The rousing success of the Mississippian-aged Barnett Shale play in North Texas has reopened the industry's eyes to the potential locked in the organic-rich Paleozoic shales layered into other petroliferous basins. 

Shale gas plays are continuous-type accumulations, covering immense areas. They are a well-known resource-William Hart drilled the first shale-gas discovery in 1821 in Fredonia, New York. A pipeline made from hollowed-out logs transported gas produced from the Devonian Dunkirk Shale to the town center, where it was burned to light the main street. Nonetheless, shale wells have traditionally been ...