Long Term Debt (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended																																	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended																		1 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012		Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012		Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011		Sep. 30, 2012 7.625% Senior Notes Due 2013		Dec. 31, 2011 7.625% Senior Notes Due 2013		Sep. 30, 2012 9.5% Senior Notes Due 2015	Dec. 31, 2011 9.5% Senior Notes Due 2015	Sep. 30, 2012 6.25% Euro-Denominated Senior Notes Due 2017		Dec. 31, 2011 6.25% Euro-Denominated Senior Notes Due 2017		Sep. 30, 2012 6.5% Senior Notes Due 2017	Dec. 31, 2011 6.5% Senior Notes Due 2017	Sep. 30, 2012 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2018	Dec. 31, 2011 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2018	Sep. 30, 2012 7.25% Senior Notes Due 2018	Dec. 31, 2011 7.25% Senior Notes Due 2018	Sep. 30, 2012 6.625% Senior Notes Due 2019		Dec. 31, 2011 6.625% Senior Notes Due 2019		Sep. 30, 2012 6.775% Senior Notes Due 2019	Dec. 31, 2011 6.775% Senior Notes Due 2019	Sep. 30, 2012 6.625% Senior Notes Due 2020	Dec. 31, 2011 6.625% Senior Notes Due 2020	Sep. 30, 2012 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2020	Dec. 31, 2011 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2020	Sep. 30, 2012 6.125% Senior Notes Due 2021	Dec. 31, 2011 6.125% Senior Notes Due 2021	Sep. 30, 2012 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2035		Dec. 31, 2011 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2035		Sep. 30, 2012 2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2037		Dec. 31, 2011 2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2037		Sep. 30, 2012 2.25% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2038		Dec. 31, 2011 2.25% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Due 2038		Sep. 30, 2012 Corporate revolving bank credit facility	Dec. 31, 2011 Corporate revolving bank credit facility	Sep. 30, 2012 Midstream Revolving Bank Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2011 Midstream Revolving Bank Credit Facility	Sep. 30, 2012 Oilfield Services Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2011 Oilfield Services Credit Facility	Sep. 30, 2012 Discount On Senior Notes		Dec. 31, 2011 Discount On Senior Notes		Sep. 30, 2012 Interest rate derivatives		Dec. 31, 2011 Interest rate derivatives		Oct. 31, 2012 Term Loan	May 31, 2012 Term Loan	Sep. 30, 2012 Term loans due 2017	Dec. 31, 2011 Term loans due 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Increase (Decrease) in Interest Payable, Net	$ 45
Long-term Debt, Gross		16,218			16,218			10,626		464	[1]	464	[1]	1,265	1,265	442	[2]	446	[2]	660	660	474	474	669	669	650	[3]	650	[3]	1,300	0	1,300	1,300	500	500	1,000	1,000	396	[4]	396	[4]	1,168	[4]	1,168	[4]	347	[4]	347	[4]	1,785	1,719	0	1	336	29	(559)	[5]	(490)	[5]	21	[6]	28	[6]			4,000	0
Less current maturities of long-term debt		(463)	[1]		(463)	[1]		0	[1]
Total long-term debt, net		15,755			15,755			10,626
Derivative, Forward Exchange Rate		1.2856			1.2856			1.2973
Interest rate										7.625%				9.50%		6.25%				6.50%		6.875%		7.25%		6.625%		6.625%		6.775%		6.625%		6.875%		6.125%		2.75%				2.50%				2.25%
Percentage Of Principal Amount Of Notes For Repurchase Requirement Of Contingent Convertible Senior Notes					100.00%
Debt Instruments Convertible Optional Repurchase Dates																																						November 15, 2015, 2020, 2025, 2030				May 15, 2017, 2022, 2027, 2032				December 15, 2018, 2023, 2028, 2033
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Terms of Conversion Feature					5
Common Stock Price Conversion Thresholds																																						$ 48.51				$ 63.93				$ 107.27
Contingent Interest First Payable (if applicable)																																						May 14, 2016				Nov. 14, 2017				Jun. 14, 2019
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount		393			393			444		1																																																							120
Debt Issuance Cost																																																																	91
Proceeds from Sale of Property, Plant, and Equipment		4																																																														4,000
Gains on sales of investments	155	31		0	1,061		0
Write off of Deferred Debt Issuance Cost																																																																86
Proceeds from (Repayments of) Short-term Debt	$ 114

[1] These senior notes are due in July 2013. There is $1 million of discount associated with these notes.

[2] The principal amount shown is based on the exchange rate of $1.2856 to €1.00 and $1.2973 to €1.00 as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively. See Note 7 for information on our related foreign currency derivatives.

[3] Issuers are Chesapeake Oilfield Operating, L.L.C. (COO), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and Chesapeake Oilfield Finance, Inc. (COF), a wholly owned subsidiary of COO formed solely to facilitate the offering of the 6.625% Senior Notes due 2019. COF is nominally capitalized and has no operations or revenues. Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the issuer of all other senior notes and the contingent convertible senior notes.

[4] nior notes.(e)The holders of our contingent convertible senior notes may require us to repurchase, in cash, all or a portion of their notes at 100% of the principal amount of the notes on any of four dates that are five, ten, fifteen and twenty years before the maturity date. The notes are convertible, at the holder’s option, prior to maturity under certain circumstances into cash and, if applicable, shares of our common stock using a net share settlement process. One such triggering circumstance is when the price of our common stock exceeds a threshold amount during a specified period in a fiscal quarter. Convertibility based on common stock price is measured quarterly. In the third quarter of 2012, the price of our common stock was below the threshold level for each series of the contingent convertible senior notes during the specified period and, as a result, the holders do not have the option to convert their notes into cash and common stock in the fourth quarter of 2012 under this provision. The notes are also convertible, at the holder’s option, during specified five-day periods if the trading price of the notes is below certain levels determined by reference to the trading price of our common stock. In general, upon conversion of a contingent convertible senior note, the holder will receive cash equal to the principal amount of the note and common stock for the note’s conversion value in excess of such principal amount. We will pay contingent interest on the convertible senior notes after they have been outstanding at least ten years, under certain conditions. We may redeem the convertible senior notes once they have been outstanding for ten years at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount of the notes, payable in cash. The optional repurchase dates, the common stock price conversion threshold amounts and the ending date of the first six-month period in which contingent interest may be payable for the contingent convertible senior notes are as follows: Contingent Convertible Senior Notes Repurchase Dates Common Stock Price Conversion Thresholds Contingent InterestFirst Payable(if applicable)2.75% due 2035 November 15, 2015, 2020, 2025, 2030 $48.51 May 14, 20162.5% due 2037 May 15, 2017, 2022, 2027, 2032 $63.93 November 14, 20172.25% due 2038 December 15, 2018, 2023, 2028, 2033 $107.27 June 14, 2019

[5] Discount as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 included $393 million and $444 million, respectively, associated with the equity component of our contingent convertible senior notes. This discount is based on an effective yield method.

[6] See Note 7 for further discussion related to these instruments.