Three Forks
Formation

The Three Forks Formation is a Late Devonian carbonate sequence that sits immediately below the Lower Bakken Shale in the Williston Basin. It is a productive horizontal target in its own right and is typically developed alongside the Bakken on the same drilling units, with operators completing both Bakken and Three Forks wells from the same pad.

Therocks beneath your minerals.

The Three Forks is a sequence of dolomite and dolomitic siltstone, deposited in a shallow marine and tidal flat environment during the Late Devonian. The formation is divided into multiple benches (informally labeled TF1, TF2, TF3, and TF4 from top to bottom), with the upper benches generally more productive than the lower ones.

The TF1 (upper Three Forks) is the primary horizontal target across most of the basin. It produces oil sourced from the Bakken shales above through migration into the more permeable carbonate reservoir. The TF2 also produces in some areas. The TF3 and TF4 are less commonly developed but have seen exploratory horizontal drilling in selected areas.

Three Forks reservoir quality varies more across the basin than the Middle Bakken. The formation can transition from a productive dolomite to a lower-quality silty interval over relatively short distances. This makes Three Forks development more dependent on local geology than Bakken development.

Where theproduction lives.

Three Forks horizontal drilling is well-established and continues at a steady pace alongside Bakken activity. Most major Bakken operators include Three Forks targets in their development inventory, drilling Three Forks wells on the same pads as Bakken wells to leverage shared infrastructure.

Three Forks wells generally have lower initial production rates than Bakken wells in the same area, with broadly similar decline curves and ultimate recovery factors. The combined economics support pad-scale development that drills both formations together.

The economic case for combined Bakken and Three Forks development is one of pad efficiency. Drilling several wells per pad (typically a mix of Bakken and Three Forks targets) reduces per-well drilling costs through shared surface facilities and shared rig moves.

Mineral rights in theThree Forks.

Williston Basin mineral owners commonly receive royalty income from Three Forks wells alongside Bakken wells. The TF1 bench is the most likely current producer, with TF2 and TF3 wells appearing in development of stacked-pay positions in the basin’s core counties.

For inheritors with Williston Basin interests, the Three Forks position adds to the total mineral value alongside the Bakken above. Combined development across the Bakken, TF1, TF2, and sometimes TF3 can produce many wells per drilling spacing unit over the life of development.

Williston Basin operator consolidation has been heavy. The same legacy names that appear on Bakken paperwork (Whiting, Oasis, Hess, Marathon, Grayson Mill) also appear on Three Forks paperwork from the same wells. The underlying interest carries over unchanged through each transition. We are happy to walk through what your specific lease and well situation means alongside the broader stacked-pay position.