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Natural gas can be extracted from Marcellus shale by drilling, breaking up the rock, and capturing the escaping gas. Thanks to newly discovered horizontal drilling techniques combined with new fracturing methods, we have improved the efficiency of drilling operations.

Drilling and Hydrofracking

This section will contain information on the drilling and hydrofracking operation.  The following topics, plus others, will be included.  Check the section on Water Use for essays pertaining to the role of water in hydrofracking.

• Where are wells normally placed?
• How are gas wells drilled?
• What is horizontal drilling, and how does it differ from vertical drilling?
• Why is it necessary to fracture the rock?
• What is hydrofracking?
  
• How long has hydrofracking been practiced?
• Do modern methods remove all of the gas from rock?
  
• What is the difference between an exploratory vs. a production well?
• How long are wells in operation?