The Barnett Shale Formation of North Texas and Oklahoma 

Oilfield Books, Geology & Petroleum Engineering Books       

Oilfield Jobs In Texas   

Rig site near Cleberne, TX   Derrick Hand Working on Barnett Shale Rig

Horizontal or Directional Drilling For Gas In the Barnett Shale

In part due to the worldwide demand for energy and decreasing oil and  natural gas supplies, oil and gas companies are exploring areas previously passed over

because they were believed to be unproductive. One such area that has been know about for years is the Barnett shale formation of North Texas and Oklahoma.

The Barnett Shale Formation Of North Texas Is possibly the biggest economic boost to that area in history.  It has been estimated that the impact of

the Barnett shale on the economy of a five county area, including Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, Palo Pinto and Erath counties is equal to five Boeing jet manufacturing

plants opening up.   The Barnett shale is productive in at least 17 counties. Far from a drop in the bucket, the natural gas contained in the Barnett shale will go a long way to powering America's future.

 Formerly economically depressed areas such as Cleberne, Texas and Weatherford, Texas are now boom towns. Thanks to high paying oilfield jobs and  landowners spending gas royalties, the local economies and tax base have drastically improved in counties where the Barnett shale is productive.

In 2006, the Barnett Shale was responsible for  creating 55,385 permanent new jobs, and is estimated to have  contributed $491 million in revenues to the state of Texas, and $228 million  to local governments. Economists estimate that by 2015 the Barnett Shale may be responsible for more than 108,000 total jobs in the areas where it is being heavily exploited.

What is The Barnett Shale?

The Barnett shale is named after  early day settler John W. Barnett who homesteaded in San Saba County Texas where he named a local creek the Barnett Creek.  During the early 20th century during a geological mapping expedition a geologist noticed the black shale outcropping in Barnett Creek and named it the Barnett shale after the creek. In that area of the state the formation touches the surface. It is several thousand feet deep near Dallas.

The Barnett Shale is known as a "tight" gas reservoir meaning that the gas is not easily extracted. The formation is a very hard shale and it was virtually impossible to produce gas in commercial quantities from this formation until recent improvements were made in fracturing technology and directional drilling.

It consists of Mississippian age (354-323 million years ago) sedimentary shale rocks and stretches  from Dallas to west  of Fort Worth and southward, covering at least 5,000 square miles.

Oil and Gas Experts have suggested that it may be the largest onshore natural gas field in the US although new estimates from the newly discovered Marcellus Formation in Appalachia may equal the Barnett. The field is proven to have 2.5 trillion cu. ft  of natural gas.   Light oil  has  been found in lesser quantities and sufficient enough at today's prices to be commercially viable.

The development of the full potential of the Barnett shale has come up headlong against the dense urban areas of the growing Dallas - Fort worth metroplex and protests from homeowners and city governments worried about eyesores and noise from drilling rigs and pipeline construction. Lawsuits from neighborhood groups and individuals abound, especially ones that do not own the mineral rights under their property.

 Due to the fact that it is a low porosity, low pressure gas formation it requires a serious "frac job" or fracturing of the rock formation, by a company

such as Halliburton to produce gas.  The fracturing  process requires massive amounts of water, which

is injected under extreme pressure to fracture the rock and allow it to release gas. 

This need for large amounts of water has put a strain on surface water supplies in the areas where Barnett shale  directional drilling is concentrated.  

Rigs are working night and day at present and there is no end in sight to the wells being drilled.

Drilling throughout this area has been intense, with directional drilling programs by companies such as Chesapeake running at full steam ahead

and landmen rushing to grab up mineral rights in areas that were previously overlooked. Shale formations such as the Barnett Shale and

the Bakken Formation in North Dakota and Canada will be a huge part of our domestic energy supply for decades to come.

Main Players

Devon, EOG, XTO, Chief, Williams, Chesapeake and Quicksilver are all major players. This map shows the heart

of the Barnett shale in Parker, Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, Palo Pinto and Erath counties  and top leaseholds.

      Here is a You Tube video of a horizontal well being drilled:     

Links:

Energyindustryphotos.com     Rigzone.com    Rig Count Page    Schlumberger Dictionary    Baker Hughes

Here are some good books on oil and gas drilling:

The Oil Patch Bookstore  has a good selection of books on the oil and gas industry.   

For information on the Marcellus Shale Formation (similar to the Barnett Shale)