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The Fayetteville Shale is a geologic
Named by Frederick Willard Simonds in 1891, Simonds recognized what is now the Fayetteville Shale as three separate formations overlying the now abandoned Wyman Sandstone: the Fayetteville Shale, the Batesville Sandstone, and the Marshall Shale. In 1904, the name "Fayetteville Shale" replaced all three of these names. The Fayetteville Shale that Simonds recognized is now considered as the lower Fayetteville Shale. Simonds' Batesville Sandstone was found to be the same as the Wyman Sandstone, and replaced the name "Wyman Sandstone", while Simonds' Batesville Sandstone became known as the "Wedington Sandstone Member" presumably after Wedington Mountain. The name Marshall Shale was abandoned and is now known as the upper Fayetteville Shale.
The formation holds
*'' Adiantites''
:''A. minima''
*'' Ankyropteris''
*'' Archaeocalamites''
:''A. fayettevillensis''
:''A. gracilentus''
:''A. umbralis''
:''A. wedingtonensis''
*'' Bothrodendron''
*'' Carpolithus''
:''C. inquirenda''
*'' Cardiopteris''
:''C. hirta''
*'' Chlamidostachys''
:''C. chesterianus''
*'' Lepidocystis''
:''L. chesterensis''
*''
*'' Acrocrinus constrictus''
*'' Agassizocrinus conicus''
*'' Alcimocrinus ornatus''
*'' Allocatillocrinus carpenteri''
*'' Ampelocrinus erectus''
*'' Aphelecrinus exoticus''
::*'' A. planus''
*'' Childonocrinus trinodus''
*'' Cymbiocrinus gravis''
*'' Dasciocrinus aulicus''
*'' Heliosocrinus aftonensis''
*'' Intermediacrinus modernus''
*'' Linocrinus''
*'' Mantikosocrinus castus''
*'' Onchyocrinus''Burdick, D., Strimple, H. 1973. Flexible Crinoids from the Fayetteville Formation (Chesterian) of Northeastern Oklahoma. Journal of Paleontology. 47:2
*'' Onychocrinus pulaskiensis''
*'' Ophiurocrinus hebdenensis''
*'' Pentremites platybasis''
::*'' P. pulchellus''
*'' Phacelocrinus''
*'' Phanocrinus'' Strimple, H. 1948. Notes on Phanocrinus from the Fayetteville Formation of Northeastern Oklahoma. Journal of Paleontology. 22:4
::*'' P. alexanderi''
::*'' P. cylindricus''
::*'' P. formosus''
*'' Scytalocrinus aftonensis''
*'' Taxocrinus cestriensis''
::*'' T. whitefieldi''.
*'' Ulrichicrinus chesterensis''
*'' Arcanoceras furnishi''
*'' Cluthoceras glicki''
:*'' Cluthoceras pisiforme''
*'' Cravenoceras fayettevillae''
:*'' Cravenoceras lineolatum''
*'' Dombarites mapesi''
*'' Eurmorphoceras plummeri''
*'' Fayettevillea planorbis''
*'' Girtyoceras'' Doughouzhaeva L, Mapes, R., Mutvei, H. 1997. Beaks and radulae of Early Carboniferous goniatites. Lethia. 30:4
*''
*'' Euconospira disjuncta''
*'' Mourlonia lativittata''
*'' Patellilabia laevigata''
*'' Platyceras subelegans''
:*'' Platyceras compressum''
*'' Sinuitina venata'' Yochelson, E 1969. Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part C- Pelecypods. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606
*'' Trepospira discus''
*'' Amphissites''
*'' Bairdia''
*'' Cyrtoproetus kerhini''
*'' Kirkbya'' Sohn, I. 1969.Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part F- Ostracodes. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606
*'' Geisina''
*'' Glyptopleura''
*'' Graphiadactyllis''
*'' Orthobairdia''
*'' Paladin murconatus'' Gordon, M. 1969.Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part E- Trilobites. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606
*'' Paraparchites''
*'' Roundyella''
*'' Sansabella''
*'' Serenida''
formation
Formation may refer to:
Linguistics
* Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes
* Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes
Mathematics and science
* Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...
of Mississippian age
The Mississippian ( , also known as Lower Carboniferous or Early Carboniferous) is a subperiod in the geologic timescale or a subsystem of the geologic record. It is the earlier of two subperiods of the Carboniferous period lasting from rough ...
(354–323 million years ago) composed of tight shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especiall ...
within the Arkoma Basin
The Arkoma Basin is a peripheral foreland basin that extends from central west Arkansas to south eastern Oklahoma. The basin lies in between the Ozark Uplift and Oklahoma Platform to the north and Ouachita Mountains to the south and with an area ...
of Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. It is named for the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington unt ...
, and requires hydraulic fracturing
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fra ...
to release the natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...
contained within.
Nomenclature
Named by Frederick Willard Simonds in 1891, Simonds recognized what is now the Fayetteville Shale as three separate formations overlying the now abandoned Wyman Sandstone: the Fayetteville Shale, the Batesville Sandstone, and the Marshall Shale. In 1904, the name "Fayetteville Shale" replaced all three of these names. The Fayetteville Shale that Simonds recognized is now considered as the lower Fayetteville Shale. Simonds' Batesville Sandstone was found to be the same as the Wyman Sandstone, and replaced the name "Wyman Sandstone", while Simonds' Batesville Sandstone became known as the "Wedington Sandstone Member" presumably after Wedington Mountain. The name Marshall Shale was abandoned and is now known as the upper Fayetteville Shale.
Natural gas
The formation holds natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...
in a fine-grained rock matrix which requires hydraulic fracturing
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fra ...
to release the gas. This process became cost-effective in some shales such as the Fayetteville after years of experimentation in the Barnett Shale
The Barnett Shale is a geological formation located in the Bend Arch-Fort Worth Basin. It consists of sedimentary rocks dating from the Mississippian period (354–323 million years ago) in Texas. The formation underlies the city of Fort Worth ...
in North Texas
North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wo ...
, especially when combined with horizontal drilling
Directional drilling (or slant drilling) is the practice of drilling non-vertical bores. It can be broken down into four main groups: oilfield directional drilling, utility installation directional drilling, directional boring (horizontal dir ...
.
The Fayetteville Shale play began in July 2004 by Southwestern Energy Company in north-central Arkansas with the Thomas #1-9 vertical well in Conway County, Arkansas. In February 2005, Southwestern Energy drilled the first horizontal well, the Seeco-Vaughan #4-22H, also in Conway County.
The US Energy Information Administration
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and publ ...
estimated that the shale play held 13,240 billion cubic ft (375 billion cubic meters) of unproved, technically recoverable gas. The average well was estimated to produce 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas. As of 2018, new drilling in the Fayetteville Shale had ceased and almost 1/5 of wells were abandoned.
Paleontology
Flora
Because the Fayetteville Formation is a marine unit, most of the plants found in the black shales must have been washed into the Carboniferous sea from a landmass. However one unit within the formation, the Weddington Sandstone Member, is a series of river deposited sand beds. Fossil plants from this unit were probably deposited closer to their source.
*'' Adiantites''
:''A. minima''
*'' Ankyropteris''
*'' Archaeocalamites''
:''A. fayettevillensis''
:''A. gracilentus''
:''A. umbralis''
:''A. wedingtonensis''
*'' Bothrodendron''
*'' Carpolithus''
:''C. inquirenda''
*'' Cardiopteris''
:''C. hirta''
*'' Chlamidostachys''
:''C. chesterianus''
*'' Lepidocystis''
:''L. chesterensis''
*''Lepidodendron
''Lepidodendron'' is an extinct genus of primitive vascular plants belonging to the family Lepidodendraceae, part of a group of Lycopodiopsida known as scale trees or arborescent lycophytes, related to quillworts and lycopsids (club mosses). Th ...
''
:''L. henbesti''
:''L. occidentale''
:''L. purduei''
:''L. wedingtonense''
*'' Lepidophloios''
*'' Lepidophyllum''
:''L. sagittatum''
*'' Lepidostrobus''
:''L. occidentalis''
*'' Lepidostrous'' Taylor, T., Eggard, D.,1967. Petrified Plants from the Upper Mississippian (Chester Series) of Arkansas. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 86: 4
*'' Lyginopteris''
:''L. royalii''Tomescu, A. 2001. Lyginopteris royalii sp. nov. from the Upper Mississippian of North America. Review of Paleobotany and Palynology. 116: 3-4
*'' Medullosa''
*'' Neuropteris''
*'' Pachytesta''
*'' Rhacopteris''
*'' Rhynchogonium''
:''R. fayettevillense''
*'' Rhynochosperma''
:''R. quinnii'' Dunn, M., Rothwell, G., Mapes, G. 2002.Additional observations on Rhynchosperma quinnii (Medullosaceae): a permineralized ovule from the Chesterian (Upper Mississippian) Fayetteville Formation of Arkansas. Journal of Botany. 89:11
*'' Sphenopteris''
:''S. (Palmatopteris) erectiloba''
:''S. (Calymmatotheca) mississippiana''
*''Stigmaria
''Stigmaria'' is a form taxon for common fossils found in Carboniferous rocks. They represent the underground rooting structures of coal forest lycopsid trees such as '' Sigillaria'' and '' Lepidodendron''. These swamp forest trees grew to ...
''
:''S. arkansana''
:''S. wedingtonensis''
*'' Tivena''
:''T. arkansana''Dunn, M., Rothwell, G., Mapes, G. 2003. On Paleozoic plants from marine strata: Trivena arkansana (Lyginopteridaceae) gen. et sp. nov., a lyginopterid from the Fayetteville Formation (middle Chesterian/Upper Mississippian) of Arkansas, USA. Journal of Botany. 90:8
Fauna
Vertebrates
*'' Carcharopsis wortheni''Lund, R., Mapes, R. 1984. Carcharopsis wortheni from the Fayetteville Formation (Mississippian) of Arkansas. Journal of Paleontology. 58:3. *"''Cobelodus
''Cobelodus'' is an extinct genus of holocephalid known from the late Carboniferous to the early Permian period. The type specimen, assigned to the genus '' Styptobasis'', was discovered by Edward Drinker Cope in Illinois Basin black coal shales. ...
''" Maisey, J. G. (2007). The braincase in Paleozoic symmoriiform and cladoselachian sharks. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 2007(307), 1-122.
*'' Ozarcus mapesae''
Echinoderms
*'' Acrocrinus constrictus''
*'' Agassizocrinus conicus''
*'' Alcimocrinus ornatus''
*'' Allocatillocrinus carpenteri''
*'' Ampelocrinus erectus''
*'' Aphelecrinus exoticus''
::*'' A. planus''
*'' Childonocrinus trinodus''
*'' Cymbiocrinus gravis''
*'' Dasciocrinus aulicus''
*'' Heliosocrinus aftonensis''
*'' Intermediacrinus modernus''
*'' Linocrinus''
*'' Mantikosocrinus castus''
*'' Onchyocrinus''Burdick, D., Strimple, H. 1973. Flexible Crinoids from the Fayetteville Formation (Chesterian) of Northeastern Oklahoma. Journal of Paleontology. 47:2
*'' Onychocrinus pulaskiensis''
*'' Ophiurocrinus hebdenensis''
*'' Pentremites platybasis''
::*'' P. pulchellus''
*'' Phacelocrinus''
*'' Phanocrinus'' Strimple, H. 1948. Notes on Phanocrinus from the Fayetteville Formation of Northeastern Oklahoma. Journal of Paleontology. 22:4
::*'' P. alexanderi''
::*'' P. cylindricus''
::*'' P. formosus''
*'' Scytalocrinus aftonensis''
*'' Taxocrinus cestriensis''
::*'' T. whitefieldi''.
*'' Ulrichicrinus chesterensis''
Cephalopods
*'' Arcanoceras furnishi''
*'' Cluthoceras glicki''
:*'' Cluthoceras pisiforme''
*'' Cravenoceras fayettevillae''
:*'' Cravenoceras lineolatum''
*'' Dombarites mapesi''
*'' Eurmorphoceras plummeri''
*'' Fayettevillea planorbis''
*'' Girtyoceras'' Doughouzhaeva L, Mapes, R., Mutvei, H. 1997. Beaks and radulae of Early Carboniferous goniatites. Lethia. 30:4
*''Goniatites granosus
''Goniatites'' is a genus of extinct cephalopods belonging to the family Goniatitidae, included in the superfamily Goniatitaceae. '' Hibernicoceras'' and '' Hypergoniatites'' are among related genera.
Species
Description
The shell is genera ...
''
*'' Lusitanites subcircularis''
*'' Metadimorphoceras wiswellense''
*'' Neoglyphioceras crebriliratum''
*'' Paracravenoceras ozarkense''
*'' Paradimorphoceras''
*'' Pronorites baconi''
*'' Rayonnoceras solidiforme'' Mapes, R. 1966. Late Mississippian Lycopsid Branch from Arkansas. Oklahoma Geology Notes.
