Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 694,042	$ 435,588	$ 11,821	$ 181,253
Accounts receivable, net	72,774	127,387
Intercompany accounts receivable	0	0
Derivative contracts	61,403	84,349
Prepaid expenses	10,427	6,833
Other current assets	15,239	19,931
Total current assets	853,885	674,088
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,703,021	2,234,702
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	17,153	13,237
Total assets	2,574,059	2,922,027	2,922,027
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt	3,981,371	0
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	263,665	428,417
Intercompany accounts payable	0	0
Derivative contracts	355	573
Asset retirement obligations	8,440	8,399
Total current liabilities	4,253,831	437,389
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Long-term debt	0	3,562,378
Asset retirement obligations	62,279	95,179
Other long-term obligations	11,147	14,814
Total liabilities	4,327,257	4,109,760
Equity (deficit)
SandRidge Energy, Inc. stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(1,753,177)	(1,697,917)
Noncontrolling interest	(21)	510,184
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(1,753,198)	(1,187,733)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ (deficit) equity	2,574,059	2,922,027
Eliminations
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	68	0
Intercompany accounts receivable	(2,627,145)	(2,563,250)
Derivative contracts	0	0
Prepaid expenses	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	(2,627,077)	(2,563,250)
Property, plant and equipment, net	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	(2,807,981)	(2,758,045)
Other assets	(5,902)	(5,902)
Total assets	(5,440,960)	(5,327,197)
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt	0
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	68	0
Intercompany accounts payable	(2,627,145)	(2,563,250)
Derivative contracts	0	0
Asset retirement obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	(2,627,077)	(2,563,250)
Investment in subsidiaries	(1,087,530)	(1,439,074)
Long-term debt	(5,902)	(5,902)
Asset retirement obligations	0	0
Other long-term obligations	0	0
Total liabilities	(3,720,509)	(4,008,226)
Equity (deficit)
SandRidge Energy, Inc. stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(1,720,430)	(1,829,155)
Noncontrolling interest	(21)	510,184
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(1,720,451)	(1,318,971)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(5,440,960)	(5,327,197)
Parent
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	669,978	426,917	6	170,468
Accounts receivable, net	2	0
Intercompany accounts receivable	1,340,776	1,226,994
Derivative contracts	0	0
Prepaid expenses	0	0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	2,010,756	1,653,911
Property, plant and equipment, net	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	2,774,926	2,749,514
Other assets	3,012	3,131
Total assets	4,788,694	4,406,556
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt	3,981,371
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	174,840	160,122
Intercompany accounts payable	1,299,686	1,337,688
Derivative contracts	0	0
Asset retirement obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	5,455,897	1,497,810
Investment in subsidiaries	1,079,991	1,038,303
Long-term debt	5,902	3,568,280
Asset retirement obligations	0	0
Other long-term obligations	81	80
Total liabilities	6,541,871	6,104,473
Equity (deficit)
SandRidge Energy, Inc. stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(1,753,177)	(1,697,917)
Noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity	(1,753,177)	(1,697,917)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ (deficit) equity	4,788,694	4,406,556
Guarantors
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	22,084	847	1,799	1,398
Accounts receivable, net	71,410	122,606
Intercompany accounts receivable	1,280,481	1,305,573
Derivative contracts	61,403	84,349
Prepaid expenses	10,421	6,826
Other current assets	15,239	19,931
Total current assets	1,461,038	1,540,132
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,654,610	2,124,532
Investment in subsidiaries	33,055	8,531
Other assets	20,043	16,008
Total assets	3,168,746	3,689,203
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt	0
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	87,778	265,767
Intercompany accounts payable	1,296,354	1,192,569
Derivative contracts	355	573
Asset retirement obligations	8,440	8,399
Total current liabilities	1,392,927	1,467,308
Investment in subsidiaries	7,539	400,771
Long-term debt	0	0
Asset retirement obligations	62,279	95,179
Other long-term obligations	11,066	14,734
Total liabilities	1,473,811	1,977,992
Equity (deficit)
SandRidge Energy, Inc. stockholders’ (deficit) equity	1,694,935	1,711,211
Noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity	1,694,935	1,711,211
Total liabilities and stockholders’ (deficit) equity	3,168,746	3,689,203
Non-Guarantors
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	1,980	7,824	$ 10,016	$ 9,387
Accounts receivable, net	1,294	4,781
Intercompany accounts receivable	5,888	30,683
Derivative contracts	0	0
Prepaid expenses	6	7
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	9,168	43,295
Property, plant and equipment, net	48,411	110,170
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	57,579	153,465
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt	0
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	979	2,528
Intercompany accounts payable	31,105	32,993
Derivative contracts	0	0
Asset retirement obligations	0	0
Total current liabilities	32,084	35,521
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Long-term debt	0	0
Asset retirement obligations	0	0
Other long-term obligations	0	0
Total liabilities	32,084	35,521
Equity (deficit)
SandRidge Energy, Inc. stockholders’ (deficit) equity	25,495	117,944
Noncontrolling interest	0	0
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity	25,495	117,944
Total liabilities and stockholders’ (deficit) equity	$ 57,579	$ 153,465