8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report
(Date of earliest
event reported): August 11, 2010

Whiting Petroleum Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	1-31899	20-0098515
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1700 Broadway, Suite 2300, Denver, Colorado 80290-2300
(Address of principal executive offices, including ZIP code)

(303) 837-1661
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 C.F.R. §230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 C.F.R. §240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 C.F.R. §240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 C.F.R. §240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

     (b) On August 11, 2010, Palmer L. Moe retired as a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation (the “Company”).

     (d) On August 11, 2010, the Board of Directors of the Company appointed Philip E. Doty as a director of the Company to serve for a term expiring at the Company’s 2011 annual meeting of stockholders. The Board of Directors of the Company also appointed Mr. Doty to serve on the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees of the Board of Directors.

A copy of the Company’s press release announcing Mr. Doty’s appointment and Mr. Moe’s retirement, issued by the Company on August 11, 2010, is filed as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a)	Not applicable.
(b)	Not applicable.
(c)	Not applicable.
(d)	Exhibits:

(99.1) Press Release of Whiting Petroleum Corporation dated August 11, 2010.

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SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
Date: August 11, 2010	By:	/s/ James J. Volker
		James J. Volker
		Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

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WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
FORM 8-K

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number			Description
	(99.1	)	Press Release of Whiting Petroleum Corporation dated August 11, 2010.

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Company contact:	John B. Kelso, Director of Investor Relations
	303.837.1661 or john.kelso@whiting.com

Whiting Petroleum Corporation Names Philip Doty to Its
Board and Announces Retirement of Palmer Moe

DENVER — August 11, 2010 — Whiting Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: WLL) today announced that it has named Philip E. Doty to the Company’s Board of Directors effective August 11, 2010. Mr. Doty will replace Palmer L. Moe, who retired from the Company’s Board of Directors on August 11, 2010.

Since 2005, Mr. Doty has been Counsel to Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman PC, the largest Colorado-based accounting and consulting firm, where he previously was a partner from 2002 to 2005. From 1967 to 2000 he worked at Arthur Andersen, where he was a partner since 1978 and served as the audit partner and head of the Denver Office oil and gas practice until his retirement in 2000. He is a graduate of Drake University with a BS in accounting and is an active Certified Public Accountant.

James J. Volker, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Whiting Petroleum, said, “I am pleased to have Phil Doty joining Whiting’s Board of Directors. Phil’s experience in accounting in the oil and gas industry will be a good complement to Whiting’s Board. I would also like to thank Palmer Moe for his many years of service as a director of Whiting. Palmer brought value to Whiting’s Board during a period of strong growth for the company.”

About Whiting Petroleum Corporation

Whiting Petroleum Corporation, a Delaware corporation, is an independent oil and gas company that acquires, exploits, develops and explores for crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids primarily in the Permian Basin, Rocky Mountains, Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast and Michigan regions of the United States. The Company’s largest projects are in the Bakken and Three Forks plays in North Dakota and its Enhanced Oil Recovery fields in Oklahoma and Texas. The Company trades publicly under the symbol WLL on the New York Stock Exchange. For further information, please visit www.whiting.com.