What is the Haynesville Shale?
The Haynesville Play is predicated on shale as the subsurface source of natural gas, according to information from M.B. Kumar, Office of Conservation geologist administrator. The shale is a rock formation mainly composed of consolidated clay-sized particles deposited and buried in the north Louisiana geological basin more than 170 million years ago during the geologic Jurassic time. It’s characterized by ultra-low permeability in contrast with the conventional sandstone/limestone reservoir rocks that have high permeability. In geological basins outside of Louisiana, gas shales have been one of the hottest plays in the U.S. for gas production from shallow depth ranges above 8,500 feet. The Haynesville Shale, however, entails well drilling below 10,000 feet. “It contains a lot of natural gas that could be easily released by fracturing that. It requires special technology that they are now using,” Kumar said. The Haynesville play is estimated to be over 200 feet thick under the Elm Grove
