4-H 365.04 Natural Resources OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

PROJECT IDEA STARTER Shale Gas Extraction by Jane Keyser, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development; Mike Lloyd, Extension Educator, Community Development; Steve Schumacher, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Nancy Snook, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development. Reviewed by Andrea Davis, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development; and Eric Romich, Field Specialist, Energy Development.

Americans use a lot of energy. In fact, the United States is the second largest consumer of energy in the world, and the seventh largest per capita. Most energy in the U.S. comes from fossil fuels.

Oil and Gas as Energy of shale. Getting, or extracting, the natural gas from Fossil fuels were formed from prehistoric plants shale formations is more difficult and perhaps more and animals whose remains were gradually buried expensive than getting it from conventional natural 3 by layers of sediment, water, sand and rock. The gas sources. Ohio has two such shale deposits: the chemicals they contain — hydrogen and carbon Marcellus and Utica shales. The Utica shale formed — form petroleum, coal or natural gas. These are during the Ordovician period (480–442 million years typically burned to provide energy.1 ago) and the Marcellus shale formed during the Devonian period (417–354 million years ago). Most of the nation’s natural gas comes from what has been called conventional sources. Conventional Drilling and Production gas often comes from underground sandstone Exploring for oil and natural gas was once a matter of formations in the Gulf of Mexico and the western and good luck and guesswork. Today, the guesswork is southwestern U.S. However, in recent years more replaced by science and technology. Geologists and gas comes from unconventional sources, including geophysicists use many high-tech tools to search for shale gas.2 oil- and gas-filled rock layers. One exploration method Shale is a very fine-grained sedimentary rock that involves sending sound waves into the earth and breaks easily into thin, parallel layers. It is a very interpreting the signals that return to the surface. soft rock, but it does not fall apart when it becomes Geologists then interpret the seismic data. If there wet. Shale can contain natural gas, usually when two is a possibility of gas, exploration wells are the next thick, black shale deposits “sandwich” a thinner area step. A drilling rig drills a hole about the size of a

PLAN YOUR PROJECT Use this idea starter AND publication 4-H 365 Self-Determined Project Guide as the starting place for your 4-H self-determined project. TheSelf-Determined Project Guide is available from your county OSU Extension office or on the Web atohio4h.org/selfdetermined . You may choose to do a little or a lot depending on your level of interest. Be sure to register your project with your county OSU Extension office. – 2 –

Usually, a system of pipeline is installed to move the oil and gas to refineries. There are two types of natural gas. “Dry” gas is primarily methane and “wet” gas contains oil and natural gas liquids such as ethane, pentane, propane and butane, in addition to methane. Much of the Ohio shale gas is expected to be wet gas. As such, it needs to be sent to a refinery, such as a fractionator or cracker, where the different components are separated and sent to the various industries that use them.

Products The crude oil that results is used as fuel and lubrication for cars and other transportation. It is Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources also used to make over 6,000 different products we use every soccer ball several thousand back is recycled while some must day, including medicines, paint, feet to determine if oil and gas be disposed of. Typically, in Ohio cosmetics, fabric and plastics. are actually there. Historically, the portion that is disposed of is As with other nonrenewable these wells were drilled vertically injected into deep underground resources, greater emphasis is (straight down), but the technology wells called injection wells. being placed on “reduce and available today allows for wells Pressure in the newly drilled wells reuse” with the many products to be drilled horizontally (parallel may be high enough that oil and made from oil and gas. with the ground) too. Modern wells gas flow to the surface without drilled into Ohio and other shale any assistance, but most wells are Impact deposits are large and may be expected to eventually require a The gas and oil industry in Ohio drilled down over a mile vertically pump jack or other system to help is likely to create a wide variety and then out a mile horizontally. remove the deposits. After a well is drilled, the shale is hydraulically fractured in a process commonly called fracking. Fracking involves pressurizing the wells up to 15,000 pounds per square inch and injecting water, sand, and a variety of other chemicals to break the shale and create channels that allow the gas and oil to escape. Fracking a horizontal well can use five million gallons of water or more, 20 percent of which is returned to the surface. The water, sand and chemical mixture that returns is called flow back. Some of the flow – 3 – of new jobs in Ohio. People worms or fish), paper towels bottle: 1 tablespoon of tuna, trained for highly technical jobs and a stack of heavy books. two torn lettuce leaves such as petroleum engineers and 2. On a paper towel, layer and 3 tablespoons of sand. geophysicists are needed, and three pieces of bread on top Slowly add 10 ml, or about 2 so are people to work as truck of each other like a pancake teaspoons, of water without drivers, welders and rig workers. stack. The bread slices shaking or disturbing the Regulation of the industry is a represent sediment layers layers. work in progress. Many people are that form over millions of 3. Stretch the opening of the enthusiastic about the potential years. balloon over the opening of benefits of growth in Ohio’s oil 3. Next, insert a few gummy the bottle. Seal with masking and gas industry. Many others are animals in a middle layer. tape. Carefully move the concerned about impacts on the (The gummy animals bottle to a hot, sunny place environment. One of the primary represent animals that outside. concerns is the effect on air and died, became trapped 4. Observe and predict water quality. Also, an increase in in sediments and later the bottle’s changes for truck traffic during drilling creates fossilized.) several days. Record your road maintenance and road safety 4. Wrap the entire bread fossil observations in a chart concerns. Finally, if new jobs do in a paper towel. that includes dates and result, local leaders must think comments. about all the new people who will 5. Stack a layer of heavy books 5. What do you think caused need schools, health care and on top of the bread fossil. the changes in the balloon? housing.4 For best results, apply more pressure. Let it sit overnight. What happened to the Do not disturb or peek! materials in the bottle as AREAS OF INTEREST AND time passes? Can you 6. The next day, predict how THINGS TO DO explain what happened in you think the bread fossil Every self-determined 4-H project the bottle? will look. Uncover the bread can be broken down into areas fossil and observe very ☐ Explain how different rocks of interest. These are the specific closely. (limestone, sandstone, granite) things members want to address absorb oil differently. during their project adventures. 7. Has the bread fossil • Which rock might hold the Using 4-H 365 Self-Determined changed? How? What most oil, and why? Project Guide, identify at least eventually happened to the three areas of interest with at animal material when it was • Where are the best geologic least three activities per area to trapped in the porous bread conditions of oil deposits? explore. Take your ideas from the layers? Try to pull the layers • How can scientists use list below or make up your own. apart. What do you see in geology to help find oil the pores of the bread? deposits? Shale Formations ☐ Learn how natural gas is formed with the Magic Balloon Exploration ☐ Find five differences and five Experiment.6 Follow these easy ☐ Research how geologists locate similarities between Marcellus steps: oil and gas deposits. shale and Utica shale. 1. You will need tuna, lettuce ☐ Explore how seismic data ☐ Learn how fossil fuels are leaves, a 1-liter clear plastic is used to find oil and gas formed in shale with the Fossil bottle, one balloon, a deposits below the surface of Bread Experiment.5 Follow graduated cylinder, sand, the earth. these easy steps: pond water and masking ☐ Describe what information is 1. You will need three slices tape. found when a drilling site is of different kinds of bread, 2. Layer the following in order “logged” during exploration for gummy animals (gummy in a 1-liter clear plastic oil and/or gas. – 4 –

