Marcellus Shale

The Marcellus shale is a rock formation that lies beneath much of the Appalachian region of the eastern United States. It is a black, organic-rich shale that was formed from the accumulation of sediment and organic matter in a shallow marine environment during the Middle Devonian period, about 385-360 million years ago.

The Marcellus shale is rich in natural gas, and it has become an important source of natural gas production in the United States in recent years. The shale is typically found at depths of about 3,000 to 8,000 feet below the surface, and it can be up to 200 feet thick in some places.

The Marcellus shale is considered to be one of the most productive natural gas fields in the world and has been the subject of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, which is a method of extracting natural gas and oil from shale rock by injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the rock at high pressure to create fractures that release the trapped gas and oil.

It is estimated that the Marcellus Shale contains about 84 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, with around 15 trillion cubic feet of that being recoverable. The natural gas production from the Marcellus Shale has been rapidly increasing in recent years, with production reaching a peak of around 18 billion cubic feet per day in 2020.

The Marcellus shale natural gas extraction industry supports a significant number of jobs and generates a significant amount of revenue for the economy. According to the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry trade group, the Marcellus shale industry supported over 250,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone in 2018. Additionally, the industry generated over $44 billion in economic activity and $1 billion in state and local tax revenue in Pennsylvania in 2018.