirs (the Pennsylvanian Weber/Tensleep Sandstone and Mississippian Madison Limestone) and premier CO2 storage site (Rock Springs Uplift). Results from the WY-CUSP project suggest the two reservoirs could store up to 17,000 million tons of CO2. The WY-CUSP team drilled a stratigraphic test well and acquired a 3-D seismic survey covering 25 square miles of the Rock Springs Uplift site. The team retrieved 916 feet of core from the 12,810-foot-deep well, along with a complete log suite, borehole images, fluid samples, and other data. Project partners (1) provided continuous visual documentation of the core, including grain size, mineralogy, facies distribution, and porosity; (2) performed continuous permeability and velocity scans of selected reservoir intervals; and (3) chemically analyzed the fluid samples. WY-CUSP scientists integrated seismic attributes with observations from log suites, a VSP survey, core, fluid samples, and laboratory analyses, including continuous permeability scans. From these integrations, researchers constructed 3-D spatial distribution volumes of reservoir and seal properties that represent geological heterogeneity at the targeted CO2 storage site. The WY-CUSP team used this data to perform new CO2 plume migration simulations. Baker Hughes, Inc., completed a series of small-scale, in-situ water injectivity measurements. A database was formed when observations, analyses, and experiments from the stratigraphic test well were integrated. Correlation of these data allowed petrophysical parameters to be extrapolated from the test well out into the storage domain (5x5 mile 3-D seismic survey volume). This resulted in an improved, realistic understanding of performance assessments for potential CO2 storage scenarios. The WY-CUSP team worked on (1) improving CO2 storage resource estimates, (2) establishing long-term integrity and permanence of confining layers, (3) designing a profitable strategy for pressure management, and (4) evaluating the utilization of stored CO2 at the Rock Spring Uplift. Finally, Baker Hughes developed a microseismic baseline for the test site using in-bore geophones to complete field operations.

3-D seismic↗
NASA NTRS1982

Automatic Collection of Rock and Soil Samples

Proposed machine would sample rock or soil automatically. Mounted on a wheeled or tracked vehicle, machine positions drill for cut at any angle from horizontal to vertical, moves power head to drive drill into cut, and stores drilled core in a container. New concept may also be useful in terrestrial agricultural and geologic surveys.

Kyrias, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Original size of the Vredefort structure, South Africa

The Vredefort structure is located approximately 120 km southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, and is deeply eroded. Controversies remain on the origin of this structure with the most popular hypotheses being: (1) by impact cratering about 2.0 Ga; (2) as a cryptoexplosion structure about 2.0 Ga; and (3) by purely tectonic processes starting at about 3.0 Ga and ending with the Vredefort event at 2.0 Ga. In view of recent work in which the granophyre dikes are interpreted as the erosional remants of a more extensive impact melt sheet, injected downward into the underlying country rocks, the impact origin hypothesis for Vredefort is adopted. In order to estimate the original dimensions of the Vredefort impact structure, it is assumed that the structure was initially circular, that its predeformation center corresponds to the center of the granitic core, and that the pre-Vredefort geology of the area prior to approximately 2.0 Ga ago is as suggested by Fletcher and Reimold. The spatial relationship between shock metamorphic effects, the shock pressures they record, and the morphological features of the crater were established for a number of large terrestrial craters. The principles of crater formation at large complex impact structures comparable in size to Vredefort were also established, although many details remain unresolved. An important conclusion is that the transient crater, which is formed directly by excavation and displacement by the shock-induced cratering flow-field (i.e., the particle velocity flow field existing in the region of the transient crater but behind the initial outgoing shock front), is highly modified during the late stage processes. The original transient crater diameter lies well within the final rim of the crater, which is established by structural movements during late-stage cavity modification.

