Greek gods have gas well namesakes in Upper Burrell

Upper Burrell residents have Greek gods as neighbors at a Marcellus natural gas well site, where the names Zeus and Thalia are used.

Huntley & Huntley, the Monroeville-based gas exploration and drilling company, recently alerted Upper Burrell officials that the Zeus well pad project off Geyer Road includes another name, Thalia, which refers to a holding pond, said Jennifer Hoffman, the company's vice president of regulatory affairs, environment, health and safety.

In Greek mythology Zeus, ruler of the Olympian gods, is the father of Thalia, muse of comedy, according to GreekGods.org.

Other Huntley & Huntley horizontal drilling projects are Apollo B in Elizabeth Township, Midas in Plum and Poseidon, Metis and Gaia in Penn Township.

The use of Greek mythology in naming Marcellus shale wells hasn't been common in Pennsylvania, Hoffman said, but natural gas producers use a number of approaches to name their well pads.

Well project names have included the host municipality, property owners, geographic features and comic book heroes, Hoffman said.

The company's leaders considered Greek mythology “a somewhat unique way to identify its drilling locations and attach an image of strength to them,” she said.

Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.