"The skunk at the picnic"......Marcellus Shale "Fault Lines"

 

What`s the story about faults found in the Marcellus Shale layer?  Are they always bad or sometimes good?  Do they make an area unsuitable for drilling & development now and forever, or are there strategies to overcome them?  Are faults common or found only in certain areas and why?   Is there a Pennsylvania map showing where these faults are located?   How do gas companies overcome the presence of faults?   Can they simply drill from another direction?  Has anyone had a unit or well plan cancelled because of the discovery of faults?   Wouldn`t a gas company investigate an interested area for faults before signing new leases or plan for a unit?  Does finding a fault mean that an specific area can not be developed?                               Is a fault the "skunk at the picnic" for landowners and lease owners ?

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Permalink Reply by Don on September 8, 2011 at 11:44am
Yes I am, I live just across the border in Columbiana Co Ohio. Thanks
Permalink Reply by Hunter on September 9, 2011 at 4:09am
Area Man - Thanks for the insight.  Doesn't sound like there is much I can do except wait to see if the gas company does additional geologic study/evaluation to change "drilling is on hold" to "drill baby drill".  Question - would the seismic testing that was done 1-2 miles away along a paved road be able to detect or measure what is below my ground and the unit I'm in?  Our unit orientation runs the same direction as the road where the testing was done, so the entire unit is 1-2 miles away from where the seismic testing was done.
Permalink Reply by Area Man on September 9, 2011 at 4:26am

Definitely.  Seismic has a pretty large footprint - you can "see" for a distance from the trucks (gotta see where the guys laying the cable went).  On top of that, if you're in western PA the geology is fairly boring, compared to say NE PA where things are more complicated, faulted, etc.  So even if the ground directly beneath you wasn't directly imaged, you could project at least a few miles away with high confidence.

On that note, this is why most companies want to shoot seismic studies very near, if not intersecting their wells.  That way, you can exactly tie what you see in the wells with what you see on the seismic.  Therefore, you have a good understanding even in places where you have no wells.

 

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by farmgas on September 11, 2011 at 11:39am
How often are faults encountered and how many wells are canceled from  the discovery of faults?  I don`t find this topic discussed in the various blog sites.  Do the gas companies just adjust their plans around faults?  Area Man, when you say geology in Western Pa is fairly boring, do you mean to say that faults are not too common?
0jw0dsu4txfuvPermalink Reply by 0jw0dsu4txfuv on September 11, 2011 at 12:51pm
There is no way to answer all the questions you people ask in these type of discussions. I don't know if you don't listen or you either want to find wrong in the Marcellus development. If drilling and producing a gas well was easy there would be many more. When professional people try to answer questions you people literally pick their answers apart. Professional there is no way to help these pilgrams. No wonder PA was/is in such a shape the people are all about giveaways.
Permalink Reply by gary smith on September 11, 2011 at 1:25pm
i guess thats why we are where we are. pa. was put in this attitude by philly and pittsburgh. things are looking up though.
Permalink Reply by farmgas on September 11, 2011 at 2:25pm

This forum is intended to provide a source of information through sharing by landowners or by those who have direct experience in the oil & gas industry.   As a landowner, my interest is to become as knowledgeable as possible to best understand how or if gas wells may be drilled on my property.   I believe that I need that information to better communicate with O&G personnel, plus to be more informed as an owner of oil & gas under my property.   My questions are intended to serve that purpose, and that purpose only.  I`m also interested in furthering everyone`s knowledge as well, as they will for me with their questions.  Responses from anyone whose career is in the O&G industry, we say thank you for your input & insights, to help us non-professionals understand what we may face, if the opportunity to become a part of a unit or actually have wells drilled on our property.  Thank you to those professionals who share their knowledge with us!  

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