13. Detecting and quantifying unconventional energy resources, including gas hydrates using reflection seismology elastic inversion methods

As the supply of worldwide conventional petroleum resources becomes ever more difficult to secure, the world energy mix must include unconventional resources. One of the core missions of the USGS is to evaluate the potential for development of both conventional and unconventional energy resources such as gas hydrates, shale gas, and coalbed methane. As such, the formation, location, and potential of economic recovery of gas hydrates pose an important avenue of research for the USGS. Direct detection of unconventional energy resources is an area where the USGS has played a leadership role and is one of the methods that helps improve the accuracy of resource assessments, as well as reduce the uncertainties. This Mendenhall position is for a qualified researcher who has a strong background in advanced research in reflection seismology with particular emphasis in the areas of elastic inversion methods to detect and quantify unconventional resources, including gas hydrates.

Gas hydrate is an unusual form of crystalline solid formed by molecules of water and gas (primarily methane) that occurs globally in the marine environment on continental margins and in subareal environments in permafrost areas. The USGS has an extensive gas hydrate research program linking micro- and macro-scale research by combining laboratory and theoretical work with extensive seismic exploration and borehole drilling programs. The USGS currently has access to several multidisciplinary gas-hydrate data sets from Northern Alaska and the continental margins of western North America and India available for developing new methodologies, techniques, and approaches. Advanced seismic processing and interpretation software are available together with laboratory facilities for integrating lithology, pressure, temperature, geologic structure, and gas hydrate properties into the research problem. The primary goals of this research are to estimate the locations, volumes, and concentrations of these unconventional resources via inversion of seismic data. Because gas hydrate bearing sediments are generally unconsolidated and have high porosity, standard approaches to seismic inversion are not ideal. If inversion methods can be tailored to incorporate the unique elastic characteristics of unconsolidated sediments under low differential pressure, seismic inversion via angle stacks or amplitude-versus-offset data could provide more accurate interval velocities necessary for the detection and quantification of gas hydrates.

Although gas hydrates are a priority interest for the USGS, addressing other unconventional resources such as shale gas and coalbed methane is possible and encouraged.

An advanced seismic and well-log analysis lab is available at the USGS for assessing methane recoverability and production from hydrate in Alaskan permafrost and marine continental margin settings. These studies require an understanding of how properties of hydrate-bearing sediment manifest themselves in remote sensing data that can be correlated with drilling logs and numerical models.

Proposed Duty Station: Denver, CO

Areas of Ph.D.: Geophysics, geology, physics, seismology, petroleum systems

Qualifications: Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications: Research Geophysicist, Research Geologist

(This type of research is performed by those who have backgrounds for the occupations stated above. However, other titles may be applicable depending on the applicant's background, education, and research proposal. The final classification of the position will be made by the Human Resources specialist.)

Research Advisor(s): Myung Lee, (303) 236-5753, mlee@usgs.gov; Timothy Collett, (303) 236-5731, tcollet@usgs.gov; Ray Boswell (National Energy Technology Laboratory/DOE), (304) 285-4541, RAY.BOSWELL@netl.doe.gov; Warren Agena, (303) 236-5751, wagena@usgs.gov

Human Resources Office contact: Kathleen Scheich, (303) 236-9581, kscheich@usgs.gov

Summary of Opportunities