Analysis Of The Marcellus Shale Geology

Geology is an earth science that comprises of the study of solid earth, the rocks of which it is composed and the process by which they change. Generally, geology refers to the study of solid features of any celestial body. The Marcellus Shale is a rock that lies at the deepest earth’s surface of the Mid-Atlantic region. The formation of this rock contains an important volume of natural gas that is tripped inside some tiny spaces within the shale. The formation of this gas at the depth requires new advanced technologies in facilitating the drilling process. These drilling technologies that are accompanied by increased markets have significantly made exploration of the Marcellus shale to be highly attractive to the oil and gas industry.
The …show more content…
The quality of water in this case is inhibited during the Hydraulic Fracturing where chemicals are used to release gas within the formations. These chemicals pose a threat to the quality of water thereby making it impure for consumption by human beings and animals. The chemicals and their concentrations are regarded to be more dangerous since their sources are unknown. The concentration of these chemicals in water causes unbearable symptoms of nausea, respiratory irritation, kidney, liver and heart damage, chemical burns and rashes that affect many …show more content…
In this case, the Marcellus Shale drilling operations engage in huge volumes of disposal of waste water to the environment that greatly affects the environment (Warner, 2012). The wastewater that is termed as the flow back fluid is only a composition of 30% that is disposed to the environment. However, the state regulators emphasize on proper disposal of this wastewater because it contains high concentrations of chlorides and other chemical substances that are harmful to human use. Critical methods have been established in this case for proper disposal of the wastewater.
The first method include the land application method that involves treatment of the wastewater by adding chemicals to precipitate or crystallize solids, lowering of pH and neutralizing some of the toxins within the water. The second and the third methods include pumping of flow back wastewater from Marcellus wells into underground injection wells and hauling the wastewater to an approved industrial wastewater treatment plant where the water is treated and discharged to surface