The Alaska Department of Natural Resources plans to release seismic exploration information from the Nenana Basin in Interior Alaska and the Horseshoe area of the North Slope.
DNR’s Division of Oil and Gas issued the public notice on September 2, 2026. The information must remain under notice for at least 30 days, meaning it could become available beginning October 2.
The release covers three previously conducted seismic programs:
- Nenana Basin 2D 2016, conducted under MLUP/AK 15-008
- An earlier Nenana Basin 2D seismic survey conducted under MLUP/AK 11-001
- Horseshoe 3D, conducted under MLUP/NS 14-008
This is a release of information collected through past exploration programs. It is not a proposal to conduct new seismic work, drill wells or authorize development.
Why is the state releasing the data?
The datasets were submitted to the state under Alaska’s oil and gas exploration tax-credit program. That program provided tax credits for qualifying exploration expenses while requiring companies to provide the resulting geological and geophysical information to DNR.
Under AS 43.55.025, seismic information submitted through the program is generally kept confidential for a specified period before being released following public notice. The eventual release gives the public, researchers, government agencies and other companies access to information generated with support from state tax policy.
Nenana Basin seismic information
The Nenana Basin release identifies Doyon Limited as the permittee for the two-dimensional seismic programs.
The survey area extends north and west of Nenana across portions of the Fairbanks Meridian. DNR’s map distinguishes between lines acquired in 2016 and earlier lines acquired in 2012 and reprocessed in 2016.
The 2016 program covered approximately 172 line miles. According to the original permit decision, the project area included portions of the Minto Flats State Game Refuge, the Tanana Valley State Forest, state lands and privately owned lands. The survey was conducted using aircraft-supported crews, wireless recording equipment and underground seismic charges.
The original 2016 permit decision is available here: https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/Documents/Permitting/InteriorAlaska/MiscLandUsePermits/2016/Doyon-NenanaBasin-2DSeismicSurvey.pdf
DNR’s map of tax-credit seismic information in the Nenana Basin is available here: https://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/Documents/Programs/NenanaBasinTaxCreditSeismicData.pdf
Horseshoe 3D seismic information
The second part of the notice covers the Horseshoe 3D dataset submitted by SAExploration, Inc.
The mapped survey area extends across portions of the central-western North Slope and includes land near the Horseshoe and Greater Mooses Tooth oil and gas units. Unlike a two-dimensional survey, which produces underground profiles along individual survey lines, three-dimensional seismic surveys combine information collected across a wider area to construct a more detailed model of subsurface geology.
Companies can use this information to identify geological formations that may contain oil or gas and decide whether an area warrants further exploration.
What this release could mean
Public access to seismic information provides greater transparency into exploration activity that previously remained confidential. It may also help researchers and the public better understand what information companies and state agencies are using to evaluate Alaska’s sedimentary basins.
At the same time, seismic data have commercial value. Making the information available can reduce the cost and uncertainty of future exploration by allowing companies to evaluate subsurface conditions without acquiring an entirely new dataset.
The release itself does not authorize development. Any company seeking to conduct new seismic work, drill an exploration well or construct related infrastructure would still need applicable land access approvals, environmental reviews and permits.
Future proposals informed by these datasets could raise questions about effects on communities, subsistence activities, fish and wildlife habitat, wetlands, water resources and the cumulative expansion of industrial infrastructure. Those questions would need to be evaluated through subsequent public processes.
Accessing the information
DNR’s September 2 public notice and maps are available here: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=224989
The datasets can be requested through the Alaska Geologic Materials Center’s Seismic and Well Data page: https://dggs.alaska.gov/gmc/seismic-order.html
Submitting the request form does not create an obligation to purchase the data. Qualifying research, educational and government institutions may be eligible to receive the information at no cost.
The Northern Alaska Environmental Center will continue watching for the datasets’ final release and for future exploration or development proposals that rely on this information.