Williston Basin

E631163

The Williston Basin is a large sedimentary basin in the northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada, known for its rich oil and gas reserves, including the prolific Bakken Formation.

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Observed surface forms (2)

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf geologic basin
sedimentary basin
basement Precambrian crystalline rocks
centeredNear northwestern North Dakota
contains Bakken Formation NERFINISHED
Charles Formation NERFINISHED
Deadwood Formation NERFINISHED
Duperow Formation NERFINISHED
Lodgepole Formation NERFINISHED
Madison Group NERFINISHED
Mission Canyon Formation NERFINISHED
Nisku Formation NERFINISHED
Red River Formation NERFINISHED
Three Forks Formation NERFINISHED
country Canada
United States of America
surface form: United States
depositionalHistory formed by subsidence of the North American craton
discoveredAsOilProvince early 20th century
economicImportance major onshore oil-producing region in North America
extendsInto Manitoba NERFINISHED
Montana NERFINISHED
North Dakota NERFINISHED
Saskatchewan NERFINISHED
South Dakota NERFINISHED
geologicAge Mesozoic NERFINISHED
Paleozoic
hydrocarbonSystem Bakken petroleum system NERFINISHED
Madison petroleum system NERFINISHED
knownFor Bakken Formation hydrocarbons
natural gas production
oil production
locatedIn North America
Western Canada Sedimentary Basin region NERFINISHED
northern Great Plains NERFINISHED
majorProductionTechnology horizontal drilling
hydraulic fracturing
partOf cratonic interior of North America
peakDevelopmentPhase post-2000 Bakken shale boom
resourceType conventional oil
natural gas
potash
salt
unconventional tight oil
shape roughly oval to circular subsiding basin
stratigraphy thick Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary sequence
structuralType broad intracratonic basin
underlies parts of the northern Great Plains

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Bakken formation region locatedIn Williston Basin
Minot, North Dakota nearRegion Williston Basin
this entity surface form: Williston Basin oil-producing region
Fort Union Formation partOf Williston Basin
Fox Hills Formation underlies Williston Basin
this entity surface form: Williston Basin Paleocene units