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Environmental Geosciences (DEG)

Abstract

Unconventional natural gas resources in Pennsylvania: The backstory of the modern Marcellus Shale play

Kristin M. Carter,1 John A. Harper,2 Katherine W. Schmid,3 Jaime Kostelnik4

1Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222; [email protected]
2Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222; [email protected]
3Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222; [email protected]
4Weatherford Laboratories, 16161 Table Mountain Parkway, Golden, Colorado 80403; [email protected]

AUTHORS

Kristin Carter has been a geologist with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey since 2001 and currently serves as chief of the Petroleum and Subsurface Geology Section in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kristin researches oil, gas, and subsurface geology for the Commonwealth and also enjoys petroleum history. Before her employment with the Survey, Kristin worked for nearly a decade in the environmental consulting field, where she investigated matters of groundwater flow and quality, contaminant fate and transport, and mine reclamation. Kristin received her M.S. degree in geological sciences from Lehigh University in 1993 and her B.S. degree in geology and environmental science (double major) from Allegheny College in 1991.

John Harper has been a geologist with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey for more than 34 yr and currently serves as chief of the Geologic Resources Division. His duties include overseeing the work of the Survey's Mineral Resource Analysis and the Petroleum and Subsurface Geology sections, which have been studying various geologic resources in Pennsylvania, including petroleum geology and engineering, coal resources, industrial minerals, and both organic and inorganic geochemistry. During his tenure with the Survey, John has worked on numerous projects dealing with the Commonwealth's oil, gas, and subsurface geology, including Department of Energy–sponsored studies such as the Eastern Gas Shales Project, the atlas of major Appalachian gas plays, A Geologic Playbook for Trenton–Black River Basin Exploration, and the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership. He holds a 1968 B.A. degree in geography and earth science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a 1972 M.S. degree in geology from the University of Florida, and a 1977 Ph.D. in paleontology and paleoecology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Katherine Schmid joined the Pennsylvania Geological Survey's Petroleum and Subsurface Geology Section in 2010 as a geologic scientist and conducts oil, gas, and subsurface geology research for the Commonwealth. Before coming to the Survey, Katherine was employed in the oil and gas industry for 5 yr, where her work focused on both organic-rich shale and siliciclastic reservoirs across the state. Katherine received her M.S. degree in geological sciences from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005 and her B.S. degree in geology from the Ohio State University in 1999.

Jaime Kostelnik joined the Pennsylvania Geological Survey in 2002 and, until July 2011, served as a senior geologist for the Survey's Petroleum and Subsurface Geology Section. During her tenure with the Commonwealth, her research activities included Appalachian Basin petrology and petrography, sedimentary geology, and organic geochemistry. Jaime recently accepted a position with Weatherford Laboratories in Golden, Colorado, as a senior geologist. She holds an M.S. degree in geology from Wright State University (2001) and a B.S. degree in geology from Juniata College (1999).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank each of our technical reviewers, whose experience and insightful reviews greatly improved the content of this article. In addition, we extend our gratitude to John E. Egers, Jr., who provided critical input to the legal issues discussed herein; to Stuart O. Reese, who contributed valuable information, statistics, and maps regarding private water supplies in Pennsylvania; and to Austin Mitchell, Ph.D. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Engineering amp Public Policy, who assisted greatly with our analysis of reported hydraulic fracturing water usage for completed Marcellus wells. Last but not the least, we thank the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources executive staff, including our state geologist, George E. W. Love, for supporting our research endeavors in the field of petroleum geology.

EDITOR'S NOTE

This manuscript was reviewed by six reviewers and accepted for publication by James A. Drahovzal.


ABSTRACT

Pennsylvania is not only the birthplace of the modern petroleum industry but also the focus of the modern Marcellus Shale gas play. For more than 150 yr, Pennsylvania has experienced a rich history of oil and gas exploration and production, witnessed the advent of modern petroleum regulations, and now sits deep in the heart of the largest domestic shale gas play the United States has ever seen. Although a known source rock for decades, the Marcellus Shale was not considered a viable gas reservoir until Range Resources Corporation (Range) discovered the play with its completion of the Renz No. 1 well in Washington County in October 2004. Using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques used by operators working the Barnett Shale gas play, Range has gone on to complete hundreds of horizontal shale gas wells in Washington County alone. Other operators have followed suit in counties from one corner of the state to the other, and as of June 2011, the Commonwealth has issued nearly 6500 Marcellus Shale gas well permits. Based on publicly reported well completion and production data, an average Marcellus Shale gas well requires 2.9 million gal of water during the hydraulic fracturing process and produces 1.3 mmcf gas/day. Furthermore, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has estimated that as of mid-2011, daily Marcellus Shale gas production in Pennsylvania exceeds 2.8 bcf. Because of the level of drilling activity and production associated with the Marcellus play, Pennsylvania has become the nexus of shale gas production and water management issues.

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