Noble gas isotopes, major element isotopes, and gas composition were obtained from the shut-in Butler #3 (API 32-105-00008) and Simpson #1 (API 32-105-00007) wells, drilled in 1998, and sample gas from the Cumnock Formation of Late Norian age. This is the first gas chemistry compilation of these wells. The wells’ gas, sampled in 2009 and in 2014, had a strong “fruity” light petroleum odor, a visible condensate plume when the wells were flowed, and are in the oil and wet gas window. Shutin well pressures were ~900 psi (Butler #3), and ~200 psi (Simpson #1); both had a substantial initial gas flow. Limited data are from the 1982 Dummitt-Palmer #1 CBM well (API 32-105-00002), now plugged and abandoned.

Helium concentrations were ~0.20% to 0.24% from the noble gas analysis, neon ranged from 0.11 to 0.04 ppm, and argon was approximately 33 ppm. The measured noble gas composition contains very low atmospheric contamination with helium isotopes (0.07 R/R_A) clearly defined by a crustal origin, while neon and krypton and are mainly attributed to atmospheric origin (²⁰Ne/²²Ne ~9.8, ⁸⁶Kr/⁸⁴Kr ~0.3). Argon isotopes are mixed between crustal and atmospheric origins with ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar values ~ 418 to 520. The F²⁰Ne/³⁶Ar (~0.9 to 2.6), F⁸⁴Kr/³⁶Ar (~0.8) and F¹³²Xe/³⁶Ar (0.6-0.7) in the gas show enrichment in the light isotope associated with multi-stage fractionation processes with gas and fluid interaction.

The methane content (range ~58 to 64%) is inverse to the nitrogen content from denitrification of very thin ammonium-bearing units (also rich in oil), and likely from illite in overlying strata.