What type of structure was the Williston Basin?
The southern Williston basin, which underlies about 110,000 square miles #n North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana, is part of a large structural and sedimentary basin. Its surface is a flat to gently rolling plain, standing about 1,500 to 3,500 feet above sea level and locally studded by a few high buttes.
How was Williston basin formed?
The Williston Basin lies above an ancient Precambrian geologic basement feature, the Trans-Hudson Orogenic Belt that developed in this area about 1.8-1.9 billion years ago, and that created a weak zone that later led to sagging to produce the basin.
How deep is the Williston Basin?
15,128 ft
The Williston basin covers parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada. It is a large intracratonic basin where sedimentation occurred throughout much of the Phanerozoic period and is 15,128 ft thick at its deepest known point according to a well located in McKenzie County in Western North Dakota.
Is the Williston Basin Federal Land?
Non Federal Lands—These lands are composed of private, state, or Indian reservations.
Why is the Williston Basin important?
The Williston Basin is an important source of petroleum. Petroleum accumulation in the basin is largely attributable to structural traps produced by the folding and faulting of rock that occurred during the formation of the Rocky Mountains.
How much oil is in the Williston Basin?
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean oil and gas resources of 134 million barrels of oil and 81 billion cubic feet of gas in upper Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
How much oil is in the Bakken?
The USGS estimates that there may be 4.4 to 11.4 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in the Bakken Formation (with a mean estimate of 7.4 billion barrels).
What is the name of the oil field in North Dakota?
The Bakken formation
The Bakken formation has emerged in recent years as one of the most important sources of new oil production in the United States. Most Bakken drilling and production has been in North Dakota, although the formation also extends into Montana and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.