What is the Barnett Shale?
From Wikipedia: The Barnett Shale is a geological formation of economic significance. The formation is estimated to stretch from the city of Dallas to west of the city of Fort Worth and south, covering 5,000 square miles (13,000 km²) and at least 17 counties. Some experts have suggested the Barnett Shale may be the largest onshore natural gas field in the United States. The field is proven to have 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and is widely estimated to contain as much as 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources. Oil has also been found in lesser quantities, but sufficient (with recent high oil prices) to be commercially viable. Our homes sit on top of the Barnett Shale. Go to the Wikipedia page for more information.
The Barnett Shale is a large natural gas reserve that stretches underground across a 15 county area. It contains an estimated 26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and is located approximately 1.5 miles below the surface. In recent years, advances in drilling technology have made it possible for energy companies to extract large amounts of natural gas from the Barnett Shale.
A. The Barnett Shale, suggested to be the largest natural gas field in North America, is a geologic formation of sedimentary rocks spanning twenty Texas counties. This formation has already produced 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and this is only one-tenth of what is expected for future production.
The Barnett shale is named after early day settler John W. Barnett who homesteaded in San Saba County Texas where he named a local creek the Barnett Creek. During the early 20th century during a geological mapping expedition a geologist noticed the black shale outcropping in Barnett Creek and named it the Barnett shale after the creek. In that area of the state the formation outcrops or touches the surface. It is in the seven to eight thousand foot deep range near Dallas. What creates gas and condensate in the Barnett shale is organic matter called kerogen that lies embedded in the shale. Through biogenic and thermogenic action, natural gas is given off. The Barnett shale is rich in organic matter and some believe that biogenic action is still producing natural gas even now. The Barnett Shale is known as a “tight” gas reservoir meaning that the gas is not easily extracted. The formation is a very hard shale and it was virtually impossible to produce gas in commercial quantities from th
