What Is The New Albany Shale?

The New Albany shale formation is the subject of a renewed search for natural gas. It is a layer of rock, called shale, that lies under the Illinois basin. The Illinois basin covers much of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and part of the state of Tennessee. It ranges in depth from 600 to 5000 feet and averages about 100 feet of thickness. It is capped by a dense, non porous shale called the Borden shale.

The New Albany shale was laid down in ancient seas during the Devonian age, approximately 416 to 359 million years ago, during the Paleozoic era.

The New Albany shale may hold up to 165 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Because of the new technology of horizontal drilling a large amount of clean burning natural gas can be obtained from the shale. The fact that the New Albany shale contains many natural fractures makes it perfectly suited for horizontal drilling.

Activity is increasing in the shale play, with Eagle Resources leasing land in Illinois for drilling.

The map below shows Fairfield Illinois, which is located in the Fairfield sub basin of the New Albany shale.

For more on the New Albany shale and other shale basins around the United States see:  More On The New Albany Shale

Atlas Energy is one of the biggest players in the shale, with over 120,000 acres leased in the biogenic part of the shale. In this area the shale is producing natural gas as a result of bacteria breaking down organic material in the shale.