Bakken Formation
The Bakken formation in the Williston Basin was the catalyst for the US tight oil revolution, with North Dakota becoming America's second-largest oil-producing state at its peak. The play combines the Bakken with the Three Forks formation below.
Formation Type
Tight Oil
Depth Range
8,000–11,000 ft
Basin(s)
Williston
States
ND, MT
Geology & Formation Overview
The Bakken consists of three members: Upper Bakken Shale (source rock), Middle Bakken (reservoir), and Lower Bakken Shale (source rock). The middle member is a silty dolomite and siltstone with good porosity when fractured. It overlies the Three Forks formation, which provides a secondary target.
Top Operators Targeting the Bakken
Continental Resources
Active in Williston
Hess Corporation
Active in Williston
Marathon Oil
Active in Williston
EOG Resources
Active in Williston
Chord Energy
Active in Williston
* Operator list based on industry data. Real-time operator permit counts available via API.
Geographic Extent
States
Access This Data via API
Access Bakken formation well permit data. Filter by state, operator, and date. Source-data freshness varies by state.
/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=bakkencurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=bakken"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"formation": "Bakken",
"type": "Tight Oil",
"basins": [
"Williston"
],
"states": [
"ND",
"MT"
],
"depth_range": "8,000–11,000 ft",
"top_operators": [
"Continental Resources",
"Hess Corporation",
"Marathon Oil"
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "OilPriceAPI Drilling Intelligence",
"note": "Static sample response — the live endpoint returns current data"
}
}Bakken Formation FAQs
The Bakken is a Tight Oil play located in the Williston at depths of 8,000–11,000 ft. The Bakken formation in the Williston Basin was the catalyst for the US tight oil revolution, with North Dakota becoming America's second-largest oil-producing state at its peak. The play combines the Bakken with the Three Forks formation below.
The Bakken formation spans ND, MT within the Williston basin. The Bakken consists of three members: Upper Bakken Shale (source rock), Middle Bakken (reservoir), and Lower Bakken Shale (source rock). The middle member is a silty dolomite and siltstone with good p
Major operators targeting the Bakken formation include: Continental Resources, Hess Corporation, Marathon Oil, EOG Resources, Chord Energy. These companies have significant acreage positions and active drilling programs in the play.
The Bakken formation is found at depths of approximately 8,000–11,000 ft. This varies by location within the basin, with deeper sections generally requiring more drilling days and capital per well.
OilPriceAPI provides well permit data filtered by formation, state, and operator. Use the drilling intelligence endpoint: GET /v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits with formation parameters. Sign up free at oilpriceapi.com to start querying formation-level data.
Get Bakken Well Permit Data via API
Query well permits filtered by formation, operator, state, and date range. Track Bakken drilling activity in real-time.
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