The British Geological Survey (BGS) has studied the quantity of in-place shale gas in the Bowland-Hodder formation in central Britain, under the authority of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Scientists estimate the total volume of gas contained in the rock formation to be 37.6 trillion m³.

In this study, shales are only considered at depths greater than 1500 m below land surface; this is due to the shale maturity required to generate gas. The carboniferous Bowland-Hodder formation is divided into two units. The upper unit, with a typical thickness of 150m, has been well studied, and numerous data findings inform us of laterally contiguous, condensed, and organic-rich distribution. The volume of this upper unit in-place gas resource is estimated to be 7.5 trillion m³. The lower unit, with a maximum thickness of 3000m, provides considerable potential, with 30.2 trillion m³ of in-place gas. Due to the paucity of well data in this lower unit however, the study points to a much higher degree of uncertainty with regards to volume.

Later in 2013, the Jurassic shales of the Weald Basin of southern England will be subject to a further BGS/DECC study.