Marcellus Shale

The Marcellus Shale - Stratigraphy

Stratigraphy is defined as the branch of geology that studies the arrangement and succession of strata of rock, particularly the distribution, deposition, and age of sedimentary rocks.

An oil and gas exploration and production company must understand the stratigraphy of the formation before developing the Marcellus Shale.  Here is a illustration of the stratigraphy of the Marcellus Shale:

Marcellus Shale

The Marcellus Shale is a shale formation located in the Northeastern United States.  The Marcellus Shale is a Devonian shale formation that is approximately 450 million years old.  Current activity is centered around Pennsylvania, but the shale extends into New York, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia.

The Marcellus Shale is an unconventional shale and requires hydraulic fracturing to stimulate enough production for it to be economical.

The Marcellus Shale

The  Marcellus Shale is an unconventional natural gas formation located in the Northeastern United States.  The size of the the  Marcellus Shale is approximately 95,000 square miles, and occurs at depths from 4000 to 8500 feet.  The thickness of the  Marcellus Shale is from 50-200 feet.  The Marcellus Shale is a Middle Devonian age shale.

Original gas in place (OGIP) in the Marcellus Shale is estimated at 1,500 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF), with recoverable reserves of 262 TCF.

(source - Shale Gas Primer - Department of Energy)