Hydrocarbon Potential of the Utica/Point Pleasant in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania
Jackie Reed1, Stephen Brown2, and John Zumberge2
1Reed Geochemical Consulting, Houston, Texas,
[email protected]
2GeoMark Research, Inc., Houston, Texas,
[email protected],
[email protected]
The Point Pleasant member of the Upper Ordovician Utica Shale is a very rich oil prone formation. that is the primary source for the so called Utica resource play. The play occurs predominantly in eastern Ohio, but also extends into western Pennsylvania. The Point Pleasant is the source for low maturity through dry gas unexpelled hydrocarbons that occur within it and for oil and gas expelled into the overlying Utica and Clinton formations. Where located in the oil and wet gas condensate window, the Point Pleasant generates a high quality, low sulfur, paraffinic oil of 30°-50° API gravity.
Sediment maturity data integrated with oil geochemical data correlate well with the quality and composition of hydrocarbons reported to date for wells drilled into the play. Restored and corrected TOC and Rock Eval data combined with the high carbonate content of the Point Pleasant suggest it could make the Utica resource play one of the most prolific shale plays to date.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90154©2012 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, 22-26 September 2012