Barnett Shale

The Barnett Shale covers approximately 17 counties in North Central Texas, of which only 6 are in what is known as the core zone. The Newark East Field, most commonly referred to as the Barnett Shale, was discovered in the 1980's with the C.W. Slay No. 1 well in Southeast Wise County. The Barnett Shale became significantly economically viable with the advent of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology during the mid to late 1990's. Mitchell Energy, later sold to Devon Energy, is credited with unlocking the potential of the Barnett Shale. The Newark East field is now the largest producing field in the US.