There are a number of physicalcharacteristics of the Marcellus Shale that are not homogeneous. For
example, some geologists have hypothesized that the lower part of the Marcellus Shale, sometimes called
the Union Springs shale, which has a higher organic content and larger quantities of pyrite (fool’s gold) than the
rest of the Marcellus, may have more jointing (as a result of the maturing organics in concert with the Alleghanian orogeny). It would thus have a higher natural interconnection of fractures through which gas can move
and a higher natural gas yield. Because the eastern part of the Marcellus Shale has been
subjected to greater plate tectonic forces, jointing may be more abundant in the east. But thinner units are generally more fractured than thicker units, and the Marcellus is thinner in the west than it is in the east, so jointing could be hypothesized to be more prevalent in the western portion of the Marcellus Shale