About the Avalon Shale Play
The Avalon Shale Play is an oil and gas interval within the greater Bone Spring formation in Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas in Permian and Delaware Basins. The term Avalon Shale is often used interchangeably with Leonard Shale or Bone Springs formation. The shale play is a recent discovery consisting roughly of one-third crude oil, one-third natural gas liquids, and one-third gas. The Leonard-Avalon play ranges in depth from 6,500 to 9,000 feet in depth in the Permian Basin area.
Geology of the Avalon Shale Play
The Avalon Shale ranges in depth from 6,500 ft. to 9,000 ft. in various parts of the Permian Basin. The play consists of sandstone zones separated by shale deposits. The Leonard-Avalon shale varies from 10 to 20 meters thick, mostly distributed across parts of south Eddy and Lea counties in New Mexico. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Permian Basin area contains 41 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas and 1.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
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Companies in the Avalon Shale Play
Oil and gas producers within the Avalon Shale Play are:
- Anadarko Petroleum
- Chesapeake Energy
- Cimarex Energy
- Clayton Williams Energy
- Devon Energy
- Energen Corp.
- EOG Resources
- SandRidge Energy
- Vanguard Natural Resources
Counties in the Avalon Shale Play
| New Mexico | Texas |
| Catron County | Culberson County |
| Eddy County | Hudspeth County |
| Lea County | Shackelforth County |
| Ward County |
