Niobrara Formation
The Niobrara formation in Colorado's DJ Basin is the primary tight oil target for the state, with Weld County ranking among the most active drilling counties in the US.
Formation Type
Tight Oil/Gas
Depth Range
6,000–8,000 ft
Basin(s)
DJ Basin
States
CO, WY
Geology & Formation Overview
The Niobrara is an Upper Cretaceous chalky carbonate interbedded with organic-rich shales. It consists of the Niobrara A, B, and C benches plus the underlying Codell Sandstone — all producing formation targets. The formation benefits from natural fractures that enhance production.
Top Operators Targeting the Niobrara
Civitas Resources
Active in DJ Basin
Chord Energy
Active in DJ Basin
Extraction Oil & Gas
Active in DJ Basin
PDC Energy
Active in DJ Basin
SRC Energy
Active in DJ Basin
* Operator list based on industry data. Real-time operator permit counts available via API.
Geographic Extent
Access This Data via API
Access Niobrara formation well permit data. Filter by state, operator, and date. Source-data freshness varies by state.
/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=niobraracurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?formation=niobrara"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"formation": "Niobrara",
"type": "Tight Oil/Gas",
"basins": [
"DJ Basin"
],
"states": [
"CO",
"WY"
],
"depth_range": "6,000–8,000 ft",
"top_operators": [
"Civitas Resources",
"Chord Energy",
"Extraction Oil & Gas"
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "OilPriceAPI Drilling Intelligence",
"note": "Static sample response — the live endpoint returns current data"
}
}Niobrara Formation FAQs
The Niobrara is a Tight Oil/Gas play located in the DJ Basin at depths of 6,000–8,000 ft. The Niobrara formation in Colorado's DJ Basin is the primary tight oil target for the state, with Weld County ranking among the most active drilling counties in the US.
The Niobrara formation spans CO, WY within the DJ Basin basin. The Niobrara is an Upper Cretaceous chalky carbonate interbedded with organic-rich shales. It consists of the Niobrara A, B, and C benches plus the underlying Codell Sandstone — all producing formatio
Major operators targeting the Niobrara formation include: Civitas Resources, Chord Energy, Extraction Oil & Gas, PDC Energy, SRC Energy. These companies have significant acreage positions and active drilling programs in the play.
The Niobrara formation is found at depths of approximately 6,000–8,000 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 Niobrara Well Permit Data via API
Query well permits filtered by formation, operator, state, and date range. Track Niobrara drilling activity in real-time.
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