INSIGHTS FROM THE UTICA/POINT PLEASANT DRY GAS FAIRWAY: PRODUCTION TRENDS, RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION, AND CRITICAL MINERAL POTENTIAL

The Upper Ordovician Utica/Point Pleasant interval is a prolific organic shale gas reservoir in West Virginia with greater than 287 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of cumulative gas production from only 60 wells. The main production target, the Point Pleasant Formation, is encountered at depths of 10,000 to 13,000 feet across the current drilling fairway; prior to 2013, reservoirs at this depth were only sporadically tested and legacy data are sparse. Physical material is especially rare; no core samples from the main production fairway were available in the public domain until 2020, when the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey requested and received 200 feet of continuous core taken from a well in Marshall County. Detailed examination of the core was conducted using a handheld X-ray fluorescence analyzer and the resultant data reveal interesting patterns in both trace element composition and vertical distribution. These results help to fill major knowledge gaps and have implications for future reservoir development and critical mineral exploration efforts.