Energy Information Administration maps Utica Shale play

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) completed new maps of the geological setting in the Utica Shale play on Monday, including the geological structure and thickness of the area, as well as the location of production wells.

The Utica play includes the Utica formation and the Point Pleasant formation, although each has its own distinct geological features. The play spans approximately 60,000 square miles across New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. The entire play is featured in the EIA’s new maps.

While the EIA report found that oil and natural gas production steadily increased in the Utica play since 2011, the maps did find that the area was ideal for hydrocarbon accumulation and production. Drilling steadily increased in the area, with more than 1,700 wells drilled in the area within the past five years.

The map found that the Point Pleasant formation is deeper than the Utica formation, and is more productive for oil and natural gas drilling. It spans eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, and is deepest in southwest Pennsylvania, where depths reach subsea levels of more than 13,000 feet underground. The Utica formation is close in depth in Pennsylvania at 12,500 feet deep, yet is most shallow in the Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky junction.

The EIA’s structural maps provide valuable information and insight regarding oil and natural gas distribution through the play, including how temperature and pressure affect drilling productivity.