The Benson sand formation
Footprint and mineral-owner context for the Benson sand, drawn from the same state oil and gas commission well records behind our county pages. Every figure on this page is an estimate subject to verification of your specific interest.
Last updated June 2026.
What is the Benson sand?
The Benson sand is a producing formation named across 7 counties in West Virginia, in the Appalachian Basin, with 17,577 active wells on record across those counties.
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What are your Benson sand minerals worth?
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The Benson sand shows up in state oil and gas commission well records as a producing formation or pool in 7 of the counties and parishes we cover, across the Appalachian Basin. Every county where it produces sits in the same basin, though well counts and operators differ county to county. Across those counties, state records show 17,577 active wells producing, with the heaviest activity in Lewis County, Gilmer County, Roane County. This page is built from the same public well-record data as our county pages, not a USGS geologic assessment, so it does not carry a play-wide resource estimate the way our larger flagship formation pages do.
Counties in the Benson sand play
These are the counties and parishes we cover where state commission records show the Benson sand producing. Each links to that county's own Benson sand well count and operators, not just the general county page.
What the Benson sand means for your minerals
A resource estimate for a play is not the value of your acreage. Your mineral and royalty interest is valued on the income your wells actually pay, roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check, the same as 3 to 6 times your annual royalty. Where you land in that band depends on your wells decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. For the full method and a free on-screen estimate, see what are my mineral rights worth.
The Benson sand is part of the Appalachian Basin. For the basin-wide value bands and the counties we buy in, see the Appalachian Basin page.
Benson sand questions
- Which counties does the Benson sand produce in?
- State commission well records show the Benson sand producing in 7 counties we cover: Barbour County, Braxton County, Clay County, Gilmer County, Lewis County, Roane County, Upshur County. See each county's page for the full local well and operator picture.
- How many wells produce from the Benson sand?
- Across the counties we cover, state oil and gas commission records show about 17,577 active wells tied to the Benson sand. That figure is a sum across counties from public well records, not a measure of any one owner's interest.
- What is a Benson sand mineral interest worth?
- A Benson sand interest is valued the same way as any producing interest: roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check. Where you land in that range depends on your wells' decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. This is an estimate, not an offer.
Sources
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