ShaleBlog.com » Shale Geology

First New York Marcellus Shale Targets

admin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:37:06 +0000

When natural gas drilling resumes in the state of New York the counties most likely to see heavy activity are Broome, Tioga and Chemung. These areas are thought to have the best geological characteristics, which include organic content and thickness.

What is the Deep Carbon Observatory?

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:30:07 +0000

The Deep Carbon Observatory is an initiative dedicated to achieving a transformational understanding of Earth’s deep carbon cycle, including its poorly constrained reservoirs and fluxes, the unknown role of deep biology, and unexplored influences of the deep carbon cycle on critical societal concerns related to energy, environment and climate.

Marcellus Shale Rock Sequence in WV

admin — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:27:16 +0000

Don’t know the vertical sequence of rocks in the Marcellus Shale gas play? The West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey has published a stratigraphic nomenclature chart for the Marcellus Shale and associated rocks in West Virginia.

Haynesville Shale Well Drilled to 22,000 Feet in Mississippi

admin — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:29:52 +0000

Mainland Resources announced that they spent $9.5 million to drill a Haynesville Shale well to 22,000 feet, recover 21 feet of Haynesville core from a depth of 20,415 feet and set production casing. This was one of the deepest on-shore wells drilled during 2010 and may be the deepest production casing ever set in a gas shale play. The well was drilled in Jefferson County Mississippi.

Utica Shale: The Natural Gas Giant Beneath the Marcellus

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:49:47 +0000

A rock layer below the Marcellus Shale could prove to be another incredible source of natural gas. The Utica Shale is thicker, more geographically extensive and has already proven its ability to support commercial production.

View the article, maps and other graphics at Geology.com.

Colombia (South America) Shale Gas

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:53:05 +0000

An abstract of a paper titled” Shale Gas Potential in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia by Mario Garcia-Gonzalez, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia, has been posted on the AAPG Search and Discovery website.

The Work of a Geophysicist

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 02:24:18 +0000

An article on the NewsOK.com website gives you a glimpse of what Ryan Miller, a geophysicist with Devon Energy Company, does on the job. He works on a team that investigates subsurface rock units for oil and natural gas.

What is Shale?

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 02:21:22 +0000

The fine-grained, laminated, fissile, sedimentary rock that is quickly transforming the energy industry and regional economies. A Geology.com article about the use of shale as a reservoir rock, a construction material and a raw material for manufacturing.

Ukraine: “The Biggest Shale Gas Supply in the World”

admin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:21:43 +0000

Ukraine’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources claims that “the territory of Ukraine enjoys the biggest shale gas supply in the world.” Quoted in a Worldwide News Ukraine press release.

The Shale Gas Renaissance

admin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:00:31 +0000

An interesting article on the EnergyTribune website is titled “The (Shale) Gas Renaissance”. It reviews how shale gas has gone from an insignificant commodity to the accelerating force of the US energy scene.

Graph modified from the Energy Information Administration.

Shale Gas Presentation

admin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:35:06 +0000

This video provides an overview of shale gas, starting with the first gas well near Fredonia, New York in 1821 up through January 2010 and the major shale gas plays. The speaker is John Curtis, Professor of Geochemistry and Director of the Potential Gas Agency at the Colorado School of Mines.

Enormous Potential of the Utica Shale

admin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:59:23 +0000

An article in the Williamsport (PA) SunGazette.com summarizes a very optimistic assessment (with qualifiers) for natural gas production from the Utica Shale from a presentation given by Penn State faculty.

What is Shale Gas?

admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:02:20 +0000

“Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Over the past decade, the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has allowed access to large volumes of shale gas that were previously uneconomical to produce. The production of natural gas from shale formations has rejuvenated the natural gas industry in the United States.”

Drilling Companies Still Considering Luzerne and Columbia Counties

admin — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:33:35 +0000

Encana recently announced that they are finished drilling the Marcellus Shale in Luzerne and Columbia Counties, Pennsylvania. Other companies are still considering the area or trying to sell their leases. A geologist at the Pennsylvania Survey says that at least some of the rocks there have been heated enough to advance the coal seams to anthracite rank. The Marcellus Shale was buried deeper than the coal. More at CitizensVoice.com.

No Gas in Columbia and Luzerne Counties (PA)

admin — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:28:12 +0000

Encana Oil and Gas announced that their two Marcellus Shale wells in Luzerne County were not commercial and that they will immediately stop drilling in Columbia County and Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. They have 25,000 acres under lease in those counties. More at The Times Leader.

Columbia and Luzerne counties are in the eastern part of the state where the rocks have been metamorphosed to a level where much of the natural gas has probably been driven off or destroyed.