North Dakota: The new Saudi Arabia?

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated in 2000 that the Bakken might hold 413 billion barrels. If so, it would dwarf Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar, the world’s biggest field, which has produced about 55 billion barrels.

The challenge is in getting the oil out. Bakken crude is locked 2 miles underground in a layer of dolomite, a dense mineral that doesn’t surrender oil the way more porous limestone does. The dolomite band is narrow, too, averaging just 22 feet in North Dakota.

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