Therriault, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Research core drilling in the Manson impact structure, Iowa

The Manson impact structure (MIS) has a diameter of 35 km and is the largest confirmed impact structure in the United States. The MIS has yielded a Ar-40/Ar-39 age of 65.7 Ma on microcline from its central peak, an age that is indistinguishable from the age of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. In the summer of 1991 the Iowa Geological Survey Bureau and U.S. Geological Survey initiated a research core drilling project on the MIS. The first core was beneath 55 m of glacial drift. The core penetrated a 6-m layered sequence of shale and siltstone and 42 m of Cretaceous shale-dominated sedimentary clast breccia. Below this breccia, the core encountered two crystalline rock clast breccia units. The upper unit is 53 m thick, with a glassy matrix displaying various degrees of devitrification. The upper half of this unit is dominated by the glassy matrix, with shock-deformed mineral grains (especially quartz) the most common clast. The glassy-matrix unit grades downward into the basal unit in the core, a crystalline rock breccia with a sandy matrix, the matrix dominated by igneous and metamorphic rock fragments or disaggregated grains from those rocks. The unit is about 45 m thick, and grains display abundant shock deformation features. Preliminary interpretations suggest that the crystalline rock breccias are the transient crater floor, lifted up with the central peak. The sedimentary clast breccia probably represents a postimpact debris flow from the crater rim, and the uppermost layered unit probably represents a large block associated with the flow. The second core (M-2) was drilled near the center of the crater moat in an area where an early crater model suggested the presence of postimpact lake sediments. The core encountered 39 m of sedimentary clast breccia, similar to that in the M-1 core. Beneath the breccia, 120 m of poorly consolidated, mildly deformed, and sheared siltstone, shale, and sandstone was encountered. The basal unit in the core was another sequence of sedimentary clast breccia. The two sedimentary clast units, like the lithologically similar unit in the M-1 core, probably formed as debris flows from the crater rim. The middle, nonbrecciated interval is probably a large, intact block of Upper Cretaceous strata transported from the crater rim with the debris flow. Alternatively, the sequence may represent the elusive postimpact lake sequence.

Anderson, R. R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Structural interpretations based on ERTS-1 imagery, Bighorn Region, Wyoming-Montana

Structural analysis is being carried out on bands MSS 5 and 7 of scene 1085-17294. Geologic strucutre is primarily revealed in the topographic relief and drainage. Topographic linears are particularly well developed in the bighorn uplift. Many of these occur along known faults and shear zones in the Precambrian core; several have not been previously mapped. These linears, however, do not continue into the younger rocks of the flanks or do so in a much less marked manner than in the core. Linears are far less abundant in the basin or are manifested only in very subtle tonal contrasts and somewhat straight drainage segments. Some of the linears are aligned along trends previously postulated on the basis of surface mapping to be lineaments. The imagery reveals little or no evidence of strike-slip displacements along these lineaments.

Hoppin, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Remotely-Sensed Geology from Lander-Based to Orbital Perspectives: Results for FIDO Rover Field Tests

Tests of the FIDO (Field Integration Design and Operations) rover and Athena-like operational scenarios were conducted May 7-16, 2000. A group located at the Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, CA, formed the Core Operations Team (COT) that designed experiments and command sequences while another team tracked, maintained, and secured the rover in the field. The COT had no knowledge of the specific field location, thus the tests were done "blind." In addition to FIDO rover instrumentation, the COT had access to LANDSAT 7, TIMS, and AVIRIS regional coverage and color descent images. Using data from the FIDO instruments, primarily a color microscopic imager (CMI), infrared point spectrometer (IPS; 1.5-2.4 microns), and a three-color stereo panoramic camera (Pancam), the COT correlated lithologic features (mineralogy, rock types) from the simulated landing site to a regional scale. The May test results provide an example of how to relate site geology from landed rover investigations to the regional geology using remote sensing. The capability to relate mineralogic signatures using the point IR spectrometer to remotely sensed, multispectral or hyperspectral data proved to be key to integration of the in-situ and remote data. This exercise demonstrated the potential synergy between lander-based and orbital data, and highlighted the need to investigate a landing site in detail and at multiple scales.

