Cory LaderAdvisor: Dr. Rudy Slingerland

Appalachian Basin Black Shale GroupDepartment of Geosciences

The Pennsylvania State University

Distribution of Organic Carbon in the early Late Devonian

Burket Member of the Harrell Formation in Pennsylvania

Introduction

- The Marcellus Currently Produces roughly 66.5 Bcf/d - Lower Union Spring Mbr.

- Several thousand feet above Marcellus lies another black shale- the Burket Mbr.- Potential to become the next

hot spot for oil and gas production

Question– Is the Burket Mbr. in PA of sufficient organic richness and

thickness to warrant production?

Approach– Define the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) within the Burket Mbr. in

one core– Develop a function relating %TOC to total gamma ray count

measured in API units– Use the API values from 446 well logs, located throughout

Pennsylvania, to generate a map of the distribution of TOC and thickness of the potential pay zone

Research Objectives

http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/resources/PDFs/DCNR.pdf

Geologic Settings

http://eg.geoscienceworld.org/content/18/4/217/F5.large.jpg

Stratigraphic Relationships

- Early Late Devonian Black Shale- Underlain by the Tully Limestone- Black Shale Member of the Harrell

Fm.- Overlain by the Brallier Fm.- Thickest in NE Pa, thins to the SW- Interfingering with the Harrell Fm.

Smith CoreLocation:

41°12'36.02"N 77°12'18.35"W

Methods

Tully Limestome

Tully Limestone – Burket Member Contact

Burket Member

Burket Member – Brallier Formation Contact

Brallier Formation

The Smith Core and its inferred lithological features

Methods

• Samples taken every foot starting at 125.1 ft and ending at 307.1 ft

• Sampling interval includes all of the Burket member and some of the Tully Limestone and Brallier Formation

• Interval includes a variety of TOC values to produce accurate results

Methods

• All samples were powdered using a silica nitride vial in a Spex 8000 Ball Mill/Mixer and passed through stainless steel sieve

• Powdered samples were decarbonated by reacting the powdered samples with 10% Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) for 48 hours

• Following decarbonation, they were analyzed for TOC using an UIC, Inc. 5014 CO2 Coulometer with a 5200 Autosampler

Methods

Well Location MapMethods

Results

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0125

145

165

185

205

225

245

265

285

305

Depth Vs %TOC%TOC

Dep

th (ft

)

Results

Results

Results

Results

Thickness

Conclusions

• %TOC values of Burket Mbr. Hot spot are greater then 1% (1%= economic)

• Highest %TOC concentrations reside in Tioga, Potter, and Bradford County

• Potential production hot spots range in thickness from 45ft to 85ft• %TOC decreases in the Smith Core due to clastic dilution

Acknowledgements

• Dr. Rudy Slingerland• The Undergraduate Research Fund• Anna Wendt• Courtney Swanson