Overview of Gas and Oil Resources in West Virginia

Katharine Lee AvaryWest Virginia Geological & Economic Survey

304/594-2331avary@geosrv.wvnet.edu

www.wvgs.wvnet.edu

Renewed Interest in Drilling and Production Activity

WV: Where It All Began

Then 1858

Now

2008

West Virginia’s location is ideal for northeast markets

Source: Energy Information Administration

WV’s gas and oil fields primarily in the western part of the State

!

!

!$

Source: WVGES database

Location of well 19,000 feet or deeper

Wells 19,000 feet or deeper;

n=3

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

$ Source: WVGES database

Location of well 10,000 feet or deeper

Wells 10,000 feet or deeper;

n=43

Coalbed methane

Marcellus Shale

Trenton-Black River

Different age rocks of recent interest to oil and gas producers

Recent Trenton wells have been drilled in 10 counties

Completed wellPermitted well

KanawhaClay

Webster

Braxton

Putnam

Wayne Lincoln

Jackson

Roane

Ca

lho

un

Wood

WV Trenton Gas Production

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Year

Mcf

(ann

ual)

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

Mcf

(cum

ulat

ive)

!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(

!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!( !(

!( !(!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!( !(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(

Randolph

Hardy

Kanawha

GreenbrierFayette

Grant

Preston

Raleigh

Pocahontas

Boone

Clay

Nicholas

Wayne

Roane

LoganMingo

Pendleton

Lewis

Braxton

Webster

Ritchie

Mason

Wood

Monroe

Lincoln

Tucker

Mercer

Hampshire

Wirt

Jackson

McDowell

Wyoming

Wetzel

Tyler

Gilmer

Harrison

Upshur

Cabell

Marion

Putnam

Mineral

Barbour

Summers

Berkeley

Marshall

MonongaliaMorgan

Taylor

Ohio

Calhoun

Doddridge

JeffersonPleasants

Brooke

HancockWV Counties with Recent CBM wells reported; total 690 wells

Completed CBM well

09/2006

West Virginia CBM Gas Production

0

5

10

15

20

25

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year

Ann

ual p

rodu

ctio

n, B

cf o

f Gas

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Cum

ulat

ive

gas

prod

uctio

n, B

cf

Cumulative production

Annual and Cumulative CBM production for WV; total 103 Bcf of gas; 2007 production >22 Bcf.

The Marcellus Shale Play

• What is it? • Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary

rock. • The Marcellus is a particular rock unit

which is Devonian in age.

A Play• A play is defined as a group of geologically

similar drilling prospects having similar source, reservoir and trap controls of gas migration, accumulation, and storage.

• Patchen, D.G., 1996, Introduction to the Atlas of Major Appalachian Gas Plays, WV Geological and Economic Survey, Volume V-25, p. 1.

Modified from White, 1980; 1988.

White, D.A., 1980, Assessing oil and gas plays in facies-cycle wedges: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 64, p. 1158-1178.

--- 1988, Oil and gas play maps in exploration and assessment: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 72, p. 944-949.

Marcellus Shale

From Milici, USGS Open File Report 2005-1268

Historic Devonian Shale Gas Fields

LegendBlack/Gray Shale Fields

Black Shale Fields

0 30 60 90 12015Miles

Historic Devonian Shale Gas Fields and newMarcellus wells permitted in 2006 and 2007

LegendBlack/Gray Shale Fields

Black Shale Fields

2007 new Marcellus wells

2006 new Marcellus wells

0 30 60 90 12015Miles

Huntersville/Oriskany Gas Fields

LegendHuntersville/Oriskany

Oriskany Combination

Oriskany Pinchout

Oriskany Structure0 30 60 90 12015Miles

Legend

Trenton Gas Fields

Trenton-Black River play spurred additional deep drilling in last 15 years in limited areas.

Hydrothermal Dolomite (HTD)

Frac

ture

d Lim

esto

ne (F

LS)

¹ 0 40 80 120 16020Miles

OH

PA

NY

WV

West Virginia Nomenclature

Hampshire Formation

Greenland Gap Group (“Chemung” Formation)

Berea SandstoneBedford Shale

Cleveland MemberUpper Huron Member

Lower Huron MemberDunkirk Shale MemberO

hio

Sha

le

Java Fm.

Angola Shale MemberRhinestreet Shale Member

Pipe Creek Shale Member

Cashaqua Shale Member

Brallier ShaleWest Falls Formation

Tully (?) Limestone

Sonyea Formation Middlesex Shale Member

West River Shale Mbr.Burket Shale

Geneseo Shale Member

Marcellus Shale

Onondaga Limestone

Oriskany Sandstone

Helderberg Limestone

Huntersville Chert“Corniferous”

Tioga ash bed

Mahantango Formation

TIM

E

W E

0

50

100

150200

0 50 100 150 20025Miles

$

LegendMarcellus thickness

Marcellus extent

Millboro extent

Lower Huron extent

Rhinestreet extent

Extent of Marcellus, Rhinestreet, and Lower Huron

Locations of cross sections from USGS Bulletin 1909

0 50 100 150 20025Miles

$Legend

Well location

Cross Section Chemung County, NY to Potter County, PA

Tioga

Potter

Steuben

Bradford

ElkLycoming

AlleganyTioga

Clinton

McKean

Broome

Luzerne

Sullivan

Tompkins

Cattaraugus

Cameron

Wyoming

Chemung

Yates

Schuyler

Cortland

Susquehanna

WyomingLivingston

Erie

Chenango

Columbia

Seneca

Clearfield

Ontario

Cayuga

e

83

8281

8079

78

77

76

75

74

NY

PA

NESWCrosby Sandstone

Renwick Shale Member

Geneseo Shale Member

Tully Limestone Member

West River Shale Member

Marcellus

Cherry Valley Limestone MemberOnondaga :Limestone

Purcell Limestone Member

Stafford Limestone Member

Menteth Limestone Member

Tichenor Limestone Member

Portland Point Limestone MemberMoscow Shale

LudlowvilleShale

Skaneateles Shale

74

Potter Co., PA

75

Tioga Co., PA

76

Chemung Co., NY

77

Chemung Co., NY

Centerfield Limestone Member

100 ft.

