Research reviewed 9 October 2026. Unlock both prospects after banking two Canadian producers. These are composite geological game sections: depths, measurements, costs, probabilities and casing dimensions are fictional. They do not describe an individual permitted well.
The Middle Bakken target sits between organic-rich upper and lower shales; the game represents a tight mixed silt/sand/carbonate reservoir. The Upper Three Forks is a separate dolomitic target, not another name for the Bakken. Its mixed carbonate–siliciclastic succession has competing restricted-marine and continental playa/sabkha depositional interpretations. The player must land, maintain lateral contact, verify a liner and fund staged stimulation plus a sustained flow test. A show or high gamma alone never earns production.
The deeper Duperow option represents carbonate–evaporite cycles. Pore development, structure and seal determine the prospect; deeper drilling does not guarantee better pay.
EERC reported in 2020 that local Inyan Kara overpressure prompted operators to add a Dakota isolation string and enlarge the upper wellbore. It is a local drilling challenge, not a claim that every Dakota well needs the same design.
| Game string | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Surface | Protect shallow water-bearing cover; verify cement and integrity. |
| Dakota isolation | Isolate the Inyan Kara interval before deeper drilling. |
| Intermediate | Separate the next section and reassess the pressure / loss window. |
| Contingency liner, when required | A diagnosed narrow window adds a fifth string to the schedule and budget. |
| Production string / lateral liner | Provide completion isolation before perforating or stimulating. |
The game includes pressure evidence ahead of the Dakota sands, a four-versus-five-string review, and a deep-trip monitoring decision. Increasing density without checking the loss limit can cause losses; ignoring an influx can escalate to an emergency and loss of the well. Extra strings have their own casing stop, cost, integrity decision and visible track.
The state's dated 2022 field table documents Red River oil in Harding County, including Buffalo. The game therefore offers Red River B and D dolomite targets with anhydrite sealing, hard-rock wear and water-contact uncertainty. It does not portray South Dakota as the established deep North Dakota Bakken core. Porosity logs, fluid samples and production testing help distinguish connected oil from wet or disconnected pores.
| Area / interval | Research-led expansion opportunity |
|---|---|
| North Dakota Madison / Mission Canyon | Carbonate facies, diagenesis and water-contact appraisal. |
| Dickinson-area Lodgepole | Localized carbonate mound / bioherm targets; avoid treating mound pay as a continuous sheet. |
| Duperow / Birdbear | Dolomitized carbonate cycles, evaporite seals and structural or stratigraphic trapping. |
| Red River / Interlake / Winnipeg Black Island | Deeper carbonate or basal sandstone exploration; reservoir quality and local trap evidence must be established separately. |
| South Dakota Fall River / Custer Minnelusa | A different, shallower producing region documented in the 2022 table; not the Harding County Red River model. |
Only the five targets in the two new campaign cards are playable in this release; this table identifies further research opportunities.