Oil & Gas 101:
The
Marcellus
Shale
Bob Kiss
O
ver the last two years, the Marcellus Shale
has become the top energy story in the eastern
United States. The Marcellus Shale, named after an
outcropping near Marcellus, New York, is located
throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West
Virginia. It has been classified as the second largest
discovery of natural gas in the world, with scientists
estimating the Marcellus Shale contains as much as 500
trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
In north central West Virginia, the Marcellus Shale
has been located at depths between 6,500 and 7,500
feet. While permits have been issued for Marcellus
wells throughout West Virginia, the primary drilling
efforts have been in the north central counties of
Marshall, Wetzel, Preston, Barbour, Upshur, Harrison,
Doddridge and Marion. As more counties are explored,
the thickness and depth of the Marcellus Shale will
undoubtedly vary.
As with traditional oil and gas arrangements, the
owners of the gas interests receive royalty payments,
based on the quantity of gas produced. Different
wells produce at different levels, but new Marcellus
Shale wells commonly have higher production levels.
8 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
8 West Virginia Farm Bureau News