Jolliff, B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Petrology and provenance of Apollo 15 Station 6 core 15009 and its bearing on site geology

Petrographic and microprobe studies were conducted of six soil samples from six different levels of the 30-cm-deep single-drive tube core 15009 obtained from the regolith of the Apennine Front at Station 6 of the Apollo 15 site. A model for the near-surface stratigraphy of the site is constructed, with due account for the results of previous studies of surface and core soils. Highland rocks were found to account for 9 percent of the mineral and lithic fragments in core 15009. The observed correlation between crystalline breccia fragments and green glass indicate that the primitive regolith on the premare Apennine Front contained abundant crystalline breccia fragments that were mixed with puroclastic green glass added to that regolith early in the mare eruptive sequence. KREEP basalts were found to be the parent rocks for 40 percent of the core fragments. It is inferred that KREEP basalts of the Apennine Bench Formation underlie mare basalts at the site. Olivine-normative mare basalt fragments comprise only 14 percent of the core-15009 source rocks but are much more abundant away from the Front.

Basu, A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Mars 2020: Mission, Science Objectives and Build

If all goes according to plan, in February 2021, NASA will land the Mars 2020 Rover on the surface of Mars. Mars 2020 is the latest in a series of unmanned Martian robotic rover missions that are part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the planet. The mission seeks to address high-priority goals for Mars exploration, including answering questions about the potential for past life on Mars. Mars 2020 will look for evidence of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, as well as look for signs of past microbial life itself. The mission also seeks to understanding the geological history and evolution of the planet, and to prepare for future robotic and human exploration. The Mars 2020 spacecraft and rover borrow heavily from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission and Curiosity rover which landed on Mars in 2012. This reliance on proven technology helps reduce mission risk and cost. Mars 2020 does contain new technology, including a drill for coring samples from Martian rock and soil and a Sample Caching System for gathering, storing and preserving samples for possible future return to Earth. In this paper, we will review the primary goals of the Mars 2020 Mission and look at the reasons for choosing Jezero Crater as the landing site. We will discuss the design and build of the Mars 2020 Spacecraft system and its similarities and differences with Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity Rover. We will also review the Mars 2020 Scientific Instrument Suite and their goals. Finally, we will review the Return Sample Contamination Control requirements and the design choices that were made to facilitate meeting these requirements.

Soares, Carlos E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Shock induced reaction in Chicxulub target materials (CaSO4 and SiO2) and their relation to extinctions

The global platinum element rich layer, the presence of shocked quartz grains (in some cases with stishovite), and the observation of a tektite-rich layer, precisely at the K-T boundary, are the three major arguments for the extinction bolide impact hypothesis of Alvarez et al. Tektites (spherules) from Beloc in Haiti and Mimbral in Mexico received particular interest because of their geological proximity to the Chicxulub impact structure, which is a leading candidate for at least one of the K-T impact craters. Although in most localities the original glass has weathered to clay minerals, some shock-induced glass is found in outcrops and drill cores which is used for Ar-38/Ar-39 dating. The glassy tektites were found to be chemically similar and coeval at 65.0 Ma with Chicxulub melt rock. Two kinds of K-T spherules were discovered: (1) a silic black glass; and (2) a yellow glass, enriched in Ca, Mg, and S. The high sulfur content of the glass and the abundance of anhydrite (CaSO4) in the carbonate-evaporite sequence observed in Drill Holes Y-1 and Y-2 at Chicxulub prompted studies of calcium sulfate devolatization. Further discussion of our experiments is presented.

