Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	2 Months Ended	3 Months Ended						8 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Aug. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2021		Jun. 30, 2021	Mar. 31, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Aug. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	$ (6,736)	$ 128,615	$ (2,805)	[1]	$ (10,115)	$ (591)	$ (215,565)	$ (803,674)	$ (890,624)	$ (13,511)
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest	2,232	73,484	(9,100)						40,388	(4,875)
Retained deficit			28,213							28,213	$ 18,140
Non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries			(226,786)							(226,786)	$ (246,371)
Revenues	32,846	65,574	163,248						276,957	418,202
General and administrative	1,582	5,399	5,126						42,766	18,046
Decrease in operating costs	(19,515)	(38,720)	(99,188)						(237,546)	(244,494)
Intersegment Eliminations
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Revenues	(2,496)	(4,205)	(14,134)						(14,536)	(33,648)
General and administrative	0	0	880						0	2,640
Decrease in operating costs	2,496	4,205	15,014						14,536	36,288
Oil and natural gas
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Revenues	13,643	27,961	52,880						103,439	149,874
Decrease in operating costs	(6,674)	(15,488)	(21,210)						(117,691)	(55,846)
Oil and natural gas | Intersegment Eliminations
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Revenues	(1)	(1)	(13,322)						(4)	(31,129)
Decrease in operating costs	$ 218	$ 407	812						$ 1,973	2,519
Revision of Prior Period, Error Correction, Adjustment | Error in the Allocation of Earnings from Superior between Unit Corp and Noncontrolling Interests
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Net income (loss)			12,200
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest			12,200
Retained deficit			1,400							1,400
Non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries			1,400							$ 1,400
Revision of Prior Period, Adjustment | Intersegment Eliminations | Error Correction, Inter-Segment Eliminations Between Oil and Natural Gas
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
General and administrative			900
Revision of Prior Period, Adjustment | Oil and natural gas | Error Correction, Separate Errors Between Oil and Natural Gas
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Revenues			3,900
Decrease in operating costs			3,400
Revision of Prior Period, Adjustment | Oil and natural gas | Intersegment Eliminations | Error Correction, Inter-Segment Eliminations Between Oil and Natural Gas
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Revenues			$ (8,600)

[1] Includes a one-time adjustment to correct an error discovered in our second quarter 2021 allocation of earnings from consolidated subsidiaries, as described in Note 2 - Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies.