--> Abstract: Shale Gas Potential in New York: Results from Recent NYSERDA-Sponsored Research; #90063 (2007)

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Shale Gas Potential in New York: Results from Recent NYSERDA-Sponsored Research

 

Martin, John P.1, Richard Nyahay2, James Leone2, Daniel Jarvie3 (1) New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY (2) New York State Museum, Albany, NY (3) Humble Geochemical Services, Humble, TX

 

Though New York's first shale well was drilled in 1821, shale has not been a major contributor to natural gas production in the state. Previous estimates of the state's shale gas resource range from 163 to 313 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). A review of the history and research conducted on shale shows that the resource in New York is poorly understood and has not been adequately tested. Starting in the mid-1990s, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) began to look at the possibility that the state's shale formations may offer production potential. Recent NYSERDA sponsored projects are helping to characterize both the Devonian and Ordovician shales.

 

New York is geographically at the northern end of the contiguous Appalachian Basin that runs along the eastern United States. The Adirondack uplift creates a local termination of the basin in the state's northern reaches. The most of the state's rock column, from the Proterozoic through the Devonian can be observed in outcrop along this termination. Prospective shales include the Ordovician Utica, the Middle Devonian Hamilton (Marcellus), and suite of Late Devonian shales that are separated by silt/sandy layers.

Using outcrop samples, well cores and well cuttings, the physical and chemical properties of the most prospective shales have been analyzed. The results indicate that New York possesses a number of distinct shale plays. With proper drilling and completion technology, each offers economic potential given the favorable conditions for market-area gas.

 

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California