[Philip Lelyveld comment: there is great overlap in the underlying technologies used in entertainment, medical imaging, and oil & minerals research.]

[BizJournals]

Want to get so close to the Marcellus Shale that you can see its pores? You need digital rock physics.

This type of analysis uses medical scanners, such as CT scans and X-rays, to produce images of rocks at the molecular level, which allows geologists to study where in the rock oil and gas accumulates and enables them to calculate features such as permeability.

According to Joel Walls, a director of unconventional technology at Ingrain Inc., digital rock physics has found a niche — “and a large market” — in shales that are typically more difficult to analyze with traditional …

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