The Bakken Shale

The Bakken Boom

Straddling 200,000 miles along the U.S-Canada border in the Williston Basin is the Bakken shale—one of the most promising domestic shale play discoveries to date—which underlies a significant portion of North Dakota, as well as Montana and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Although oil was first discovered in the subsurface Bakken formation in 1951, it’s not until recently that exploitation became commercially viable due to recent high oil prices and advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology necessary to penetrate the shale.

Since making our first significant Bakken acquisition in 2009, we have purchased over 23,000 acres in the Williston Basin. Based on current activity levels, we are focused on buying high-grade minerals in Burke, McKenzie, Montrail and Williams counties, but are also continuing to pursue opportunities in Montana and other North Dakota areas. By actively monitoring the evolution of this developing play, we are able to accurately evaluate the future potential of Bakken assets and make competitive offers for mineral rights in the region.