The Depositional Setting of The Marcellus Black Shale

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Presented by Tom Murphy, Penn State Cooperative
Extension, Lycoming County August 2008
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Black Shale Resource Plays in North America

• Black Shale Resource Plays

EP Magazine, 3/2007, p. 77
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Early Mississippian 360 MYA
North American Structural Suture is zipped in the
Appalachian Basin. The Acadian Orogeny is over.
The onset of the Ouachita Orogeny triggers
Barnett Black Shale Deposition.
Modified from AAPG Bull. 4/2007, p. 584
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EAST
WEST
Ohio Shale
Marcellus Shale
PHASE THREE Erosion of highlands rapidly fills
shallowing basin, Trough and Bulge features
migrate further west.
Rhinestreet Shale
Bulge and Trough Migrate West
PHASE TWOCollision ends and NA Plate rebounds.
Deep, Anoxic, Sediment Starved Basin shallows and
both Bulge and Trough migrate westward.
Overriding African Plate
Rhinestreet Shale
Peripheral Bulge Cincinnati Arch
Proximal Trough
PHASE ONE Initial Collision - African Plate
Overrides and Depresses NA Plate Generating a
very Deep, Anoxic, Sediment Starved Basin Termed
a Proximal Trough and associated Peripheral Bulge.
Marcellus Shale
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Marcellus Shale near Washingtonville
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• In the Appalachian Basin - Head East Towards the
  Allegheny Front where the Thickest Accumulations
  of Marcellus Organic Rich Shale were deposited in
  the proximal trough...
• Because the Marcellus was deposited early in the
  collision less sediment input led to Higher
  TOCs

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• Big Sandy Field WV and Kentucky
• Discovered 1915 - 2.5 TCF of production
• Natural Fracture System - Maximizes Production
• Minimal Stimulation
• Newark East Field Fort Worth Basin
• Discovered 1981 - 3 TCF of production
• Induced Fracture System Maximizes Production
• Maximum Stimulation

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Newark East Field Mississippian
Barnett Shale Disc. 1981
Big Sandy Field Devonian Black Shale - Disc. 1915
North American Structural Suture
Modified from AAPG Explorer 4/2007 p. 10
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• High gas yields
• High success rates for drilled wells
• Close spacing of wells
• Long distance to market
• Pipeline capacity, transportation cost

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• Barnett Shale may be the largest natural gas
  field developed to date in the continental U.S.
• New technologies in horizontal drilling and
  hydraulic fracturing developed there

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• Although separated by 30 my in time, the
  Marcellus and Barnett Shale were generated by a
  similar depositional system and tectonic setting.
• Both the Marcellus and Barnett Shale were the
  initial sediments deposited in a very deep,
  sediment starved, trough

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• Seismic a Critical Link

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• Additional 3-D Seismic Needed to Determine
  Potential Drilling Locations

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• Drilling in Speculative Areas of the State

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• Cost per well -- 2 to 4 Million
• Yields vary between horizontally or vertically
  drilled wells
• 0.5 to 4.0 IP Mmcfe and improving
• vs. 2.0 to 6.0 IP in Barnett Shales of TX

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• Still an area of interest
• Deep wells
• High cost
• Very speculative
• Very high pressure/high yields
• Other shale formations?? Utica, Huron, etc

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• Good potential yields
• Close to market
• Increasing interest from multiple
  companies --competition
• Increased financial rewards for rural landowners
• Some permanent changes to landscape

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• FLARING OFF GAS