Geokinetics Trucks on Routes 910 and 8 Raise Questions

A convoy of large white trucks from Geokinetics Inc. moving along Route 910 and Route 8 in Pine and Richland townships in recent days prompted a number of people to ask questions, wondering if the convoy had something to do with Marcellus Shale drilling.

Geokinetics Project Manager Peter Duncan explained in a phone interview that the company is mapping the underground geology of the area and looking for anything containing hydrocarbon. That includes the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations, he said.

Hydrocarbons often occur in natural gas, petroleum and coal.

"This is just a general look-see to see if it is worth coming back," he said.

Marcellus Shale has been hailed as one of the top natural gas resources in the world. The Utica Shale below it is believed to contain an even larger amount of gas.

Geokinetics uses sound waves to collect seismic data -- its trucks generate a vibration that puts an energy wave into the ground that hits subsurface formations and bounces back to the reporting equipment.

The 2-D regional geophysical survey is "very, very preliminary," Duncan said. If it shows promising resources, a more-involved 3D survey would follow, said Duncan.

Houston-based Geokinetics received permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to work along certain state-maintained roads, according to Duncan and PennDOT Press Officer James Struzzi.

While in Allegheny County, Geokinetics performed 2D mapping along roughly 30 miles of roads -- its trucks cover about eight miles in a day, Duncan said.

"[PennDOT is] not involved in any way, other than to give permission to the companies involved to perform the activity," Struzzi emphasized in an email.

"Essentially, the companies are performing seismic surveying using a method call Vibroseis. This has taken place in northern Allegheny County on several state routes in Harrison, Fawn, Frazer, West Deer, Richland and Pine townships," said Struzzi.

Companies are conducting geologic testing to locate potential mineral locations, mostly gas, Struzzi said.

"This has been done across Pennsylvania, but not as extensively in Allegheny County until recently. The activity involves surveying/marking roads and laying out on-ground geophones and data boxes. A convoy of large trucks and equipment then performs the vibration using a pad that moves slowly along roads," said Struzzi.

Richland Township Manager Dean Bastianini said in an email that the company performed mapping along Routes 8 and 910 and Bakerstown Road in the township, which are state-maintained roads.

Because the work was done within state rights-of-way, no permits were required from Richland or Pine townships.

"It is officially called 'Vibroseismic oil and gas exploration,' " said Bastianini, who added that the township office received several inquiries about the activity but no complaints.   

Richland Township zoning regulations permit gas wells under a special exception in the commercial/industrial and restricted light industrial zoning districts, Bastianini said.   

The zoning ordinance contains the criteria that must be met for the installation of a gas well, he continued.    

"There is also a pending ordinance in place which expands the regulations and adds processing plants and natural gas compression stations," according to Bastianini.

"The pending ordinance does not change the districts where the facilities are permitted," he said. "It is scheduled for formal adoption at the board’s meeting on July 20."  

Pine Township does not have any ordinances in place regarding Marcellus Shale, Township Manager Cheryl Fischer said.

Geokinetics placed geophones -- which act as miniature seismographs -- placed along roads every 110 feet to record data, Duncan explained.

With them is a yellow brick-sized box that contains a miniature computer that is the "brain," said Duncan. That box is programmed to "wake up" at 7 a.m., then scan and read GPS satellites to note where it and the geophones are, Duncan continued.

At noon, the yellow box is programmed to take a nap, then reawaken at 12:20 p.m. and recalibrate its location, he said. It continues collecting data until 8:30 p.m., when it goes back to sleep, said Duncan.

A convoy of four "vibrator trucks", sometimes called "thumper trucks," creates a vibration for the geophones to register, he said.

A pad is placed on the ground, then a motor-driven base plate, Duncan continued. The weight of the truck is pressed onto that base plate and synchronized two-minute vibrations from the four trucks are directed into the ground, he said.

The geophones record what happens during those vibrations.

"It's the world's greatest detective game," said Duncan. "We're looking for something you can't see."

"We call ourselves dinosaur hunters; at least I do," he said, referring to the underground formations created thousands of years ago. 

The data will be processed and forwarded to the oil company that commissioned the mapping, said Duncan. For business reasons, he said he could not identify the oil company.

"The data keeps improving all the time because the technology is improving all the time," Duncan said. 

The oil company's geophysicists will analyze that data and decide whether the underground resources are worth exploring further, Duncan continued, adding that this is a process that can take months.

If the oil company wants to explore further, it will solicit bids for 3D mapping, said Duncan, which is much more involved and time-consuming than 2D mapping.

The 3D mapping might cover a 30- to 40-square-mile area and that requires getting permission from all the private landowners in that area to do the work, he said.