Range Resources (RRC) 10-Q 28 Apr 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Apr. 27, 2015
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	RRC
Entity Registrant Name	RANGE RESOURCES CORP
Entity Central Index Key	315852
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		169,072,268

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$519		$448
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $2,982 and $2,719	134,261		188,941
Derivative assets	358,544		363,049
Inventory and other	17,315		17,854
Total current assets	510,639		570,292
Derivative assets	71,311		40,314
Natural gas and oil properties, successful efforts method	10,687,735	[1]	10,567,971	[1]
Accumulated depletion and depreciation	-2,581,753	[1]	-2,590,398	[1]
Natural gas and oil properties, successful efforts method, net	8,105,982	[1]	7,977,573	[1]
Other property and equipment	127,920		127,808
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	-92,942		-90,227
Other Property and equipment, net	34,978		37,581
Other assets	121,977		121,020
Total assets	8,844,887		8,746,780
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	278,248		396,942
Asset retirement obligations	17,689		15,067
Accrued liabilities	170,034		187,973
Accrued interest	22,994		39,695
Derivative liabilities	1,142
Deferred tax liabilities	121,198		115,587
Total current liabilities	611,305		755,264
Bank debt	912,000		723,000
Subordinated notes	2,350,000		2,350,000
Deferred tax liabilities	1,014,250		997,494
Deferred compensation liabilities	173,134		178,599
Asset retirement obligations and other liabilities	294,742		284,994
Total liabilities	5,355,431		5,289,351
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ Equity
Preferred stock, $1 par, 10,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding
Common stock, $0.01 par, 475,000,000 shares authorized, 168,996,100 issued at March 31, 2015 and 168,711,131 issued at December 31, 2014	1,690		1,687
Common stock held in treasury, 73,537 shares at March 31, 2015 and 82,954 shares at December 31, 2014	-2,762		-3,088
Additional paid-in capital	2,411,248		2,400,475
Retained earnings	1,079,280		1,058,355
Total stockholders’ equity	3,489,456		3,457,429
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$8,844,887		$8,746,780
[1]	Includes capitalized asset retirement costs and the associated accumulated amortization.

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS_Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts on accounts receivable	$2,982	$2,719
Preferred stock, par value	$1	$1
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	475,000,000	475,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	168,996,100	168,711,131
Common stock held in treasury, shares	73,537	82,954

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_INC

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Revenues and other income:
Natural gas, NGLs and oil sales	$325,483	$572,017
Derivative fair value income (loss)	122,839	-146,850
Loss on the sale of assets	-175	-353
Brokered natural gas, marketing and other	14,485	32,528
Total revenues and other income	462,632	457,342
Costs and expenses:
Direct operating	37,137	39,795
Transportation, gathering and compression	89,426	74,161
Production and ad valorem taxes	9,928	11,678
Brokered natural gas and marketing	21,562	34,129
Exploration	7,886	14,846
Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties	11,491	9,995
General and administrative	48,329	49,212
Termination costs	5,950
Deferred compensation plan	-5,624	-2,035
Interest	39,207	45,401
Depletion, depreciation and amortization	147,290	128,682
Total costs and expenses	412,582	405,864
Income before income taxes	50,050	51,478
Income tax expense:
Current		6
Deferred	22,366	18,951
Total income tax expense	22,366	18,957
Net income	$27,684	$32,521
Net income per common share:
Basic	$0.16	$0.20
Diluted	$0.16	$0.20
Dividends paid per common share	$0.04	$0.04
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic	166,039	160,794
Diluted	166,066	161,825

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_COM

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2014
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$27,684		$32,521
Other comprehensive income:
De-designated hedges reclassified into natural gas, NGLs and oil sales, net of taxes	0	[1]	-1,240	[1]
Total comprehensive income	$27,684		$31,281
[1]	Amounts are net of income tax benefit of $924 for the three months ended March 31, 2014. As of March 31, 2013, we elected to discontinue hedge accounting prospectively and as of December 31, 2014, all remaining accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) hedging gains had been transferred to earnings.

