Department
Energy Resources Program
Organization
U.S. Geological Survey
Email
tcollett@usgs.gov
Phone
303-236-5731
Address
PO Box 25046
Denver , Colorado 80225United StatesBioDr. Timothy S. Collett has been a research geologist in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 1983. Tim received a B.S. in geology from Michigan State University, a M.S. in geology from the University of Alaska, and a Ph.D. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines. Tim is the project chief of the Energy Resources Program funded gas hydrate research efforts in the USGS where he received the Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award and the Golomb-Chilinger Medal from the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and the Natural Resources of Canada Public Service Award.

Tim has been the chief and co-chief scientists of numerous domestic and international gas hydrate scientific and industrial drilling expeditions and programs. He has been the Co-Chief Scientists and Operational Manager for the India NGHP Expedition 01 and 02 gas hydrate scientific drilling and testing projects. Tim was a Co-Chief scientist of the international cooperative gas hydrate research project that was responsible for drilling dedicated gas hydrate production research wells in the Mackenzie Delta of Canada under the Mallik 1998 and 2002 efforts. Tim sailed as the Logging Scientist on the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Legs 164 and 204 gas hydrate research expeditions. Tim was the logging scientist on the Gulf of Mexico JIP Gas Hydrate Research Expedition in 2005 and is the Co-Chief of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 311, and the Gulf of Mexico JIP Leg II drilling project in 2009. He sailed as a science advisor on the Korean UBGH2 Expedition in 2010. Tim was also the Principal Investigator responsible for organizing and conducting the 1995 and 2008 USGS National Oil and Gas Assessment of natural gas hydrates. Tim is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines.

Tim’s current research efforts in the USGS deals mostly with domestic and international gas hydrate energy resource characterization studies. His work in Alaska has been focused on the characterizing the energy resource potential of gas hydrates on the North Slope. His ongoing USGS gas hydrate assessment activities in recent years have also focused on the assessment of the energy resource potential of gas hydrates on the North Slope and supporting the domestic marine gas hydrate assessments being led by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Tim’s international gas hydrate activities include important cooperative projects with research partners in India, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Canada. Tim also continues to represent the USGS gas hydrate interest in the Gulf of Mexico through a U.S. Department of Energy cooperative. Tim has published more than 200 research papers along with 10 books and treatises on gas hydrates and other unconventional resources.

Science Specialties

geochemistry, permafrost, geology

Current Research

Natural gas hydrates in permafrost environments. Gas hydrates as a energy resource, a potnetial geologic hazard, and affects on climate change.