The Barnett Shale is a geological formation of economic significance. It consists of sedimentary rocks of Mississippian age (354-323 million years ago) in the U.S. State of Texas. 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 (59 km³) of natural gas, and is widely estimated to contain as much as 30 trillion cubic feet (850,000,000,000 m³) of natural gas resources. Oil also has been found in lesser quantities, but sufficient enough (with recent high oil prices) to be commercially viable.
The Barnett Shale is known as a "tight" gas reservoir, indicating that the gas is not easily extracted. The shale is very hard, and it was virtually impossible to produce gas in commercial quantities from this formation until recent improvements were made in hydraulic fracturing technology and horizontal drilling, and there was an upturn in the natural gas price.
Future development of the field will be hampered in part by the fact that major portions of the field are in urban areas, including the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Some local governments are researching means by which they can drill on existing public land (e.g., parks) without disrupting other activities so they may obtain royalties on any minerals found, whereas others are seeking compensation from drilling companies for damage to roads caused by overweight vehicles (many of the roads are rural and not designed for use by heavy equipment).
The great economic success of the Barnett Shale gas play has spurred companies to search for other sources of shale gas across the United States. Other shale gas plays in the United States include the Antrim Shale in Michigan, the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas, the Marcellus Shale in Appalachia [4], the Woodford Shale in Oklahoma, and the Ohio Shale in Kentucky and West Virginia.
Thursday, 18 February 2010 14:03:54 CST
BizJournals.COM - Oil and Gas Headlines
Hydraulic fracturing a process used in oil- and gas-rich areas such as the Barnett Shale to produce minerals at a higher rate is now at the center of a government inquiry. permaLink:1266523000-9609
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Thursday, 28 January 2010 10:37:00 CST
Houston Chronicle - Business News
Two of the 94 monitoring sites had high levels of benzene a known carcinogen but companies made prompt repairs when a state agency alerted them to the monitoring results. permaLink:1264697000-8281
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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 17:52:56 CST
Yahoo - Energy News
Air testing over one of the nation's biggest natural gas fields revealed two sites with extremely high levels of cancer-causing benzene and 19 more with elevated levels of the chemical, Texas environmental regulators said Wednesday. permaLink:1264636000-3516
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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 14:11:36 CST
BizJournals.COM - Dallas
After monitoring 18 sites at the Barnett Shale natural gas formation in the western portion of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found that only two out of 19 sites had unhealthy air quality. permaLink:1264623000-1328
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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 04:26:00 CST
The Oil Voice - Headlines
Chesapeake Energy Corporation announces the closing of its 2.25 billion Barnett Shale joint venture transaction with Total EampP USA Inc. a whollyowned subsidiary of Total S.A. whereby Total ac permaLink:1264588000-1797
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Tuesday, 26 January 2010 06:01:00 CST
Yahoo Sector - Independent Oil and Gas
OKLAHOMA CITY----Chesapeake Energy Corporation today announced the closing of its $2.25 billion Barnett Shale joint venture transaction with Total E&P USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Total S.A. , whereby Total acquired a 25% interest in Chesapeakes upstream Barnett Shale assets. permaLink:1264507000-9414
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Monday, 11 January 2010 09:51:35 CST
BizJournals.COM - Oil and Gas Headlines
Gateway Energy Corp. has agreed to acquire the Hickory Creek Gathering System from Hickory Creek Gathering LP and Range Texas Production LLC. permaLink:1263225000-6719
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Monday, 11 January 2010 08:20:00 CST
Yahoo Sector - Oil and Gas Pipelines
Gateway Energy Corporation today announced that it has acquired the Hickory Creek Gathering System from Hickory Creek Gathering L.P. and Range Texas Production, LLC for a cash purchase price of $3.9 million, adjusted to reflect a transaction effective date of November 1, 2009. permaLink:1263220000-4453
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