The Williston Basin spans portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. While the presence of oil in the basin has been known since the first discovery in the 1920s, exploration and development activity was sporadic and declining until a revolutionary innovation in technology occurred during the early 2000s. In particular, the combination of horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing has transformed the basin into one of the top oil producing regions in North America. The primary oil producing targets in the Basin, the Middle Bakken and Three Forks formations, make up one of the largest contiguous oil accumulations in North America.
Through advancements in drilling efficiencies, completion design and pipeline capacity, the Williston Basin continues to improve new well returns and solidify itself as a world-class oil resource play.
Iron Oil currently operates a leasehold in McKenzie County, ND.