3,680 wells across 461 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Quick answer: The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary formation in Wyoming has 3,680 wells on record across 461 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Contango Resources Company, Aethon Energy Operating, Brown Tom, Hilcorp Energy Company and Encana Oil & Gas. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary formation in Wyoming:
| # | Operator | Wells in Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contango Resources Company | 290 |
| 2 | Aethon Energy Operating | 226 |
| 3 | Brown Tom | 223 |
| 4 | Hilcorp Energy Company | 208 |
| 5 | Encana Oil & Gas | 164 |
| 6 | Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company | 114 |
| 7 | Bill Barrett | 100 |
| 8 | Ovintiv USA INC | 93 |
| 9 | Adamas Energy LLC | 88 |
| 10 | Citation Oil & Gas | 87 |
The Wyoming counties with the most Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary activity:
Fremont, Natrona
The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary is not among the Wyoming formations tracked separately in the yearly permit mix, so only statewide permit counts are shown.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 616 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 566 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 459 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 581 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 696 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 505 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 456 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 1,197 | — | — | — |
Share of each year’s Wyoming drilling permits by target formation, for the formations with the most permits.
| Year | Niobrara- Mowry | Powder River Basin | Mesaverde-Lance | Muddy J Sand | Green River Basin | Mesaverde-Lance-Lewis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.8% | 70% | — | — | 16.4% | — |
| 2025 | 6.5% | 59.4% | 0.9% | — | 19.8% | — |
| 2024 | 17.2% | 52.5% | 1.1% | — | 9.2% | 1.7% |
| 2023 | 15% | 42.3% | 1% | 7.6% | 13.3% | 0.7% |
| 2022 | 33.9% | 26.4% | 6.8% | 10.8% | 4.3% | 2.3% |
| 2021 | 59.4% | 4.6% | 17.8% | 13.9% | — | 2.6% |
| 2020 | 69.7% | 5% | 2.6% | 15.1% | — | 3.1% |
| 2019 | 56% | 6.5% | 17.3% | 9.4% | — | 6.7% |
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: 2026-11-01. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary is a formation/play group recorded in Wyoming, with 3,680 wells on file across 461 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary 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.
3,680 wells target the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary in Wyoming, worked by 461 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary operators with the most wells on record in Wyoming are Contango Resources Company, Aethon Energy Operating, Brown Tom, Hilcorp Energy Company and Encana Oil & Gas. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 0 new drilling permits targeting the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary in Wyoming 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: 2026-11-01.
Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary activity in Wyoming includes 3,680 wells on record and 461 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The primary counties recorded for Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary in Wyoming are Fremont, Natrona. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
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: 2026-11-01.
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Get Your Free Written OfferFormation: Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary
State: Wyoming
Total wells: 3,680
Recorded operators: 461
Permits 24mo: 0
Summary date: 2026-11-01
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