North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Data Skill

Channel 2: GIS Map Server

URL: https://gis.dmr.nd.gov

The DMR GIS Map Server provides spatial data for wells, fields, units, and infrastructure. Standard ArcGIS REST query patterns apply.

# Discover available map services:
curl -s "https://gis.dmr.nd.gov/arcgis/rest/services?f=json" | jq '.services[] | {name, type}'

# Query a well layer (example — identify the service and layer index first):
curl -s "https://gis.dmr.nd.gov/arcgis/rest/services/OilGas/OilGas_Wells/MapServer/0/query" \
  --data-urlencode "where=1=1" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=*" \
  --data-urlencode "resultRecordCount=5" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

# Note: Service names and layer indexes may change. Always discover first by
# querying the services directory and then the specific service layers.

Channel 3: Statistics Portal

URL: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/stats/statisticsvw.asp

Comprehensive downloadable statistics:

Channel 4: Director's Cut and Monthly Reports

The DMR Director's Cut is a monthly briefing with key statistics:

# Monthly Production Reports (PDF, searchable):
# https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/mprindex.asp
# Select year (2003-2026) to access monthly PDFs

# Director's Cut — monthly summary with commentary:
# Published ~45 days after production month
# Subscribe via email at: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/mprindex.asp

Query Patterns

Well Search

The well search form accepts these parameters:

# Well search is form-based. Example POST:
curl -s "https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/findwellsvw.asp" \
  --data-urlencode "TEFLD=BAKKEN" \
  --data-urlencode "Submit=Submit"
# Response is HTML with well list. Parse for file numbers, API numbers,
# well names, operators, locations, and status.

# Individual well data by file number:
# https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/feeservices/getwellprod.asp?fiession=XXXXX
# (URL pattern may vary; check current DMR site)

GIS Map Server Queries

# Step 1: List available services
curl -s "https://gis.dmr.nd.gov/arcgis/rest/services?f=json" \
  | jq '.services[] | {name, type}'

# Step 2: Inspect a specific service (e.g., OilGas wells)
curl -s "https://gis.dmr.nd.gov/arcgis/rest/services/OilGas/OilGas_Wells/MapServer?f=json" \
  | jq '.layers[] | {id, name}'

# Step 3: Query wells in McKenzie County
curl -s "https://gis.dmr.nd.gov/arcgis/rest/services/OilGas/OilGas_Wells/MapServer/0/query" \
  --data-urlencode "where=COUNTY='MCKENZIE'" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=*" \
  --data-urlencode "resultRecordCount=10" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

# Step 4: Spatial query — wells within a bounding box
curl -s "https://gis.dmr.nd.gov/arcgis/rest/services/OilGas/OilGas_Wells/MapServer/0/query" \
  --data-urlencode "geometry=-104.0,47.5,-103.0,48.5" \
  --data-urlencode "geometryType=esriGeometryEnvelope" \
  --data-urlencode "spatialRel=esriSpatialRelIntersects" \
  --data-urlencode "outFields=*" \
  --data-urlencode "resultRecordCount=10" \
  --data-urlencode "f=json"

Production by Formation

# Download production-by-formation spreadsheets from the Statistics portal:
# https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/stats/statisticsvw.asp
# Available: Oil Production by Formation (1998-2025), Gas Production by Formation

# Key formations tracked:
# BAKKEN (dominant), THREE FORKS, MADISON, MISSION CANYON, DUPEROW,
# SPEARFISH, LODGEPOLE, RED RIVER, TYLER, RATCLIFFE

Workflow

Step 1 — Resolve Intent

Step 2 — Fetch Data

For individual wells, use the Well Search form or GIS Map Server query. For formation-level or county-level analysis, download Statistics portal files. For spatial queries, use the GIS Map Server REST endpoint with JSON output.

Step 3 — Parse Response

• Well Search returns HTML (parse for well records)
• GIS Map Server returns JSON with f=json parameter
• Statistics files are spreadsheets (Excel/CSV) or PDF
• Monthly Production Reports are searchable PDFs

Step 4 — Produce Output

Format: Raw Data Table + Narrative

## North Dakota Bakken Formation Production (Monthly, 2023-2024)

| Period   | Oil (BBL)    | Gas (MCF)      | Wells  |
|----------|--------------|----------------|--------|
| 2024-06  | 35,200,000   | 105,400,000    | 12,450 |
| 2024-05  | 34,800,000   | 103,900,000    | 12,380 |
| ...      | ...          | ...            | ...    |

**Summary:** Bakken production averaged 35.2 million barrels/month (1.17 million
BOPD) in June 2024 from 12,450 producing wells. The Bakken accounts for ~93% of
ND oil production. Three Forks adds another ~5%. Peak ND production was 1.52
million BOPD in November 2019. Data from DMR monthly production reports;
preliminary for most recent 2 months.

North Dakota Geographic Reference

Key Producing Counties

Formations Critical for Li/Mg Research

• Bakken Formation: The primary target. Bakken produced waters contain 10-70 mg/L lithium with high TDS (200,000-350,000 mg/L). The Three Forks (underlying the Bakken) has similar chemistry. At ~1.1 million BOPD with water cuts increasing as the play matures, significant produced water volumes are available.
• Madison Group (Mississippian): Deeper, older formation with higher TDS and potentially higher Li concentrations. Less production volume than Bakken.
• Red River Formation (Ordovician): Very high TDS brines (300,000+ mg/L) with elevated lithium. Limited modern production but historically significant.

Lithium in Bakken Context

• Li concentration: 10-70 mg/L (most wells 20-50 mg/L)
• Economic DLE threshold: ~100-150 mg/L
• Bakken Li is sub-economic at current DLE costs but could become viable with:
  • Technology improvements reducing DLE costs
  • Co-production with other valuable elements (Mg, Br, I)
  • Volume-based processing (1+ million BBL/day available)
• USGS Produced Waters DB has 100+ Bakken brine analyses with Li data

Error Handling

Caveats and Data Limitations

1. Well Search is form-based: The DMR well search returns HTML, not JSON. For JSON output, use the GIS Map Server REST endpoints.
2. GIS service names may change: The DMR periodically updates its GIS services. Always discover available services at the base URL before querying.
3. Production data is PDF-primary: Monthly production reports are published as searchable PDFs, not machine-readable formats. The Statistics portal spreadsheets are more useful for programmatic analysis.
4. No Excel for monthly reports: The DMR explicitly does not provide Excel versions of monthly production reports due to amendment discrepancies.
5. Data lag: Production data lags ~45 days. The Director's Cut provides preliminary estimates sooner but revises frequently.
6. Water production not separately reported: Unlike some states, ND does not require separate produced water volume reporting at the well level. Water volumes must be inferred from injection/disposal reports or estimated.
7. Bakken water cut increasing: As the Bakken play matures, water cuts are rising (now 50-70% in older wells), increasing produced water availability but also increasing disposal costs — a driver for beneficial reuse including mineral extraction.