*Conditions for an Economical and Acceptable development of Unconventional Resources out of North America

Ph. A. Charlez¹

Abstract

Between 2006 and 2012, a period that barely covers the exploration and delineation phases of a conventional field, the US production of unconventional hydrocarbons has risen from 2 Bcf/day to 26.5 Bcf/day for gas and from 0.3 Mbopd to almost 2 Mbopd for oil, making the United States the leading source of growth in the world. Although a number of plays significantly contribute to US shale gas production, the Barnett (North Texas), Haynesville (Louisiana and Texas), Marcellus (New York State) and to a lesser extent Fayetteville (Arkansas) were the main contributors to the shale gas ramp up, whereas Bakken (North Dakota) and Eagle Ford (Texas) are the main contributors for tight oil.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90188 ©GEO-2014, 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, 10-12 March 2014, Manama, Bahrain