Continental Announces Successful Completion of Initial Test Well In Third Bench of Three Forks Reservoir In Bakken Field

Continental Resources CLR announced today it successfully completed the Charlotte 3-22H (91% WI), the first horizontal well to test the third bench (TF3) of the Three Forks zone in the Bakken field of North Dakota and Montana. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120327/DA76602LOGO) The Charlotte 3-22H flowed 953 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boepd) at 1700 psi on a 28/64 choke in its initial one-day test period. Located in McKenzie County, North Dakota, it was drilled to a total depth of 21,324 feet, including a 9,701-foot lateral section, and was completed with Continental's standard 30-stage fracture stimulation design. "We're very pleased with the initial performance of the Charlotte 3-22H," said Harold Hamm, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The well has been producing for 15 days and its performance compares favorably with other first bench (TF1) and second bench (TF2) producing Three Forks wells." Continental has been a pioneer in the discovery and development of the Three Forks reservoir in the Bakken field.  The Company was the first to demonstrate incremental reserves from the TF1 in 2008 and the first to establish commercial production from the TF2 in 2011. Establishing production from the TF3 is yet another significant See full press release