Chen, Guangqing↗
DOE OSTI2025

The impact of capillary heterogeneity on CO 2 flow and trapping across scales

Capillary heterogeneity has been identified over the last decade as a key control on subsurface CO 2 flow behavior during geological CO 2 sequestration. These heterogeneities can be formed in all sedimentary rocks, ranging from slight variations in the sand grain sizes to extensive sequences of interbedded sands, shales, and limestones. Capillary heterogeneity has been largely, although not entirely, overlooked in subsurface flow modeling because it is assumed to only directly influence fluid redistribution over scales of centimeters to meters. However, even small-scale fluid movements can result in dramatic impacts on the mobility and trapping of the CO 2 over kilometers. Therefore, neglecting capillary heterogeneity at multiple scales could potentially lead to errors in modeling and predicting field-scale plume migration. In this review paper, we aim to provide a consistent overview to (1) establish that capillary heterogeneity can have a major impact on CO 2 plume migration, (2) establish the respective length scales at which capillary heterogeneity matters, and (3) provide guidance for numerical modeling. This review covers pertinent literature and extracts key observations from the core to the field scales. Experimental studies have shown that millimeter-decimeter scale capillary heterogeneity can cause the so-called capillary heterogeneity trapping in addition to pore-scale residual trapping. Even at such a small scale, capillary heterogeneity can already lead to complex upscaled constitutive relationships, such as flow-rate dependent and anisotropic relative permeability, which affects field-scale CO 2 migration even when field-scale heterogeneities are present. Under gravity-dominated flow regimes, centimeter-meter scale capillary heterogeneity can entrap a significant amount of CO 2 at field scale, not just after imbibition but also during drainage. In certain cases, the presence of capillary heterogeneity can even completely stop the vertical movement of the CO 2 plume, hence greatly reducing leakage risks. At meter-kilometer scale, the influence of capillary heterogeneity is more pronounced and can hinder or redirect CO 2 migration in both lateral and vertical directions. The impact of capillary heterogeneity across multiple spatial scales poses a great challenge in modeling CO 2 migration at field scale, because it is practically impossible to build a field-scale earth model with grid blocks at millimeter scale. We recommend a hierarchical modeling approach to address this challenge. At field scale, earth models are built to capture geological features and heterogeneities in high but still practical grid resolutions. For each facies or rock type of the field-scale model, high- resolution meter-scale “conceptual” models are built with millimeter-scale grid blocks to capture representative fine-scale bedding geometries and heterogeneities in various environments of deposition, bridging the gap from subcore scale to the size of a field-scale simulation grid block. Upscaling is then used to preserve the smaller-scale flow dynamics of various rock types in field-scale simulations. Here, future work is needed to (1) refine, improve, and validate the hierarchical modeling approach; (2) build libraries of fine-scale bedding models for facies in various environments of deposition; (3) quantify multiscale capillary heterogeneity effects under subsurface uncertainties; (4) gain learning from different storage formations; and (5) establish best practices that balance accuracy and computational speed.

Capillary heterogeneity↗
NASA NTRS1989

Chemical, thermal and impact processing of asteroids

The geological effects of impacts, heating, melting, core formation, and aqueous alteration on asteroids are reviewed. A review of possible heat sources appears to favor an important role for electrical induction heating. The effects of each geologic process acting individually and in combination with others, are considered; it is concluded that there is much evidence for impacts during alteration, metamorphism and melting. These interactions vastly increased the geologic diversity of the asteroid belt. Subsequent impacts of cool asteroids did not reduce this diversity. Instead new rock types were created by mixing, brecciation and minor melting.

Scott, E. R. D.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expedition UT-GOM2-2 Methods

Methods used during the University of Texas (UT) Deepwater Hydrate Coring Expedition (UT-GOM2-2) include work done onboard the Helix Q4000 in the offshore Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico), herein “the Gulf”, “dockside” in Salt Lake City, Utah, and some shore-based work in individual laboratories. The goal of this report is two-fold: to provide enough detail on the methods so they can be repeated by others; and to provide a reference document for the team to enhance cross-disciplinary understanding and knowledge. Methods include drilling operations, depth references and depth modification, downhole tool deployment, coring tool performance assessment, core processing, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, as well as physical properties, including core logging and imaging, rock magnetism, dissolved methane concentration, hydrate saturation, microbiology, and geochemistry. An extensive amount of operational work and planning was required before mobilization of the expedition to permit, build mobile labs, and test downhole tools for deepwater drilling.

03 NATURAL GAS↗