8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  December 5, 2011

GASTAR EXPLORATION LTD.

GASTAR EXPLORATION USA, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

ALBERTA, CANADA	001-32714	98-0570897
DELAWARE	001-35211	38-3531640
(State or other jurisdiction	(Commission	(IRS Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)

1331 LAMAR STREET, SUITE 650

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77010

(Address of principal executive offices)

(713) 739-1800

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

SECTION 7 – REGULATION FD

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure

On January 3, 2012, Gastar Exploration Ltd. (the “Company”) announced that Gastar Exploration USA, Inc., the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has declared a monthly cash dividend on its 8.625% Series A Preferred Stock for January 2012.  A copy of the Company’s press release, dated January 3, 2012, is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information presented herein under Item 7.01 and set forth in the attached Exhibit 99.1 is deemed to be “furnished” solely pursuant to Item 7.01 of this report and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall such information or the Exhibit be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended.

SECTION 9 – FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

Item 9.01  Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits

The following is a list of exhibits furnished as part of this Form 8-K:

Exhibit No.	Description of Document
99.1	Press release dated January 3, 2012.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date:  January 3, 2012

GASTAR EXPLORATION LTD.
	By:	/s/ J. RUSSELL PORTER
		J. Russell Porter
		President and Chief Executive Officer
GASTAR EXPLORATION USA, INC.
	By:	/s/ J. RUSSELL PORTER
		J. Russell Porter
		President

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description of Document
99.1	Press release dated January 3, 2012.

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EX-99.1

     For Immediate Release NEWS RELEASE Contacts: Gastar Exploration Ltd. J. Russell Porter, Chief Executive Officer 713-739-1800 / rporter@gastar.com Investor Relations Counsel: Lisa Elliott / Anne Pearson DRG&L: 713-529-6600 lelliott@drg-l.com / apearson@drg-l.com

Gastar Exploration Ltd. Declares Monthly Cash Dividend on

8.625% Series A Preferred Stock of Gastar Exploration USA, Inc.

HOUSTON, January 3, 2012 – Gastar Exploration Ltd. (NYSE Amex: GST) (the “Company”) announced today that Gastar Exploration USA, Inc., the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has declared a monthly cash dividend on its 8.625% Series A Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) for January 2012.

The dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock is payable on January 31, 2012 to holders of record at the close of business on January 13, 2012.  The January 2012 dividend payment will be an annualized 8.625% per share, which is equivalent to $0.179688 per share, based on the $25.00 per share liquidation preference of the Series A Preferred Stock.  The Series A Preferred Stock is currently listed on the NYSE Amex and trades under the ticker symbol “GST.PRA.”

About Gastar Exploration

Gastar Exploration Ltd. is an independent company engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas and oil in the United States.  Our principal business activities include the identification, acquisition, and subsequent exploration and development of natural gas and oil properties with an emphasis on prospective deep structures identified through seismic and other analytical techniques as well as unconventional natural gas reserves, such as shale resource plays.  We are pursuing natural gas exploration in the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian area of West Virginia and central and southwestern Pennsylvania and in the deep Bossier gas play in the Hilltop area of East Texas.  We also conduct limited coal bed methane development activities within the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana.  For more information, visit our web site at www.gastar.com.

Safe Harbor Statement and Disclaimer

This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended. A statement identified by the words “expects,” “projects,” “plans,” and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release.

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