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.
Saturday, 20 June 2009 03:28:00 CDT
The Oil Voice - Headlines
Quicksilver Resources Inc. has completed the sale of 27.5 of Quicksilvers Alliance leasehold interests to Eni. Quicksilver intends to use net proceeds from the transaction of approximately 280 mil permaLink:1245486000-8789
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Friday, 12 June 2009 01:02:22 CDT
Geology.COM
A few small earthquakes in Texas have some people asking if the deep natural gas wells drilled into the Barnett Shale have triggered the quake. A few geologists provided comments for the article. permaLink:1244787000-9609
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[drilled, drilling, shale] |
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Monday, 18 May 2009 19:00:00 CDT
Oil and Gas Insight
Italian major Eni has agreed a strategic alliance with US independent Quicksilver Resources, which will see Eni paying US$280mn for a 27.5% stake in Quicksilver's 53sq km section of the Barnett Shale play - located between Fort Worth and Dallas in Texas. permaLink:1242691000-4604
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[us] |
Monday, 18 May 2009 15:12:43 CDT
Motley Fool
Quicksilver Resources draws a pretty fair deal in this deleveraging attempt. permaLink:1242678000-1250
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[shale] |
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Thursday, 14 May 2009 08:50:33 CDT
BizJournals.COM - Dallas
Independent oil and natural gas company Denbury Resources Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell 60 percent of its natural gas assets in the Barnett Shale, a natural gas formation located in the western part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. (DNR) permaLink:1242309000-9414
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 18:07:22 CDT
Topix - Oil and Gas Industry News
Oil and gas developer Denbury Resources Inc. said Wednesday it had agreed to sell 60 percent of its Barnett Shale natural gas assets to Talon Oil & Gas LLC for $270 million. permaLink:1242256000-3281
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 17:10:00 CDT
The Oil Voice - North America
Denbury Resources Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell 60 of its Barnett Shale natural gas assets for 270 million before closing adjustments to Talon Oil amp Gas LLC a privately held co permaLink:1242253000-8613
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[shale] |
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 15:58:33 CDT
Yahoo Sector - Independent Oil and Gas
Oil and gas developer Denbury Resources Inc. said Wednesday it had agreed to sell 60 percent of its Barnett Shale natural gas assets to Talon Oil & Gas LLC for $270 million. permaLink:1242248000-8438
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[shale] |
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