Document and Entity Information - Jun. 30, 2015 - shares	Total
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Trading Symbol	APC
Entity Registrant Name	ANADARKO PETROLEUM CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000773910
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	508,012,188