This is the first of a four-part series on the original four Greek elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. For EARTH, we focused on the Marcellus Shale, the natural gas-rich geologic formation stretching through parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. It’s a highly controversial topic getting a lot of press these days and I hope we did it justice.

I narrated the show’s first segment on the geologic history of the Marcellus shale, and WHYY reporter Susan Phillips reported a feature for us on how the development of the Marcellus Shale is affecting families in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. She also co-produced a long series on the subject for WHYY, with my fellow Science Literacy Project colleague Kerry Grens.

Image of Marcellus Black Shale exposure on Interstate 80 courtesy of Wikimedia user Dahluza.