Radon prospecting for hydrocarbon: potential strategy for Devonian shale gas in N. E. Ohio

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5965126

Ghahremani, D T

Radon surveys have been used to determine whether significant variations of radon content occur in soil gases of northeast Ohio and, if so, whether they reflect any relationship between subsurface bedrock fracturing and hydrocarbon leakage to the surface. The working hypothesis is that shale gas yields will be optimized where natural fracturing of the shales is greatest. Three localities were found in which the radon activities are reproducibly higher than regional background by at least three standard deviations. One case correlates with proximity to the outcrop belt of the uranium-rich Huron Member of Ohio shale. The others consist of localized anomalies directly associated with bedrock fracturing as revealed by topographic lineaments. Laboratory experiments of soil samples coupled with results of comparison between Track Etch film cup data and scintillometer readings in the field indicated that radon in anomalous regions is not produced in situ within the upper three feet of soil, suggesting a deeper origin for migration of radon to near-surface soil gas.

• OSTI ID: 5965126
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
03 NATURAL GAS
HYDROCARBONS
PROSPECTING
NATURAL GAS
ORIGIN
OHIO
BLACK SHALES
RADIOMETRIC SURVEYS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
RADON
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION V
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SHALES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RARE GASES
RESOURCES
SURVEYS
USA
040100* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Reserves & Exploration- (-1989)
030200 - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration