what rock is targeted in fracking
What is Fracking? âFrackingâ is short for hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking. It is the process of injecting frack fluid, a mixture of water, sand and chemicals, at high pressure into shale to fracture the rock, thereby releasing trapped natural gas. Marcellus shale is a layer of black rock that lies 3,500-8,000 feet below the surface and is the current target of fracking. Most of West Virginia is underlain with this shale; in West Virginia the vertical depth of the formation itself is approximately 150 feet. The formation also extends into Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. Fluid recovered from the well after the fracking is completed is called flowback fluid or waste water.