Alabama Shale
- Natural Gas & Oil Fields in Alabama
Counties in Alabama exposed to Shale Gas &
Oil
Green County, Bibb County, St. Clair County, Shelby County,
Sumter County, Tuscaloosa County, Fayette County, Pickins County, Cullman County Lamar County, Jefferson County, Jackson
County, Madison County, Walker County, Perry County.
What is the Alabama Shale? Does Alabama have
shale natural gas fields or oil fields in the state?
Alabama has several shale formations located in two different parts of the
state. In Western Alabama, in the Black Warrior Basin, sits the Floyd/Neal Shale which extends into Mississippi.
The second shale formation is called the Conasauga Shale which extended down from Northeastern Alabama to South Central Alabama.
Both Shale formations have the potential to produce a lot of natural gas!
The Floyd Shale / Neal Shale: Natural Gas
can be found deep in the Floyd Shale which is located in Western Alabama and extends into Mississippi. The Chatanooga
Shale actually runs under the Floyd Shale in Alabama and is seperated by a layer of sandstone. The Floyd Shale
has been tested numerous times but has been abandoned due to the recent economic recession. Natural Gas prices really
took a major hit causing the companies below to scale back on exploration and drilling. The Floyd Shale is expected
to hold over 2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 5 + million barrels of oil. Keep in mind, there could be a lot
more oil and natural gas trapped in the rock. For instance, in North Dakota, the Bakken Shale has been exceeding the greatest expectations lately!
Shale plays like the Floyd
Shale were not economical 10 years ago due to low Natural Gas prices so they were never tested. We also didn't
see the new fracture drilling techniques we see now. New drilling technology has allowed exploration companies to be
very efficient and also drill horizontal wells rather then just vertical. This exposes the well to a lot more natural
gas.
Depth & Thickness: The Floyd Shale is about 5-8,000
feet deep and is very thick. This is prime for natural gas!
On a side note,
Pickins & Lamar counties seem to be located in the core drilling area.
Alabama Shale Map
Floyd - Neal - Conasauga Shale Maps
Conasauga Shale - The Conasauga Shale is the most exciting part of the Alabama shale gas plays. This shale field is located in
St Clair County, Jefferson County, Blount County, Etowah County, Calhoun County, and Cherokee County. Geologists have
known about this tight, thick, shale gas play for decades but it was never that economical to explore it. Companies
also didn't have the drilling technology as they do this day in age. Back in 2006, a company called Dominion Black Warrior
Basin drilled a well that blew out but some people familiar with the situation seem to think it was a 5-10 million cubic feet
per day well. If Natural Gas prices rise back above $6.00, expect the drilling to come back even more.
