The Arkoma Basin is a foreland basin extending from eastern Oklahoma into western Arkansas, historically one of the most productive natural gas provinces in the mid-continent. The basin produces primarily natural gas from multiple formations including the Woodford Shale, Caney Shale, and Hartshorne coal seams (coalbed methane). While overshadowed by the SCOOP/STACK plays to the west, the Arkoma Basin remains an active producing region with meaningful mineral value. We buy mineral rights, royalty interests, NPRI, and ORRI across the Arkoma Basin in both Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Approximate location of the Arkoma Basin shown in tan
Basin-level activity chart not yet available for the Arkoma Basin. For current activity, see our rig count dashboard and the state production pages linked above.
The Arkoma Basin is bounded by the Ouachita thrust belt to the south and transitions into the Cherokee Platform to the north. The basin deepens from east to west, with total sedimentary fill reaching 30,000 feet near the thrust front. The primary productive formations include the Woodford Shale (Devonian age, both conventional and horizontal targets), the Caney Shale (Mississippian age), and the Hartshorne Coal (Pennsylvanian age, producing coalbed methane). The Fayetteville Shale extends into the Arkansas portion of the basin and has been a significant horizontal gas play. The Woodford Shale in the Arkoma is thermally overmature, producing dry gas with very low liquids content.
The Arkoma Basin operator base includes a mix of mid-size independents and smaller companies. In the Oklahoma Arkoma, Newpark Drilling and Unit Corporation have historically been active Woodford Shale operators. In the Arkansas Fayetteville Shale, Southwestern Energy is the dominant operator with the largest acreage position and most active drilling program. BHP (now Aethon Energy) and XTO Energy (ExxonMobil) also hold Fayetteville positions. Coalbed methane production is operated by a variety of smaller independents.
Arkoma Basin mineral values depend on the specific play, formation, and production type. Fayetteville Shale minerals in the core Arkansas counties and Oklahoma Woodford minerals each have distinct value drivers. Because the Arkoma is primarily a dry gas basin, mineral values are sensitive to natural gas prices. Key factors include the producing formation, current production rates, well count, operator activity, and whether the minerals are in the Fayetteville horizontal play, the Woodford horizontal play, or the conventional/CBM portion of the basin.
Additional counties we cover within the Arkoma Basin, sorted by recent oil and gas activity:
The Fayetteville Shale is a Mississippian-age organic-rich shale formation in the Arkansas portion of the Arkoma Basin. It is the most actively drilled formation in Arkansas and has been developed with horizontal wells since the mid-2000s. Southwestern Energy pioneered the play and remains the dominant operator. The Fayetteville produces dry natural gas from depths of 1,000 to 6,500 feet.
The Arkoma Basin sits east of the SCOOP/STACK plays and produces primarily dry gas, while the SCOOP/STACK produce a mix of oil, condensate, and gas. The Arkoma targets different formations (Woodford as a gas play, Fayetteville, Caney, Hartshorne CBM), and mineral values are generally lower than the oil-weighted SCOOP/STACK due to lower expected production income. However, Arkoma minerals still generate meaningful royalty income for owners with producing acreage.
Coalbed methane (CBM) is natural gas produced from coal seams — in the Arkoma Basin, primarily the Hartshorne Coal formation. CBM wells are shallow (typically 500 to 2,500 feet) and produce at low rates but have very long productive lives. CBM production requires dewatering the coal seam to release adsorbed gas. CBM minerals are generally valued lower than conventional or shale gas minerals due to the lower per-well production rates and resulting lower future income streams.