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_COM1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
De-designated hedges reclassified into natural gas, NGLs and oil sales, tax portion	$924

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_CAS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Operating activities:
Net income	$27,684	$32,521
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided from operating activities:
Loss from equity method investments, net of distributions		2,732
Deferred income tax expense	22,366	18,951
Depletion, depreciation and amortization	147,290	128,682
Exploration dry hole costs	103	1
Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties	11,491	9,995
Derivative fair value (income) loss	-122,839	146,850
Cash settlements on derivative financial instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting	97,490	-104,584
Allowance for bad debt	250
Amortization of deferred financing costs, loss on extinguishment of debt and other	1,358	2,873
Deferred and stock-based compensation	9,218	12,593
Loss on the sale of assets	175	353
Changes in working capital:
Accounts receivable	54,435	-41,643
Inventory and other	-1,072	-5,358
Accounts payable	7,098	9,997
Accrued liabilities and other	-44,409	-32,742
Net cash provided from operating activities	210,638	181,221
Investing activities:
Additions to natural gas and oil properties	-357,780	-226,331
Additions to field service assets	-672	-3,084
Acreage purchases	-30,126	-50,690
Equity method investments		2,511
Proceeds from disposal of assets	10,660	294
Purchases of marketable securities held by the deferred compensation plan	-4,664	-8,247
Proceeds from the sales of marketable securities held by the deferred compensation plan	4,922	9,310
Net cash used in investing activities	-377,660	-276,237
Financing activities:
Borrowing on credit facilities	542,000	412,000
Repayment on credit facilities	-353,000	-318,000
Debt issuance costs	-1,700
Dividends paid	-6,759	-6,550
Change in cash overdrafts	-15,341	-1,122
Proceeds from the sales of common stock held by the deferred compensation plan	1,893	8,586
Net cash provided from financing activities	167,093	94,914
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	71	-102
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	448	348
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$519	$246

Summary_of_Organization_and_Na

Summary of Organization and Nature of Business	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Industry Specific Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Organization and Nature of Business	(1) SUMMARY OF ORGANIZATION AND NATURE OF BUSINESS
	Range Resources Corporation (“Range,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a Fort Worth, Texas-based independent natural gas, natural gas liquids (“NGLs”) and oil company primarily engaged in the exploration, development and acquisition of natural gas and oil properties in the Appalachian and Midcontinent regions of the United States. Our objective is to build stockholder value through consistent growth in reserves and production on a cost-efficient basis. Range is a Delaware corporation with our common stock listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RRC.”

Basis_of_Presentation

Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	(2) BASIS OF PRESENTATION
	Presentation
	These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Range Resources Corporation 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 24, 2015. The results of operations for first quarter 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. These consolidated financial statements are unaudited but, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments necessary for fair presentation of the results for the periods presented. All adjustments are of a normal recurring nature unless otherwise disclosed. These consolidated financial statements, including selected notes, have been prepared in accordance with the applicable rules of the SEC and do not include all of the information and disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements.

New_Accounting_Standards

New Accounting Standards	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
New Accounting Pronouncements And Changes In Accounting Principles [Abstract]
New Accounting Standards	(3) NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
	Not Yet Adopted
	In May 2014, an accounting standards update was issued for “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in “Topic 605, Revenue Recognition” and requires entities to recognize revenue in a way that depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new guidance is effective for us for the reporting period beginning January 1, 2017, with early application not permitted. Entities have the option of using either a full retrospective or modified approach to adopt the new standard. We are currently evaluating the new guidance and have not determined the impact this standard may have on our financial statements or decided upon the method of adoption.
	In August 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an update that requires management to assess an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern by incorporating and expanding upon certain principles that are currently in United States auditing standards. This standard is effective for us in first quarter 2017 and early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have any impact on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
	Recently Adopted
	In April 2014 an accounting standards update was issued that raised the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation and requires new disclosures of both discontinued operations and certain other material disposal transactions that do not meet the revised definition of a discontinued operation. Under the updated standard, a disposal of a component or group of components of an entity is required to be reported as discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results when the component or group of components of the entity (1) has been disposed of by a sale (2) has been disposed of other than by a sale or (3) is classified as held for sale. This accounting standards update was effective for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014 and is applied prospectively. Early adoption was permitted but only for disposals (or classifications that are held for sale) that had not been reported in financial statements previously issued or available for use. We adopted this new standard in first quarter 2014 and, as a result, the Conger Exchange is not reported as a discontinued operation.

