The natural gas industry has prepared a movie, “Truthland”, that responds to the HBO movie “Gasland”.
More at Truthland@YouTube.Upper Devonian Shales
Water Quality Where Hydraulic Fracturing is Used
The United States Geological Survey has published: “Water Quality Studied in Areas of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development, Including Areas Where Hydraulic Fracturing Techniques are Used, in the United States.”
More at United States Geological Survey.
Appalachian Basin Cross Section
“Geologic cross section C–C′ is the third in a series of cross sections constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to document and improve understanding of the geologic framework and petroleum systems of the Appalachian basin.” Quoted from the USGS publication release.
More at USGS.
Rouge Fractures
“The chances of rogue fractures due to shale gas fracking operations extending beyond 0.6 kilometres from the injection source is a fraction of one percent, according to new research led by Durham University. The analysis is based on data from thousands of fracking operations in the USA and natural rock fractures in Europe and Africa.” Quoted from the Durham University press release.
More at Durham University.
Hydraulic Fracturing Isn’t the Problem
“Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination [...] many problems ascribed to hydraulic fracturing are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations, such as casing failures or poor cement jobs.” Quoted from the University of Texas at Austin press release.
More at University of Texas at Austin.
Declining Royalty Payments from Natural Gas Wells
Many property owners are very surprised when the royalties that they receive from a natural gas well on their property decline sharply. They are learning about production decline curves.
More at Geology.com.
Natural Gas Potential of the Upper Devonian Shale
A sequence of rocks above the Marcellus Shale, known as the “Upper Devonian Shales” might hold significant amounts of recoverable natural gas and natural gas liquids. From top to bottom the Upper Devonian Shales, Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale are the “stacked plays of the Appalachians”.
More at Platts.com.
Oh No! Who Really Owns the Natural Gas in Shale?
Is natural gas part of the shale or is it a fugitive commodity that is not an integral part of any specific rock unit? Will a refined legal definition of natural gas in Pennsylvania overturn thousands of historic leases?
More at Business Week.
Shale Gas and U.S. National Security
The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University has published a report titled: “Shale Gas and U.S. National Security”. “This study assesses the impact of U.S. domestic shale gas development on energy security and U.S. national security, with emphasis on the geopolitical consequences of rising supplies of U.S. natural gas from shale and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.” Quoted from the report summary.
Drilling for Shale Gas in Ohio State Parks?
The Marcellus Shale, Utica Shale and Upper Devonian Shales are beneath many of Ohio’s State Parks. Some members of Ohio State Government would like to obtain the lease and royalty monies from those lands while environmentalists oppose that drilling. More in the Columbus Dispatch.
“Triple Play” in the Appalachian Basin
John Pinkerton, CEO of Range Resources, explains the “Triple Play” in natural gas that can be had in parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. Shale gas can be produced from the Upper Devonian Shale, the Marcellus Shale, and the Utica Shale – all from a single drill pad. More in the Star-Telegram Blogs.
Natural Gas in the Upper Devonian Shales
From the PAGasDirectory Blog…. In an assessment of its lease holdings, Range Resources has included 10 to 14 trillion cubic feet of Upper Devonian natural gas as an unproven resource. The Upper Devonian is above the Marcellus Shale and includes multiple organic shales such as the Cleveland, Huron-Dunkirk, Rhinestreet, Middlesex and Geneseo-Burket Shales. See an article on SearchAndDiscovery.net for a generalized stratigraphic sequence.
