Barnett Shale Texas

The Barnett Shale covers approximately 17 counties in North Central Texas, of which only 6 are in what is known as the core zone. The Newark East Field, most commonly referred to as the Barnett Shale, was discovered in the 1980's with the C.W. Slay No. 1 well in Southeast Wise County. The Barnett Shale became significantly economically viable with the advent of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology during the mid to late 1990's. Mitchell Energy, later sold to Devon Energy, is credited with unlocking the potential of the Barnett Shale. The Newark East field is now the largest producing field in the US.

Barnett Shale Companies

Significant producers within the Barnett Shale are:

• EOG Resources
• ExxonMobil
• Hillwood
• Quicksilver Resources
• Range Resources
• Talcon Oil
• Williams
• XTO Energy
• Braden Exploration
• Carrizo Oil and Gas
• Chesapeake Energy
• ConocoPhillips
• Denbury Resources
• Devon Energy
• DTE Energy
• EnCana Oil & Gas

Barnett Shale Geology

The Mississippian aged Barnett Formation in the Fort Worth Basin is classic in that the “shale-gas” system contains the rock source, reservoir, and seal. The reservoir rock is dominated by fine-grained (clay- to silt-sized) particles. This reservoir is known as a "tight" gas reservoir. The Barnett shale is up to 1,000 feet thick in some areas and is located 7,500 to 8,000 feet below the surface.

Barnett Shale Location

The Barnett Shale is located in the following counties of Texas:

• Bosque County TX
• Comanche County TX
• Cooke County TX
• Denton County TX
• Ellis County TX
• Erath County TX
• Hamilton County TX
• Hill County TX
• Hood County TX
• Jack County TX
• Johnson County TX
• Montague County TX
• Palo Pinto County TX
• Parker County TX
• Somervell County TX
• Tarrant County TX
• Wise County TX