Shale activity moves to southern Ohio
Friday, February 13, 2015
With the current energy market’s woes as well as past production and exploration results, the Mahoning Valley’s place in Ohio’s shale industry seems to be waning.
The Vindicator reports that geology, seismicity and location are three reasons that drilling companies have moved on to the southern Utica. The northern Utica and Point Pleasant shale formations are thin compared to southern Ohio’s Utica Shale. Fault lines in the northern Utica combine with low pressure to produce less oil and natural gas than in the south, which features tighter formations and higher pressure. Earthquakes have been another problem in the Valley.
Jeffrey Dick, chairman of the department of geologic and environmental sciences at Youngstown State University, says that while oil and gas companies are focused on southern Ohio, they will eventually return to the Mahoning Valley.
Related:
- Much left to be revealed in Ohio’s Utica Shale Dec. 24, 2014
- Columbiana County wells not far behind Utica’s southern tier Sept. 23, 2014
- Trumbull County earthquake occurs at site of injection wells Sept. 3, 2014
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.