There are two main types of onshore drilling for natural gas. Percussion /cable tool drilling, consists of raising and dropping a heavy metal bit into the ground, effectively punching a hole down through the Earth. Cable tool drilling is usually used for shallow, low pressure formations. The second drilling method is known as rotary drilling, and consists of a sharp, rotating metal bit used to drill through the Earth’s crust. This type of drilling is used primarily for deeper wells that may be under high downhole pressure.