North America

SHALE GAS PLAYS in the US and Canada

History of Shale Gas PlaysThe first commercial gas well in the US was completed in New York’s Dunkirk Shale in 1821. Estimates indicate that over 28,000 shale-gas wells have been drilled in the United States since then.

The first Barnett Shale gas production by Mitchell Energy & Development Corp took place in the Fort Worth Basin in 1981. Until the Barnett Shale successes, it was believed that natural fractures had to be present in gas shale. A low-permeability gas-shale play is presently viewed as a technological play. Advances in micro-seismic fracture mapping, 3D seismic, horizontal drilling, fracture stimulation and multiple frac stages, have all contributed to successful gas shale wells, however, low commodity prices became a serious problem in 2015 for oil and gas producers.

By the early 2000’s the main gas shale plays to that point had been: Antrim Shale in the northern Michigan Basin; Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth Basin, Texas; Lewis Shale in the San Juan Basin; New Albany Shale in the Illinois Basin; and the Ohio Shale in the Appalachian Basin. More recent gas shale plays include the Woodford Shale in Oklahoma; Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas; Haynesville Shale in Louisiana; Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin; Utica Shale in New York; and Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. There are 57 United States and Canadian gas-shale plays listed below.In early 2011, the latest exploration ‘buzz’ around New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia concerns the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio.

Gas Shales United States & Canada (in green)

FORMATION	PERIOD	LOCATION
Antrim Shale	Late Devonian	Michigan Basin, Michigan
Baxter Shale	Late Cretaceous	Vermillion Basin, Colorado, Wyoming
Barnett Shale	Mississippian	Fort Worth and Permian basins, Texas
Bend Shale	Pennsylvanian	Palo Duro Basin, Texas
Cane Creek Shale	Pennsylvanian	Paradox Basin, Utah
Caney Shale	Mississippian	Arkoma Basin, Oklahoma
Chattanooga Shale	Late Devonian	Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee
Chimney Rock Shale	Pennsylvanian	Paradox Basin, Colorado, Utah
Cleveland Shale	Devonian	Eastern Kentucky
Clinton Shale	Early Silurian	Eastern Kentucky
Cody Shale	Cretaceous	Montana
Colorado Shale	Cretaceous	Central Alberta, Saskatchewan
Conasauga Shale	Middle Cambrian	Black Warrior Basin, Alabama
Dunkirk Shale	Upper Devonian	Western New York
Duvernay Shale	Late Devonian	West central Alberta
Eagleford Shale	Late Cretaceous	Maverick Basin, Texas
Ellsworth Shale	Late Devonian	Michigan Basin, Michigan
Excello Shale	Pennsylvanian	Kansas, Oklahoma
Exshaw Shale	Devonian-Mississippian	Alberta, northeast British Columbia
Fayetteville Shale	Mississippian	Arkoma Basin, Arkansas
Fernie Shale	Jurassic	West central Alberta, northeast British Columbia
Floyd/Neal Shale	Late Mississippian	Black Warrior Basin, Alabama, Mississippi
Frederick Brook Shale	Mississippian	New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Gammon Shale	Late Cretaceous	Williston Basin, Montana
Gordondale Shale	Early Jurassic	Northeast British Columbia
Gothic Shale	Pennsylvanian	Paradox Basin, Colorado, Utah
Green River Shale	Eocene	Colorado, Utah
Haynesville/Bossier Shale	Late Jurassic	Louisiana, east Texas
Horn River Shale	Middle Devonian	Northeast British Columbia
Horton Bluff Shale	Early Mississippian	Nova Scotia
Hovenweep Shale	Pennsylvanian	Paradox Basin, Colorado, Utah
Huron Shale	Devonian	Part of Ohio Shale; east Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia
Klua/Evie Shale	Middle Devonian	Northeast British Columbia
Lewis Shale	Late Cretaceous	Colorado, New Mexico
Mancos Shale	Cretaceous	San Juan Basin, New Mexico, Uinta Basin, Utah
Manning Canyon Shale	Mississippian	Central Utah
Marcellus Shale	Devonian	New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
McClure Shale	Miocene	San Joaquin Basin, California
Monterey Shale	Miocene	Santa Maria Basin, California
Montney-Doig Shale	Triassic	Alberta, northeast British Columbia
Moorefield Shale	Mississippian	Arkoma Basin, Arkansas
Mowry Shale	Cretaceous	Bighorn and Powder River basins, Wyoming
Muskwa Shale	Late Devonian	Northeast British Columbia
New Albany Shale	Devonian-Mississippian	Illinois Basin, Illinois, Indiana
Niobrara Shale	Late Cretaceous	Denver Basin, Colorado
Nordegg/Gordondale Shale	Late Jurassic	Alberta, northeast British Columbia
Ohio Shale	Devonian	East Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia
Pearsall Shale	Cretaceous	Maverick Basin, Texas
Percha Shale	Devonian-Mississippian	West Texas
Pierre Shale	Cretaceous	Raton Basin, Colorado
Poker Chip Shale	Jurassic	West central Alberta, northeast British Columbia
Queenston Shale	Ordovician	New York
Rhinestreet Shale	Devonian	Appalachian Basin
Second White Speckled Shale	Late Cretaceous	Southern Alberta
Sunbury Shale	Mississippian	Appalachian Basin
Utica Shale	Ordovician	New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Quebec
Wilrich/Buckinghorse/ Garbutt/Moosebar Shale	Early Cretaceous	West central Alberta, northeast British Columbia
Woodford Shale	Late Devonian-Early Mississippian	Oklahoma, Texas

SHALE TIMELINE
GEOLOGICAL PERIOD	MILLION YEARS AGO
Geologic Time Scale (off site)
Cretaceous	71 – 145
Jurassic	151 – 200
Triassic	204 – 251
Permian	254 – 299
Pennsylvanian	304 – 318
Mississippian	326 – 359
Devonian	374 – 416
Silurian	419 – 444
Ordovician	446 – 488
Cambrian	496 – 542