Barnett Shale Map — Wells, Permits & Production
The Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth Basin is where modern shale development began — the combination of horizontal drilling and slickwater hydraulic fracturing was proven here before being carried to every other North American shale play. It remains a substantial gas producer with a very large inventory of existing wellbores, and much of the current activity is refracs, recompletions, and acquisition of held acreage.
Latest completions activity
Wells and leases in the Barnett Shale reporting their first production in the newest Railroad Commission cycle (2026-04). This measures new activity coming online, not total basin production.
- New wells
- 3
- New leases
- 2
- Oil
- 4bbl/d
- Gas
- 0mcf/d
| County | Wells | Leases | Oil (bbl/d) | Gas (mcf/d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Archer | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Geology
The Barnett is a Mississippian-age organic-rich shale deposited in the Fort Worth Basin foreland. Its quality varies with the presence of an underlying Viola-Simpson limestone barrier that separates it from the water-bearing Ellenburger — where that barrier is present the play performs well, and where it is absent completions risk communicating with water, which is a large part of why the core area is where it is.
Working the play
With decades of wellbores on the ground, the value here is in history. Use the map to find operators with concentrated positions, pull production history on mature leases to judge refrac candidates, and check well status and completion records before making an offer.
Barnett Shale counties (25)
Every Texas county this map covers for the play. Open the map to filter wells, permits, and leases within any of them.
- Archer
- Bosque
- Clay
- Comanche
- Cooke
- Coryell
- Dallas
- Denton
- Eastland
- Ellis
- Erath
- Hamilton
- Hill
- Hood
- Jack
- Johnson
- Montague
- Palo Pinto
- Parker
- Shackelford
- Somervell
- Stephens
- Tarrant
- Wise
- Young
Frequently asked questions
Is the Barnett Shale still producing?
Yes. New drilling is far below its peak, but the Barnett remains a significant Texas gas producer, and its large base of existing wells continues to support refrac, recompletion, and acquisition activity.
Which counties make up the Barnett core?
Tarrant, Johnson, Denton, Wise and Parker counties form the historic core. The play extends across the wider county list shown below.
Why did the Barnett matter so much?
It is where horizontal drilling and slickwater fracturing were first combined at scale into a repeatable, economic process — the template every later shale play followed.
Other Texas plays
Map the Barnett Shale yourself
Wells, permits, completions, leases, and pipelines on live Railroad Commission data — filter by operator and formation, then run a decline forecast and PV-10 valuation on any lease.
Open the Barnett Shale map