Geological

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said a “remarkable” increase in the number of earthquakes in the Midcontinent region is more than likely from injection wells that handle wastewater from oil and natural gas drilling.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), community representatives and Indian tribes will collaborate on the retesting of two water wells near hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations near Pavillion, WY, which were the subject of a controversial EPA report last December (see Shale Daily, Dec. 21, 2011).

The $45 million cost of a proposed study of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to be performed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) should be paid by the oil and gas industry, according to Sen. Al Franken (D-MN).

The Interior Department’s first assessment of the shale potential of Alaska’s North Slope found the potential for up to 2 billion bbl of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and 80 Tcf of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). “We looked under the entire North Slope of Alaska,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt, who called it a landmark study. The results will enable industry to make “good seismic decisions,” will guide their investments, said Anne Castle, assistant secretary of water and science. Alaska’s shale resources “hold great promise,” but production has never been attempted due to the infrastructure challenges, Castle noted. Three source rocks of the Alaska North Slope were assessed in the study: the Triassic Shublik Formation, the lower part of the Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Kingak Shale, and the Cretaceous pebble shale unit-Hue Shale, according to USGS. It said those shale formations are known to have generated oil and gas that migrated into conventional accumulations, including the Prudhoe Bay field. But the shales also likely retain oil and gas that did not migrate. If the shale gas should be developed, it’s remains an open questions as to whether it could make its way to the United States, which lacks pipelines and/or a West Coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal for the gas to be delivered. The nation’s sole export terminal, located in Kenai, AK, exports LNG to Asian markets.

Officials with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) said they plan to publish their annual report on proved reserves in the Marcellus Shale by spring. However, budget cuts last year temporarily forced the agency to cut the report.

A geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) believes at least two minor earthquakes in South Texas, including a 3.0-magnitude temblor on Feb. 4, were caused by oil and natural gas drilling.

British Columbia will eclipse Alberta as Canada’s top gas producing province by tapping prolific shale deposits, the National Energy Board said.

The cloud of confusion surrounding the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) recent estimate of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) contained in the Marcellus Shale — and the apparent differences between the USGS assessment and previous estimates — cleared somewhat Friday as the agency clarified its methodology.

The cloud of confusion surrounding the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) recent estimate of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) contained in the Marcellus Shale — and the apparent differences between the USGS assessment and previous estimates — cleared somewhat Friday as the agency clarified its methodology.