INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement (“ Agreement ”) is made as of ______________, 20__ by and between Whiting Petroleum Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and [INDEMNITEE] (“ Indemnitee ”).

WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly−held corporations as directors, officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of the corporation;

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “ Board ”) has determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified individuals, the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons serving the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities. At the same time, directors, officers, and other persons in service to corporations or business enterprises are being increasingly subjected to expensive and time−consuming litigation relating to, among other things, matters that traditionally would have been brought only against the Company or business enterprise itself;

WHEREAS, the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (as amended, the “ Certificate of Incorporation ”) and the By-laws of the Company (as amended, the “ By-laws ”) provide that the Company will indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law, and directors and officer may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“ DCGL ”);

WHEREAS, the indemnification provisions set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation, the By-laws and the DGCL are not exclusive, and contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the board of directors, officers and other persons with respect to indemnification;

WHEREAS, the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons;

WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company’s stockholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future;

WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify and hold harmless, and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so protected against liabilities;

WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Certificate of Incorporation and the By-laws and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder;

WHEREAS, in recognition of Indemnitee’s need for substantial protection against personal liability in order to enhance Indemnitee’s continued service to the Company in an effective manner, and Indemnitee’s reliance on the aforesaid provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws, and in part to provide Indemnitee with specific contractual assurance that the protection promised by such provisions will be available to Indemnitee (regardless of, among other things, any amendment to or revocation of such provisions or any change in the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors or any acquisition or business combination transaction relating to the Company), the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for the indemnification of and the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee as set forth in this Agreement, and, to the extent insurance is maintained, for the continued coverage of Indemnitee under the Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies; and

WHEREAS, Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company on the condition that Indemnitee be so indemnified hereunder.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

Section 1.                            Services to the Company. Indemnitee will serve or continue to serve as a director or officer of the Company for so long as Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or until Indemnitee tenders Indemnitee’s resignation or is no longer serving in such capacity. This Agreement shall not be deemed an employment contract between the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise) and Indemnitee. Indemnitee specifically acknowledges that Indemnitee’s service to the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise), if any, is at will, and the Indemnitee may be discharged at any time for any reason, with or without cause, except as may be otherwise provided in any written employment contract between Indemnitee and the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise), other applicable formal severance policies or contracts duly adopted by the Board, or by the Certificate of Incorporation, the By-laws and the DGCL.

Section 2.                            Definitions . As used in this Agreement:

(a)               References to “ agent ” shall mean any person who is or was a director, officer, or employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such capacity as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other Enterprise at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.

(b)                “ Corporate Status ” describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise which such person is or was serving at the request of the Company.

(c)                “ Delaware Court ” shall mean the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware.

(d)                “ Disinterested Director ” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

(e)                “ Enterprise ” shall mean the Company and any other corporation, constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries) is a party, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent.

(f)                “ Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(g)                “ Expenses ” shall include all direct and indirect costs, fees and expenses of any type or nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, all attorneys’ fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, fees of private investigators and professional advisors, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, fax transmission charges, secretarial services and all other disbursements, obligations or expenses in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, settlement or appeal of, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding (as defined below), including reasonable compensation for time spent by the Indemnitee for which he or she is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party. Expenses also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding (as defined below), including without limitation the principal, premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.

(h)                “ Independent Counsel ” shall mean a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

(i)                “ Proceeding ” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or investigative nature, in which Indemnitee was, is, will or might be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, by reason of any action (or failure to act) taken by him or of any action (or failure to act) on his part while acting as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement.

(j)               References “ fines ” shall include any excise tax or penalties assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to “ serving at the request of the Company ” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee, trustee, fiduciary or agent of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, trustee, fiduciary or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in manner “ not opposed to the best interests of the Company ” as referred to in this Agreement.

(k)               In connection with any merger or consolidation, references to the “ Company ” shall include not only the resulting or surviving company, but also any constituent company or constituent of a constituent company, which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents. The intent of this provision is that a person who is or was a director of such constituent company after the date hereof or is or was serving at the request of such constituent company as a director, officer, employee, trustee or agent of another company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise after the date hereof, shall stand in the same position under this Agreement with respect to the resulting or surviving company as the person would have under this Agreement with respect to such constituent company if its separate existence had continued.