• Cut out pictures of as many products as you can find that are made from petroleum. • Glue or tape them to a poster board to make a collage. • On the collage, label if the product is a byproduct of oil or gas.

Impact ☐ Explore higher education opportunities available for training in the oil and gas industry. ☐ List 20 career opportunities ☐ Explain the difference between 4. Open the can of carbonated related to the oil and gas vertical (straight down) and beverage and pour a small industry. horizontal (parallel with ground) amount into the glass drilling as it relates to oil and container. Observe closely ☐ Make a list of ways to conserve gas exploration. and record results. Discuss energy around your house. your findings. ☐ Identify and explore at least Drilling and Production 5. What did you observe? Why one of the environmental ☐ Go to the Ohio Department do you think some bubbles concerns about shale gas. of Natural Resources Division are “trapped” in the oil? Are there good reasons to be of Oil and Gas Resources How can you compare this concerned? Summarize your website (oilandgas.ohiodnr. experiment to the function findings and share them with gov) and use the Oil and Gas of an oil field? your project helper. Well Locator. Are there wells or 6. Assemble a collection ☐ Create a survey about the refineries in your county? of online or print articles benefits and potential risks ☐ Make a flow chart describing about shale gas extraction. of shale gas extraction and what happens to oil and gas at Analyze whether they offer a use it to interview friends and a “cracker” plant. Explain how it negative, positive or neutral family members. What did you works to your project helper. stance, and write your own discover? ☐ Explore how natural gas comments for each one. is separated from oil by RELATED RESOURCES Byproducts conducting the Soda Ohio Department of Natural Separation Experiment. ☐ Research byproducts of oil and Resources Division of Oil and Gas 1. You will need a glass gas. Does anything surprise Resources, oilandgas.ohiodnr.gov you? Share what you find with container, colored vegetable Subsurface Energy Resource your project helper. oil and an unopened can of Center, serc.osu.edu/resources clear, carbonated beverage. ☐ List 10 products from oil and Ohio Oil and Gas Energy 10 products from natural gas. 2. Pour ½ can of vegetable oil Education Program (OOGEEP), Discuss your list with someone into the glass container. oogeep.org/teachers-students who might not know how many 3. Predict what might happen products there are. when the carbonated drink is poured into the oil. ☐ Make a petroleum collage to share with your club. – 5 –

Sources 1 “Fossil.” United States Department of Energy, Energy Sources, energy.gov/science- innovation/energy-sources/fossil, accessed December 31, 2013. 2 “National Assessment of Oil and Gas Fact Sheet: Natural Gas Production in the United States.” U.S. Geological Survey. pubs.usgs. gov/fs/fs-0113-01/fs-0113-01textonly. pdf, accessed December 31, 2013. 3 “Unconventional Natural Gas Resources.” naturalgas.org/ overview/unconventional-ng- resources, 23 February 2012. 4 Romich, R., and Schumacher, S. Summary of Hydraulic Fracturing in Ohio. 2012. The Ohio State University. 5 “Science Fair Project #1: Fossil Bread.” Oklahoma’s Oil & Natural Gas Producers & Royalty Owners, oerb.com, accessed December 31, 2013. 6 “Science Fair Project #2: Magic Balloon.” Oklahoma’s Oil & Natural Gas Producers & Royalty Owners, oerb.com, accessed December 31, 2013.

ohio4h.org/selfdetermined

Copyright © 2014, The Ohio State University CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.

10/2020