Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011		Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 438,000,000	$ 351,000,000		$ 849,000,000	$ 102,000,000
Other	3,486,000,000	2,826,000,000
Total Current Assets	3,924,000,000	3,177,000,000
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
Natural gas and oil properties, at cost, based on full-cost accounting	33,525,000,000	31,200,000,000
Other property and equipment at cost, net	6,091,000,000	5,539,000,000
Total Property and Equipment, Net	39,616,000,000	36,739,000,000
LONG-TERM ASSETS:
Other assets	2,049,000,000	1,919,000,000
Investments in subsidiaries and intercompany advances	1,618,000,000	1,531,000,000
TOTAL ASSETS	45,589,000,000	41,835,000,000
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current liabilities	6,664,000,000	7,082,000,000
Total Current Liabilities	6,664,000,000	7,082,000,000
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Long-term debt, net	13,082,000,000	10,626,000,000
Deferred income tax liabilities	3,984,000,000	3,484,000,000
Other liabilities	2,965,000,000	2,682,000,000
Total Long-Term Liabilities	20,031,000,000	16,792,000,000
EQUITY:
Chesapeake stockholders' equity	16,531,000,000	16,624,000,000
Noncontrolling interests	2,363,000,000	1,337,000,000
Total Equity	18,894,000,000	17,961,000,000		14,995,000,000
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	45,589,000,000	41,835,000,000
Reclassified from guarantors	8,200,000,000
Parent [Member]
CURRENT ASSETS:
Other	2,000,000	1,000,000	[1]
Total Current Assets	2,000,000	1,000,000	[1]
LONG-TERM ASSETS:
Other assets	188,000,000	161,000,000	[1]
Investments in subsidiaries and intercompany advances	3,286,000,000	3,284,000,000	[1]
TOTAL ASSETS	3,476,000,000	3,446,000,000	[1]
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current liabilities	225,000,000	288,000,000	[1]
Intercompany payable to (receivable from) parent	(23,256,000,000)	(22,139,000,000)	[1]
Total Current Liabilities	(23,031,000,000)	(21,851,000,000)	[1]
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Long-term debt, net	9,540,000,000	8,226,000,000	[1]
Deferred income tax liabilities	413,000,000	409,000,000	[1]
Other liabilities	23,000,000	38,000,000	[1]
Total Long-Term Liabilities	9,976,000,000	8,673,000,000	[1]
EQUITY:
Chesapeake stockholders' equity	16,531,000,000	16,624,000,000	[1]
Total Equity	16,531,000,000	16,624,000,000	[1]
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	3,476,000,000	3,446,000,000	[1]
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	1,000,000	1,000,000	[1]	785,000,000	2,000,000
Other	3,272,000,000	2,664,000,000	[1]
Total Current Assets	3,273,000,000	2,665,000,000	[1]
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
Natural gas and oil properties, at cost, based on full-cost accounting	31,065,000,000	29,659,000,000	[1]
Other property and equipment at cost, net	3,012,000,000	2,831,000,000	[1]
Total Property and Equipment, Net	34,077,000,000	32,490,000,000	[1]
LONG-TERM ASSETS:
Other assets	1,058,000,000	1,004,000,000	[1]
Investments in subsidiaries and intercompany advances	622,000,000	819,000,000	[1]
TOTAL ASSETS	39,030,000,000	36,978,000,000	[1]
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current liabilities	6,209,000,000	6,509,000,000	[1]
Intercompany payable to (receivable from) parent	21,298,000,000	20,283,000,000	[1]
Total Current Liabilities	27,507,000,000	26,792,000,000	[1]
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Long-term debt, net	2,462,000,000	1,719,000,000	[1]
Deferred income tax liabilities	3,383,000,000	2,897,000,000	[1]
Other liabilities	2,392,000,000	2,286,000,000	[1]
Total Long-Term Liabilities	8,237,000,000	6,902,000,000	[1]
EQUITY:
Chesapeake stockholders' equity	3,286,000,000	3,284,000,000	[1]
Total Equity	3,286,000,000	3,284,000,000	[1]
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	39,030,000,000	36,978,000,000	[1]
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	437,000,000	350,000,000		64,000,000	100,000,000
Other	640,000,000	418,000,000
Total Current Assets	1,077,000,000	768,000,000
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
Natural gas and oil properties, at cost, based on full-cost accounting	2,982,000,000	2,017,000,000
Other property and equipment at cost, net	3,082,000,000	2,708,000,000
Total Property and Equipment, Net	6,064,000,000	4,725,000,000
LONG-TERM ASSETS:
Other assets	1,180,000,000	1,131,000,000
TOTAL ASSETS	8,321,000,000	6,624,000,000
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current liabilities	652,000,000	543,000,000
Intercompany payable to (receivable from) parent	2,180,000,000	2,045,000,000
Total Current Liabilities	2,832,000,000	2,588,000,000
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Long-term debt, net	1,080,000,000	681,000,000
Deferred income tax liabilities	497,000,000	464,000,000
Other liabilities	927,000,000	735,000,000
Total Long-Term Liabilities	2,504,000,000	1,880,000,000
EQUITY:
Chesapeake stockholders' equity	622,000,000	819,000,000
Noncontrolling interests	2,363,000,000	1,337,000,000
Total Equity	2,985,000,000	2,156,000,000
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	8,321,000,000	6,624,000,000
Eliminations [Member]
CURRENT ASSETS:
Other	(428,000,000)	(257,000,000)
Total Current Assets	(428,000,000)	(257,000,000)
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT:
Natural gas and oil properties, at cost, based on full-cost accounting	(522,000,000)	(476,000,000)
Other property and equipment at cost, net	(3,000,000)
Total Property and Equipment, Net	(525,000,000)	(476,000,000)
LONG-TERM ASSETS:
Other assets	(377,000,000)	(377,000,000)
Investments in subsidiaries and intercompany advances	(3,908,000,000)	(4,103,000,000)
TOTAL ASSETS	(5,238,000,000)	(5,213,000,000)
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current liabilities	(422,000,000)	(258,000,000)
Intercompany payable to (receivable from) parent	(222,000,000)	(189,000,000)
Total Current Liabilities	(644,000,000)	(447,000,000)
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Deferred income tax liabilities	(309,000,000)	(286,000,000)
Other liabilities	(377,000,000)	(377,000,000)
Total Long-Term Liabilities	(686,000,000)	(663,000,000)
EQUITY:
Chesapeake stockholders' equity	(3,908,000,000)	(4,103,000,000)
Total Equity	(3,908,000,000)	(4,103,000,000)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	$ (5,238,000,000)	$ (5,213,000,000)

[1] We have revised the amounts presented as long-term debt in the Guarantor Subsidiaries and Parent columns to properly reflect the long-term debt issued by the Parent of $8.2 billion, which was incorrectly presented as long-term debt attributable to the Guarantors subsidiaries as of December 31, 2011. The impact of this error was not material to the prior period December 31, 2011 financial statements.