Marcellus Formation
The Marcellus Shale is the largest natural gas field in the United States by production volume, stretching across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. It has transformed US natural gas supply and enabled the LNG export boom.
Formation Type
Shale Gas
Depth Range
5,000–9,000 ft
Basin(s)
Appalachia
States
PA, WV, OH, NY
Geology & Formation Overview
The Marcellus is a Middle Devonian black organic-rich shale deposited in a shallow marine basin. The formation ranges from 50 to 250 feet thick and contains natural gas in micro-pores and adsorbed on organic matter. High TOC (total organic carbon) content of 2–12% makes it an exceptional source rock.
Top Operators Targeting the Marcellus
EQT Corporation
Active in Appalachia
Range Resources
Active in Appalachia
Chesapeake Energy
Active in Appalachia
Coterra Energy
Active in Appalachia
Southwestern Energy
Active in Appalachia
* Operator list based on industry data. Real-time operator permit counts available via API.
Geographic Extent
Access This Data via API
Access Marcellus formation well permit data. Filter by state, operator, and date. Source-data freshness varies by state.
/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=marcelluscurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=marcellus"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"formation": "Marcellus",
"type": "Shale Gas",
"basins": [
"Appalachia"
],
"states": [
"PA",
"WV",
"OH",
"NY"
],
"depth_range": "5,000–9,000 ft",
"top_operators": [
"EQT Corporation",
"Range Resources",
"Chesapeake Energy"
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "OilPriceAPI Drilling Intelligence",
"note": "Static sample response — the live endpoint returns current data"
}
}Marcellus Formation FAQs
The Marcellus is a Shale Gas play located in the Appalachia at depths of 5,000–9,000 ft. The Marcellus Shale is the largest natural gas field in the United States by production volume, stretching across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. It has transformed US natural gas supply and enabled the LNG export boom.
The Marcellus formation spans PA, WV, OH, NY within the Appalachia basin. The Marcellus is a Middle Devonian black organic-rich shale deposited in a shallow marine basin. The formation ranges from 50 to 250 feet thick and contains natural gas in micro-pores and adsorbed on
Major operators targeting the Marcellus formation include: EQT Corporation, Range Resources, Chesapeake Energy, Coterra Energy, Southwestern Energy. These companies have significant acreage positions and active drilling programs in the play.
The Marcellus formation is found at depths of approximately 5,000–9,000 ft. This varies by location within the basin, with deeper sections generally requiring more drilling days and capital per well.
OilPriceAPI provides well permit data filtered by formation, state, and operator. Use the drilling intelligence endpoint: GET /v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits with formation parameters. Sign up free at oilpriceapi.com to start querying formation-level data.
Get Marcellus Well Permit Data via API
Query well permits filtered by formation, operator, state, and date range. Track Marcellus drilling activity in real-time.
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