BedfordSomerset

Fayette

Randolph

Hardy

GarrettPreston

Grant

Greene

Roane

Washington

Fulton

Lewis

Braxton

Belmont

Noble

Westmoreland

Ritchie

Tucker

Pendleton

Blair

Hampshire

Monroe

Wirt

Tyler

Wetzel

Gilmer

Wood

Harrison

Allegany

Harrison

Upshur

Marion

Allegheny

Guernsey

Mineral

Barbour

Cambria

Shenandoah

Marshall

Rockingham

Washington

Jefferson

Calhoun

Doddridge

MonongaliaMorgan

TuscarawasHuntingdon

Webster

Taylor

Ohio

Clay

IndianaCarroll

Pleasants

Brooke

Jackson

Pocahontas

Kanawha

Highland

Hancock

Nicholas

95

94

93

68

67

66

65

64

63

62

44

43

42

41

4039

101

100

Cross Section Somerset County, PA to Gilmer County, WV

PAWV MD

OH

SW NE

RhinestreetShale Member

Middlesex S

hale Member

Cashaqua Shale Member

Wes

t Rive

r Sha

le Mem

ber

Hamilton Group, undivided

Moscow & Ludlowville Shale undivided

Mosco

w Sha

le

?

LudlowvilleShale

Skaneateles Shale

Marcellus Shale

Renwick

and G

enes

eo

Shale

membe

rs

62

Gilmer Co., WV63

Lewis Co., WV

64

Marion Co., WV

65

Preston Co., WV66

Somerset Co., PA

Huntersville Chert

Sonyea Formation

Genesee Formation Menteth Ls. Mbr.

Tichenor Ls. Mbr.

Centerfield Ls. Mbr.

Stafford Ls. Mbr.

Purcell Ls. Mbr.

100 ft.

Tully Limestone

Cherry Valley Ls. Mbr.

Where is the Marcellus present in WV?

• It is present below the surface, at varying depths throughout much, but not all of WV.

• It is not present in extreme eastern or western WV.

• It crops out at the surface in parts of the Valley and Ridge province in eastern WV.

• It varies in thickness across WV.

Elevation of top of Onondaga Limestone, in feet

Randolph

Hardy

Kanawha

GreenbrierFayette

Grant

Preston

Raleigh

Pocahontas

Boone

Clay

Nicholas

Wayne

Roane

Logan

Mingo

Pendleton

Lewis

Webster

Braxton

Ritchie

Mason

WoodTucker

Monroe

Lincoln

Mercer

Hampshire

Wirt

Jackson

McDowell

Tyler

Wyoming

Wetzel

Gilmer

Harrison

Upshur

Cabell

Marion

Putnam

Mineral

Barbour

Monongalia

Taylor

Ohio

Summers

Berkeley

Marshall

Calhoun

Doddridge

Morgan

JeffersonPleasants

Brooke

Hancock

0

-440

0-3

900

-400

0-3

800

-420

0

-460

0

-370

0

-340

0

-3600

-3300

-4100

-290

0

-100

-310

0

-4300

-4900

-320

0

-480

0

-350

0

-450

0

-520

0

-4700

-200

0

-150

0

-5100

-300

0

-500

0

-250

0

-2600

-280

0-2

700

-560

0

-550

0

-2400

-650

0

-230

0

-530

0

-640

0

-6000

-6100

-5400

-220

0

-5900

-6300

-500

-6200

-570

0

-5800

-400

0

-4900

-460

0-60

00

-530

0

-300

0

-5600

0

-520

0

-4900

-5000

-5000

0-340

0

-480

0

-400

0

-4100

-4500

0

-450

0

-600

0

-4900

-250

0

-400

0-250

0

0

-5000

-3000

0

-470

0

-5000

0

-270

0

-5700

-6000

-650

0

-440

0

0

-4800

-460

0

-4700

0 25 50 75 10012.5Miles

Structure Contours on top of Onondaga in feet

tfrom Cardwell, 1982

The Onondaga Limestone immediately underlies the Marcellus, so knowing the elevation of the top of the Onondaga and the surface elevation at a particular location provides a way to estimate the depth of a well drilled all the way through the Marcellus Shale.

Outcrops of Marcellus

The Marcellus is exposed at the surface in eastern WV as shown by the outcrop map. In the eastern-most counties, older rocks are exposed at the surface and the Marcellus is not present.

From 1968 state geologic map

Thickness in feet and extent of Marcellus Shale in subsurface

Marcellus not present west of this line

Area of thicker Marcellus

Marcellus not present east of here

For Further Information:

• WV Geological & Economic Survey,http://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/

• WV Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Oil and Gas, http://www.wvdep.org/item.cfm?ssid=23

WVGES Interactive Mapping• http://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu

Information on Devonian Shales including Marcellus Shale

• Using this application, you can determine where the Marcellus is present below the surface, the approximate depth to drill through the Marcellus, and the approximate thickness of the Marcellus.

• We cannot predict presence or absence of natural gas or quantities of gas with this application.