Abstract

Marcellus Shale: Pioneering the Terrain & History within Appalachia
Track: Petroleum
Authors: Trevor Swindell, Jerry Klink

The Marcellus Shale just like the Barnett Shale supplies a large portion of today's natural gas within the US. Unlike the Barnett, however, the Marcellus sits beneath mountainous surface parcels divided by streams, roads, and fence lines.

Range Resources began its Marcellus exploration during 2004. Leases were limited, well pads small, and facility systems were not within reach. ArcGIS was therefore utilized to develop this age-old region.

Adding to the complications was the need for historical lease mapping. During the oil boom of the early 1900's many partial property leases were taken and remain a "cloud" on today's land owners. Using ArcGIS to georeference historical maps of the time in conjunction with deed description plots have taken much of the guessing out of this process.

The terrain also presented struggles with limited flat areas. Spatial Analyst solved this by employing slope tools. The output was a collection of constructible areas.