The Forgotten Oil and Gas Fields in South Western Pennsylvania

Abstract

Southwestern Pennsylvania has a long history of oil and gas activity dating back to the early 1820’s, when drilling for salt water natural gas was encountered along Little Chartiers Creek in Washington County Pennsylvania. Over the next 60 years no major discoveries were made until the Great McGugin well was drilled on top of the Westland Dome in central Washington County in 1882. After the Great McGugin well several major oil and gas fields were discovered in the area over a period of 10 years. The Shannopin field in 1885, the Washington/Taylors Town field in 1885, Florence- Five Points field in 1889, Burgettstown Field in 1890, and the largest of fields the McDonald-McCurdy field in 1891. Over the next 20 years, the oil and gas fields of Southwestern Pennsylvania went in to depletion and most drilling activity stopped. It was not until 2004 with the discovery of the first economic Marcellus well that the drilling activity returned and continues today.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90373 © 2019 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Energy from the Heartland, Columbus, Ohio, October 12-16, 2019