Pending Acquisition	9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Pending Acquisition [Abstract]
PENDING ACQUISITION	9. PENDING ACQUISITION On March 20, 2011, the Company, 6446 Acquisition Corp., a Texas corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), and TGC Industries, Inc., a Texas corporation (“TGC”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into TGC, with TGC continuing after the merger as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The Merger Agreement has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and other customary conditions, at the effective time of the merger, TGC shareholders will receive 0.188 shares of the Company’s common stock for every one share of TGC common stock they hold, provided that the average of the volume weighted average price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market during the ten consecutive trading days ending on the second business day prior to the date of the shareholders’ meetings of the Company and TGC to be called for the purpose of approving the transaction is equal to or greater than $32.54 but less than or equal to $52.54. In the event that the average of the volume weighted average price of Dawson’s common stock is outside of that range, then the parties, at their respective option, shall be entitled to terminate the transaction following good faith negotiations to determine a modified, mutually acceptable exchange ratio. The parties have made customary representations and warranties and agreed to customary covenants in the Merger Agreement. In addition, the Company and TGC have each agreed to certain pre-closing covenants in the Merger Agreement, including, among other things, covenants that the Company and TGC will, and TGC will cause its subsidiaries to, during the period between the date of the Merger Agreement and the effective time of the merger, conduct their business only in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and that the Company and TGC will not engage in certain types of transactions without the consent of the other during such period. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company has agreed to take all necessary actions to cause, as of the effective time of the merger, its Board of Directors to include as Company directors Wayne A. Whitener and Allen T. McInnes, each of whom is currently a TGC director. At the closing of the transaction, it is anticipated that the Company will issue approximately 3.7 million shares in exchange for the approximately 19.6 million shares of TGC common stock outstanding. Upon completion of the transaction, the Company will have approximately 11.7 million shares outstanding, with current Company shareholders owning approximately 68% of the combined company and current TGC shareholders owning approximately 32%. In connection with the Merger Agreement, certain of TGC’s executive officers and directors and their affiliates who own, in the aggregate, 28.73% of the currently outstanding shares of TGC common stock have entered into voting agreements with the Company. Pursuant to and subject to the terms of those voting agreements, those directors and executive officers and their respective affiliates have agreed, among other things, to vote their shares of TGC common stock in favor of approval of the Merger Agreement at the TGC special meeting to be held to approve the Merger Agreement.

9. PENDING ACQUISITION

On March 20, 2011, the Company, 6446 Acquisition Corp., a Texas corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), and TGC Industries, Inc., a Texas corporation (“TGC”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into TGC, with TGC continuing after the merger as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

The Merger Agreement has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and other customary conditions, at the effective time of the merger, TGC shareholders will receive 0.188 shares of the Company’s common stock for every one share of TGC common stock they hold, provided that the average of the volume weighted average price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market during the ten consecutive trading days ending on the second business day prior to the date of the shareholders’ meetings of the Company and TGC to be called for the purpose of approving the transaction is equal to or greater than $32.54 but less than or equal to $52.54. In the event that the average of the volume weighted average price of Dawson’s common stock is outside of that range, then the parties, at their respective option, shall be entitled to terminate the transaction following good faith negotiations to determine a modified, mutually acceptable exchange ratio.

The parties have made customary representations and warranties and agreed to customary covenants in the Merger Agreement. In addition, the Company and TGC have each agreed to certain pre-closing covenants in the Merger Agreement, including, among other things, covenants that the Company and TGC will, and TGC will cause its subsidiaries to, during the period between the date of the Merger Agreement and the effective time of the merger, conduct their business only in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and that the Company and TGC will not engage in certain types of transactions without the consent of the other during such period.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company has agreed to take all necessary actions to cause, as of the effective time of the merger, its Board of Directors to include as Company directors Wayne A. Whitener and Allen T. McInnes, each of whom is currently a TGC director.

At the closing of the transaction, it is anticipated that the Company will issue approximately 3.7 million shares in exchange for the approximately 19.6 million shares of TGC common stock outstanding. Upon completion of the transaction, the Company will have approximately 11.7 million shares outstanding, with current Company shareholders owning approximately 68% of the combined company and current TGC shareholders owning approximately 32%.

In connection with the Merger Agreement, certain of TGC’s executive officers and directors and their affiliates who own, in the aggregate, 28.73% of the currently outstanding shares of TGC common stock have entered into voting agreements with the Company. Pursuant to and subject to the terms of those voting agreements, those directors and executive officers and their respective affiliates have agreed, among other things, to vote their shares of TGC common stock in favor of approval of the Merger Agreement at the TGC special meeting to be held to approve the Merger Agreement.