Geology of the Marcellus Shale

Katharine Lee Avary West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey 304/594-2331 [email protected] www.wvgs.wvnet.edu The Marcellus Shale

• What is it? • Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock. • The Marcellus is a particular rock unit which is Devonian in age. Different age rocks of Coalbed recent methane interest to oil and gas producers Marcellus Shale

Trenton- Black River Where is the Marcellus present in WV? • It is present below the surface, at varying depths throughout much, but not all of WV. • It is not present in extreme eastern or western WV. • It crops out at the surface in parts of the Valley and Ridge province in eastern WV. • It varies in thickness across WV. Elevation of top of Onondaga Limestone, in feet

Structure Contours on top The Onondaga of Onondaga in feet Limestone immediately underlies the Hancock 0 10 Marcellus, so knowing -4 Brooke the elevation of the top Ohio

Marshall

- 0 6 -5700 - 6 - 0 3 6 2 3 0 1 of the Onondaga and 00 5 0 - Monongalia 0

Wetzel 0 0 0 0 Morgan 0 0 0 0 Marion 0 2 0 0 0 5 7 5 0 Preston 0 5 Berkeley - 4 0 Tyler 6 5 0 -5 - 6 - - - 0 00 0 the surface elevation at 0 Pleasants 58 0 0 Mineral Hampshire - 8 Ta y l o r 0 0 Jefferson 3 -5 0 0 0 - Harrison 3 0 Doddridge 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 4 Wood 0 0 0 5 0 0 3 8 0 4 - - Ritchie 0 - 0 0 0 4 0 5 Tucker 0 - Barbour 5 - Grant 0 6 4 6 6 0 9 0 - - 0 0 - 9 6 0 3 5 Hardy - 0 - a particular location 0 0 - 0 Lewis 0 0 6 0 0 0 Wirt 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 6 5 - 00 0 7 0 5 0 Gilmer 0 5 0 2 90 5 4 0 - 1 - 0 -5 - 2 5 1 - - 0 4 2 3 0 - 0 3 Calhoun - - Jackson 0 00 Upshur Randolph 5 0 4 0 6 2 - -5 - Mason - 0 0 0 4 Pendleton provides a way to 0 0 Roane 2 0 0 1 0 5 Braxton 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 2 4 4 0 0 9 3 - 4 4 - - 9 0 0 - - 2 0 0 - Putnam 3 6 0 5 4 0 0 - - - 0 4 Clay Webster 7 5 0 3 2 Cabell 3 estimate the depth of a 0 0 - - 2 Kanawha - 0 2 2 4800 - 40 00 Nicholas - Pocahontas 0 600 0 9 - 4 - -3 0 0 -4 2 Lincoln 0 6 0 5 0

6 - 0 4 0 0 0 3 0 Wayne 0 4 - 8 0 0 - 0 0 0 4 1 0 - 4 0 0 - 0 4 well drilled all the way 0 7

0 4 - 0 Boone - Fayette 3 0

2 8 Greenbrier 0 - - 0 5 2 33 - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Logan 0 0 5 0 4 6 Miles 0 4 0 4 2 - -4 Raleigh - 0 through the Marcellus 3 0 0 7 0 - 7 4 0 012.5 25 50 75 100 3 - 2 - 0 Summers - Mingo Wyoming 10 -5 Monroe 0 90 00 -4 Shale. 47 - 0 Mercer McDowell 00 t -5

from Cardwell, 1982 Outcrops of Marcellus

The Marcellus is exposed at the surface in eastern WV as shown by the outcrop map. In the eastern-most counties, older rocks are exposed at the surface and the Marcellus is not present.

From 1968 state geologic map Thickness in feet and extent of Marcellus Shale in subsurface

Area of thicker Marcellus

Marcellus not present west of this line For Further Information:

• WV Geological & Economic Survey, http://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/

• WV Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Oil and Gas, http://www.wvdep.org/item.cfm?ssid=23