Fayetteville Shale Play of North-Central Arkansas: A Project Update

Phillip Shelby
Shelby Geological Consultants, Fayetteville, AR

The Fayetteville Shale is a Mississippian-aged unconventional gas reservoir present in the subsurface over much of the northern Arkansas portion of the Arkoma Basin. It is approximately age equivalent to the Barnett Shale in the Ft. Worth Basin of North-Central Texas. Southwestern Energy initiated drilling in the Fayetteville in the summer of 2004. Currently, over 500 wells are producing from the Fayetteville with approximately 460 of these horizontals. Total production to date from the shale has reached 52 Bcf and daily production averaged in excess of 230 MMcf in July, 2007. Southwestern Energy’s gross Fayetteville production alone rose from 10 MMcf/D in January of 2006 to an estimated 200 MMcf/D at the end of July. In addition, production from overlying Pennsylvanian-aged conventional sands has also been established within the play. Daily production from these conventional reservoirs is currently in excess of 16 MMcf with rates from individual intervals as high as 6 MMcf/D.

Overall, drilling activity within the Fayetteville Shale Play has been ramping up at a rapid pace as SW Energy now has 19 rigs active in the play, Chesapeake has increased their rig count to 13, and other operators continue to move into the area (+/-10 rigs). Currently, a core area has been established in the play consisting of southern Van Buren, Cleburne, northern Conway, northern Faulkner, and northern White Counties in north-central Arkansas.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas