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Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Testing of 1701 water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania shows that methane is ubiquitous in groundwater, with higher concentrations observed in valleys vs. upland areas and in association with calcium-sodium-bicarbonate, sodium-bicarbonate, and sodium-chloride rich waters—indicating that, on a regi...

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Autores principales: Molofsky, Lisa J, Connor, John A, Wylie, Albert S, Wagner, Tom, Farhat, Shahla K
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746116/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23560830
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12056
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author Molofsky, Lisa J
Connor, John A
Wylie, Albert S
Wagner, Tom
Farhat, Shahla K
author_facet Molofsky, Lisa J
Connor, John A
Wylie, Albert S
Wagner, Tom
Farhat, Shahla K
author_sort Molofsky, Lisa J
collection PubMed
description Testing of 1701 water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania shows that methane is ubiquitous in groundwater, with higher concentrations observed in valleys vs. upland areas and in association with calcium-sodium-bicarbonate, sodium-bicarbonate, and sodium-chloride rich waters—indicating that, on a regional scale, methane concentrations are best correlated to topographic and hydrogeologic features, rather than shale-gas extraction. In addition, our assessment of isotopic and molecular analyses of hydrocarbon gases in the Dimock Township suggest that gases present in local water wells are most consistent with Middle and Upper Devonian gases sampled in the annular spaces of local gas wells, as opposed to Marcellus Production gas. Combined, these findings suggest that the methane concentrations in Susquehanna County water wells can be explained without the migration of Marcellus shale gas through fractures, an observation that has important implications for understanding the nature of risks associated with shale-gas extraction.
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spelling pubmed-37461162013-08-20 Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania Molofsky, Lisa J Connor, John A Wylie, Albert S Wagner, Tom Farhat, Shahla K Ground Water Research Papers Testing of 1701 water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania shows that methane is ubiquitous in groundwater, with higher concentrations observed in valleys vs. upland areas and in association with calcium-sodium-bicarbonate, sodium-bicarbonate, and sodium-chloride rich waters—indicating that, on a regional scale, methane concentrations are best correlated to topographic and hydrogeologic features, rather than shale-gas extraction. In addition, our assessment of isotopic and molecular analyses of hydrocarbon gases in the Dimock Township suggest that gases present in local water wells are most consistent with Middle and Upper Devonian gases sampled in the annular spaces of local gas wells, as opposed to Marcellus Production gas. Combined, these findings suggest that the methane concentrations in Susquehanna County water wells can be explained without the migration of Marcellus shale gas through fractures, an observation that has important implications for understanding the nature of risks associated with shale-gas extraction. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013-05 2013-04-05 /pmc/articles/PMC3746116/ /pubmed/23560830 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12056 Text en © 2013, Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation Groundwater © 2013, National Ground Water Association http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Creative Commons Deed, Attribution 2.5, which does not permit commercial exploitation.
spellingShingle Research Papers
Molofsky, Lisa J
Connor, John A
Wylie, Albert S
Wagner, Tom
Farhat, Shahla K
Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
title Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
title_full Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
title_fullStr Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
title_short Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania
title_sort evaluation of methane sources in groundwater in northeastern pennsylvania
topic Research Papers
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746116/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23560830
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12056
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