Stray Gas Investigation in Northern Pennsylvania

A Geochemical Context for Stray Gas Investigations in the Northern Appalachian Basin is the title of the February 29 noon time webinar to be presented by Fred Baldassare.

Description:
As the pace of drilling activity to the Marcellus Formation in the northern Appalachian Basin has increased, so have the number of alleged incidents of stray natural gas migration to shallow aquifer systems. Prior to this study, the occurrence and origin of natural gas in the strata above the Marcellus Formation has not been well defined.  In order to determine natural gas origin, more than 1,900 gas and water samples in a five county study area were analyzed for molecular and isotope geochemistry from 181 Marcellus gas wells and 67 private water supply wells during baseline groundwater water-quality testing programs. The results of this study provide geochemical evidence of pre-existing microbial and different thermogenic gas types in the strata above the Marcellus Formation. 

About the Presenter:
Fred Baldassare is a Senior Geoscientist and the owner of Echelon Applied Geochemistry Consulting. He has more than 18 years of experience investigating incidents of stray gas migration. He previously served as the statewide consultant for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for investigating and characterizing source(s) of stray carbon dioxide and methane. Fred has helped to pioneer the application and advancement of isotope geochemistry to identify the origin of microbial and thermogenic gases in the Appalachian Basin. He has authored and co-authored numerous professional papers for peer reviewed publications on the application of isotope geochemistry.

How to Participate:
The live webinar will occur from noon to 1 PM and is accessible at: https://meeting.psu.edu/water1
You can access this webinar simply by signing in as a "guest". Taped versions of each webinar in the series are available at: https://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/past-webinars

If you have not registered for past water webinars, please visit the following website to register so we can keep you updated about future webinar offerings: https://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/schedule/registration 

Upcoming Webinars:
March 28, 2012 - Aquatic Invasives and Water Gardens
April 25, 2012 - Fisheries Management Strategies for Ponds and Lakes
May 30, 2012 - An Update on the Nebraska Grout Study