*'' Tumulites varians''
Corals
*'' Amplexus expansus'' Easton, W. 1945. Kinkaid Corals from Illinois and Amplexoid Corals from the Chester of Illinois and Arkansas. Journal of Paleontology. 19:4 *'' Michelinia meekana'' Sando, W. 1969. Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part B- Corals. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606 *'' Palaecris carinata''Bivalves
200px, ''Aviculopecten subcardiformis'' from the Logan_Formation_(Lower_Carboniferous)_of_Wooster,_Ohio.html" ;"title="Carboniferous.html" ;"title="Logan Formation (Lower Carboniferous">Logan Formation (Lower Carboniferous) of Wooster, Ohio">Carboniferous.html" ;"title="Logan Formation (Lower Carboniferous">Logan Formation (Lower Carboniferous) of Wooster, Ohio (external mold). *''Aviculopecten, Aviculopecten squamula'' :*''Aviculopecten, Aviculopecten jennyi'' :*''Aviculopecten, Aviculopecten multilineatus'' :*'' Aviculopecten morrowensis'' :*'' Aviculopecten inspeciosus'' *'' Canyella peculiaris'' *'' Cardiomorpha inflata'' *'' Conocardium peculiare'' *'' Cypricardia fayettevillensis'' *'' Cyprecardella sublata'' *'' Edmondia equilateralis'' *'' Palaeoneilo sera'' *'' Phestia stevensiana'' Sanguinolites simulans'' *'' Solenamorpha nitida'' Pojeta, J. 1969. Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part C- Pelecypods. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606 *'' Sphenotus branneri'' :*'' Sphenotus washingtonensis'' :*'' Sphenotus dubius'' :*'' Sphenotus meslerianus''
Brachiopods
*'' Adairia adairensis''M. Gordon Jr. and T. W. Henry. 1993. Late Mississippian Productoid Brachiopods Inflatia, Keokukia, and Adairia, Ozark Region of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Paleontological Society Memoir 30:1-29 *'' Inflatia gracilis'' :*'' Inflatia cherokeensis'' :*'' Inflatia pusilla'' :*'' Inflatia inflata'' *'' Orthotetes protensus'' :*'' Orthotetes subglobosus''Gastropods
*'' Euconospira disjuncta''
*'' Mourlonia lativittata''
*'' Patellilabia laevigata''
*'' Platyceras subelegans''
:*'' Platyceras compressum''
*'' Sinuitina venata'' Yochelson, E 1969. Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part C- Pelecypods. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606
*'' Trepospira discus''
Arthropods
*'' Amphissites''
*'' Bairdia''
*'' Cyrtoproetus kerhini''
*'' Kirkbya'' Sohn, I. 1969.Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part F- Ostracodes. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606
*'' Geisina''
*'' Glyptopleura''
*'' Graphiadactyllis''
*'' Orthobairdia''
*'' Paladin murconatus'' Gordon, M. 1969.Revision of Some of Girty's Invertebrate Fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma: Part E- Trilobites. United States Geologic Survey Professional Paper 606
*'' Paraparchites''
*'' Roundyella''
*'' Sansabella''
*'' Serenida''
Ostracods
*'' Cavellina'' *'' Kegelites'' *'' Sargentina''Bryozoans
*'' Archimedes communis'' :*'' Archimedes compactus'' :*'' Archimedes confertus'' :*'' Archimedes distans'' :*'' Archimedes inflatus'' :*'' Archimedes intermedius'' :*'' Archimedes invaginatus'' :*'' Archimedes meekanus'' :*'' Archimedes owenanus'' :*'' Archimedes proutanus'' :*'' Archimedes sublaxus'' :*'' Archimedes terebriformis'' *'' Batostomella parvula'' *'' Fenestella cestriensis'' :*'' Fenestella compress'' :*'' Fenestella elevatipora'' :*'' Fenestella serratula'' :*'' Fenestella tenax'' *'' Leioclema'' *'' Polypora cestriensis'' :*'' Polypora corticosa'' :*'' Polypora spinulifera'' *'' Rhombopora tabulata'' *'' Septopora cestriensis'' *'' Streblotrypa nicklesi'' :*'' Streblotrypa subspinosa'' *'' Sulcoretepora americana'' :*'' Sulcoretepora labiosa'' :*'' Sulcoretepora nitida'' *'' Thamniscus turcillatus''Foraminifera
*'' Earlandia'' *'' Eosigmoilina rugosa''Trace Fossils
* Cruziana * Planolites * TeichichnusReferences
{{coord missing, Arkansas Geologic formations of Arkansas Carboniferous Arkansas Mississippian United States Serpukhovian Shale formations of the United States Oil-bearing shales in the United States Natural gas fields in the United States Carboniferous System of North America Carboniferous southern paleotropical deposits