Continued Evaluation of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Utica/Point Pleasant in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania

Reed, Jackie; Brown, Stephen W.; Zumberge, John E.

The Point Pleasant member of the Upper Ordovician Utica Shale is becoming a major liquid-rich resource play in eastern Ohio, and 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. Although it is a marine source, the Point Pleasant has characteristics such as a high initial hydrogen index(HIo) and a narrow range of activation energies suggesting it is more like a lacustrine than a marine kerogen. This characteristic has significant implications for hydrocarbon generation and development of organic porosity.

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 #90163©2013AAPG 2013 Annual Convention and Exhibition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 19-22, 2013