>Any guesses as to how long before fracture stimulation and testing yields useful information? Are we talking days, weeks, months?

A few months ago I mentioned the Warro gas well in Australia several times. The entire reason for doing so was to provide a perfect example of the timelines involved, and the possible problems that can be encountered a long the way. If you read through their news releases from March 31st onwards, all of your questions will probably be answered.

http://www.transerv.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=54