Barnett Formation
The Barnett Shale near Fort Worth, Texas was the first major shale gas play in the US, pioneered by Mitchell Energy in the 1990s and proving that hydraulic fracturing could unlock tight shale reservoirs at commercial scale.
Formation Type
Shale Gas
Depth Range
6,500–8,500 ft
Basin(s)
Fort Worth
States
TX
Geology & Formation Overview
The Barnett is a Mississippian age fine-grained siliceous shale and limestone deposited in a deep marine carbonate ramp setting. Mitchell Energy's breakthrough came from applying massive hydraulic fracturing to a formation previously considered uneconomic, launching the modern shale revolution.
Top Operators Targeting the Barnett
Enlink Midstream
Active in Fort Worth
Devon Energy
Active in Fort Worth
BKV Corporation
Active in Fort Worth
Diversified Energy
Active in Fort Worth
Viper Energy
Active in Fort Worth
* Operator list based on industry data. Real-time operator permit counts available via API.
Geographic Extent
States
Access This Data via API
Access Barnett formation well permit data. Filter by state, operator, and date. Source-data freshness varies by state.
/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=barnettcurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=barnett"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"formation": "Barnett",
"type": "Shale Gas",
"basins": [
"Fort Worth"
],
"states": [
"TX"
],
"depth_range": "6,500–8,500 ft",
"top_operators": [
"Enlink Midstream",
"Devon Energy",
"BKV Corporation"
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "OilPriceAPI Drilling Intelligence",
"note": "Static sample response — the live endpoint returns current data"
}
}Barnett Formation FAQs
The Barnett is a Shale Gas play located in the Fort Worth at depths of 6,500–8,500 ft. The Barnett Shale near Fort Worth, Texas was the first major shale gas play in the US, pioneered by Mitchell Energy in the 1990s and proving that hydraulic fracturing could unlock tight shale reservoirs at commercial scale.
The Barnett formation spans TX within the Fort Worth basin. The Barnett is a Mississippian age fine-grained siliceous shale and limestone deposited in a deep marine carbonate ramp setting. Mitchell Energy's breakthrough came from applying massive hydraulic fra
Major operators targeting the Barnett formation include: Enlink Midstream, Devon Energy, BKV Corporation, Diversified Energy, Viper Energy. These companies have significant acreage positions and active drilling programs in the play.
The Barnett formation is found at depths of approximately 6,500–8,500 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 Barnett Well Permit Data via API
Query well permits filtered by formation, operator, state, and date range. Track Barnett drilling activity in real-time.
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