The Eagle Ford Shale is a major oil and gas producing formation that stretches across a roughly 50-mile-wide band of South Texas from the Mexican border up toward College Station. The play produces oil, condensate, and dry gas depending on the thermal maturity of the formation, with the oil window in the northwest generating the highest mineral valuations. The Eagle Ford was one of the first major US shale plays to be commercially developed through horizontal drilling, and it remains one of the most productive. We actively buy mineral rights, royalty interests, NPRI, and ORRI across all Eagle Ford counties.
Approximate location of the Eagle Ford Shale shown in tan
The Eagle Ford is an organic-rich calcareous shale deposited during the Late Cretaceous period, sitting at depths of 4,000 to 14,000 feet. The formation varies in thickness from 150 to 300 feet. The thermal maturity increases from northwest to southeast: the oil window (API gravity 35-45 degrees) covers Karnes, DeWitt, and La Salle counties; the volatile oil and condensate window covers Dimmit, Frio, and Atascosa counties; and the dry gas window covers Webb, Zapata, and Starr counties. The oil window generates the highest mineral valuations because oil is more valuable per unit than natural gas, driving stronger future production income. Below the Eagle Ford, the Austin Chalk and Buda Lime offer additional productive horizons in some areas.
The Eagle Ford is operated by a mix of large independents and major oil companies. EOG Resources is the most prolific Eagle Ford operator, with a massive acreage position across the oil window. ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, and Magnolia Oil & Gas are also major players in the oil window. In the gas window, Chesapeake Energy and Murphy Oil have significant positions. The concentration of experienced operators with long-term drilling programs means that Eagle Ford mineral owners generally benefit from well-run operations and predictable development schedules.
Eagle Ford mineral values are driven by the thermal maturity window (oil, condensate, or gas), county-level operator activity, and production performance. Oil-window acreage in Karnes and DeWitt counties commands the highest valuations due to the higher commodity value of oil and the prolific well results in those counties. Condensate- and gas-window acreage supports lower valuations reflecting the commodity mix. Key factors include current production rates, royalty rate, operator drilling plans, and whether additional formations (Austin Chalk, Buda) are productive on the tract.
The single biggest pricing question for an Eagle Ford interest is which maturity window it sits in. The same hundred net royalty acres can differ in value several-fold between the Karnes County oil window and the Webb County dry-gas window, because the commodity mix drives revenue per barrel of production. The second question is vintage: much of the Eagle Ford was drilled in the 2010–2015 land rush, so many tracts are now mature PDP with well-understood declines — which makes them straightforward to value accurately, and makes lowball "multiple of last year’s checks" offers easy to spot, since refrac programs and Austin Chalk co-development are adding value back into the play.
When you request an offer from us, we identify your window, your operator’s current program, and any stacked Austin Chalk or Buda potential before we put a number in writing — within 48 hours, with no fees and no obligation. If your checks have been shrinking for years, you may be surprised what a correctly priced mature royalty is still worth to a long-term holder.
Additional counties we cover within the Eagle Ford Shale, sorted by recent oil and gas activity:
The Eagle Ford formation varies in thermal maturity across its geographic extent. The oil window in the northwest (Karnes, DeWitt, La Salle counties) produces primarily crude oil. The gas window in the southeast (Webb, Zapata counties) produces primarily dry natural gas. Between them is a condensate window that produces a mix of condensate and wet gas. Mineral values are highest in the oil window because oil is more valuable per unit than gas.
Yes. The Eagle Ford remains one of the most actively drilled plays in the United States. While the rig count has moderated from its 2014 peak, major operators like EOG Resources and ConocoPhillips continue to run active drilling programs. Modern well performance has improved significantly through longer laterals and enhanced completion techniques, which has maintained the economic viability of new drilling.
In some areas, the Austin Chalk and Buda Lime formations above and below the Eagle Ford are also productive. Operators have drilled horizontal wells in the Austin Chalk in several Eagle Ford counties, adding a secondary target that increases the total development potential. However, the Austin Chalk is not productive everywhere, and its contribution varies by location.