Comment on “Modeling and prediction of natural gas fracking pad landscapes in the Marcellus Shale region, USA” by Qingming Meng

Abstract

In modeling and prediction of natural gas fracking pad landscapes in the Marcellus Shale region, USA, the author asserts that landscape and environmental characteristics are the driving factors behind the siting of natural gas pads in the southwestern area of the Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania, USA. In the article, the author largely dismisses the importance of geology for site prediction. Although the study is useful for understanding landscape characteristics in a small area of the Marcellus Shale, his premise that “the key variables for natural gas fracking can be landscape and environmental variables rather than geological variables” is flawed and thus could lead to erroneous assumptions when creating land use plans. A more reasonable assumption is that the surface siting of natural gas wells is secondary to geologic considerations, as the current topography bears little influence on the geology.