333 wells across 145 recorded operators, with 3 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Quick answer: The Salton Basin formation in California has 333 wells on record across 145 recorded operators, with 3 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Cardox Corp., Prado Petroleum, Chevron, The Hampton Oil and California Time Petroleum. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Salton Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Salton Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardox CORP | 125 |
| 2 | Prado Petroleum | 14 |
| 3 | Chevron | 8 |
| 4 | The Hampton Oil | 6 |
| 5 | California Time Petroleum | 5 |
| 6 | J B Nelson | 4 |
| 7 | Pacific-Imperial Dri-Ice INC | 4 |
| 8 | Lynnhart Company INC | 4 |
| 9 | 104 Oil & Drilling Company | 3 |
| 10 | H H & W Exploration Company | 3 |
The California counties with the most Salton Basin activity:
Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino
The Salton Basin is not among the California formations tracked separately in the yearly permit mix, so only statewide permit counts are shown.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,510 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 5,530 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 5,346 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 940 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 757 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 130 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 1,825 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 2,587 | — | — | — |
Share of each year’s California drilling permits by target formation, for the formations with the most permits.
| Year | Monterey-Temblor | San Joaquin Basin | Monterey | Coastal Basins | Sacramento Basin | Los Angeles Basin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 39.9% | 11.3% | 8.5% | 4.8% | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 49% | 33.7% | 8.8% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 1.3% |
| 2024 | 50.9% | 36.8% | 5.2% | 0.8% | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| 2023 | 33.7% | 55.1% | 5% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | 81.5% | 2% | 3.8% | — | 3.8% |
| 2021 | 50.8% | 30.8% | 16.2% | 2.3% | — | — |
| 2020 | 71.1% | 24.9% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 40% | 40% | 15.2% | 2.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Buckhead Energy computes every figure on this page from grouped records in public oil and gas data. The page shows counts, sums, percentiles and indexes only; it does not list individual wells, leases or permits.
Counts under 3 wells and percentiles under 5 wells are withheld; totals are floors.
Share is the formation’s permits as a percent of the state’s permits that year. Median lateral length is published only when at least 5 permits stand behind it.
Last computed: 2026-10-02. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Salton Basin is a formation/play group recorded in California, with 333 wells on file across 145 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 3 drilling permits targeting the Salton Basin in the 24-month window at summary refresh. These are stored records, not a live measure of drilling.
Recorded formation activity provides regional context. It does not establish ownership, future production, royalty payments or a value for an individual tract. Consult qualified professionals about your specific interest.
333 wells target the Salton Basin in California, worked by 145 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The Salton Basin operators with the most wells on record in California are Cardox Corp., Prado Petroleum, Chevron, The Hampton Oil and California Time Petroleum. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Operators filed 3 drilling permits targeting the Salton Basin in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Operators filed 3 new drilling permits targeting the Salton Basin in California in the 24-month window at source refresh. New permits and spuds record reported activity stages; they do not establish ongoing drilling, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Salton Basin activity in California includes 333 wells on record and 145 recorded operators, with 3 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
The primary counties recorded for Salton Basin in California are Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. This page is informational only, not a valuation. Formation summary date: 2026-10-02.
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Formation: Salton Basin
State: California
Total wells: 333
Recorded operators: 145
Permits 24mo: 3
Summary date: 2026-10-02
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