Recent Landsat imagery shows the same area in 1999 after just one year of full-field development. Over 100 gas wells have been drilled. The network of graded well pads connected by access roads and pipelines is clearly visible.

Each well pad -- the location of
a single vertically drilled well -- is about 3.5 to 4 acres in area, and appears as a bright spot on the image. (Click here to see a closeup of a well pad with an active drill rig). Hundreds of kilometers of graded access roads dissect the landscape.