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions

Acquisitions and Dispositions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions and Dispositions	(4) ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS
	2015 Dispositions
	In first quarter 2015, we sold miscellaneous unproved property, proved property and inventory for proceeds of $10.7 million resulting in a pre-tax loss of $175,000. Included in the $10.7 million of proceeds is $10.5 million received from the sale of West Texas properties which closed in February 2015.
	2014 Dispositions
	In first quarter 2014, we sold miscellaneous unproved and proved property for proceeds of $294,000 resulting in a pre-tax loss of $353,000.
	Conger Exchange Transaction
	In April 2014, we entered into an exchange agreement with EQT Corporation and certain of its affiliates (collectively, “EQT”) in which we sold our Conger assets in Glasscock and Sterling Counties, Texas in exchange for producing properties and gas gathering assets in Virginia and $145.0 million in cash, before closing adjustments. We closed the exchange transaction in June 2014 and recognized a pre-tax gain of $282.7 million. For the period from January 1, 2014 through March 31, 2014, we recognized $12.4 million of field net operating income (defined as natural gas, oil and NGLs sales and net brokered margin less direct operating expenses, production and ad valorem taxes and transportation expenses) for our Conger assets.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	(5) INCOME TAXES
	Income tax expense was as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Income tax expense	$	22,366		$	18,957
	Effective tax rate		44.7	%		36.8	%
	We compute our quarterly taxes under the effective tax rate method based on applying an anticipated annual effective rate to our year-to-date income, except for discrete items. Income taxes for discrete items are computed and recorded in the period that the specific transaction occurs. For first quarter 2015 and 2014, our overall effective tax rate was different than the federal statutory rate of 35% due primarily to state income taxes, valuation allowances and other permanent differences. The first quarter 2015 includes $5.1 million income tax expense related to increases in our valuation allowances for state net operating loss carryforwards and an income tax benefit of $2.0 million adjusting our valuation allowance for our deferred tax asset related to future deferred compensation plan distributions of our senior executives.

Income_Per_Common_Share

Income Per Common Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Income Per Common Share	(6) INCOME PER COMMON SHARE
	Basic income or loss per share attributable to common shareholders is computed as (1) income or loss attributable to common shareholders (2) less income allocable to participating securities (3) divided by weighted average basic shares outstanding. Diluted income or loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed as (1) basic income or loss attributable to common shareholders (2) plus diluted adjustments to income allocable to participating securities (3) divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding. The following tables set forth a reconciliation of income or loss attributable to common shareholders to basic income or loss attributable to common shareholders to diluted income or loss attributable to common shareholders (in thousands except per share amounts):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income, as reported	$	27,684		$	32,521
	Participating earnings (a)		(463	)		(560	)
	Basic net income attributed to common shareholders		27,221			31,961
	Reallocation of participating earnings (a)		—			3
	Diluted net income attributed to common shareholders	$	27,221		$	31,964
	Net income per common share:
	Basic	$	0.16		$	0.2
	Diluted	$	0.16		$	0.2
	(a)	Restricted Stock Awards represent participating securities because they participate in nonforfeitable dividends or distributions with common equity owners. Income allocable to participating securities represents the distributed and undistributed earnings attributable to the participating securities. Participating securities, however, do not participate in undistributed net losses.
	The following table provides a reconciliation of basic weighted average common shares outstanding to diluted weighted average common shares outstanding (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic		166,039			160,794
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Director and employee stock options and SARs		27			1,031
	Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted		166,066			161,825
	Weighted average common shares-basic for both the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 excludes 2.8 million shares held in our deferred compensation plans (although all awards are issued and outstanding upon grant). Stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) of 1.4 million shares for the three months ended March 31, 2015, were outstanding but not included in the computations of diluted income per share because the grant prices of the SARs were greater than the average market price of the common stock. All SARs outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2014 were included in the computations of diluted income per share because the grant prices of the SARs were less than the average market price of the common stock.

Suspended_Exploratory_Well_Cos

Suspended Exploratory Well Costs	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Suspended Exploratory Well Costs	(7) SUSPENDED EXPLORATORY WELL COSTS
	We capitalize exploratory well costs until a determination is made that the well has either found proved reserves or that it is impaired. Capitalized exploratory well costs are presented in natural gas and oil properties in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. If an exploratory well is determined to be impaired, the well costs are charged to exploration expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. We did not have any exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period greater than one year for each of the year ended December 31, 2014 and the three months ended March 31, 2015. The following table reflects the change in capitalized exploratory well costs for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Balance at beginning of period	$	2,996		$	6,964
	Additions to capitalized exploratory well costs pending the determination of proved reserves		9,017			18,747
	Reclassifications to wells, facilities and equipment based on determination of proved reserves		¾			(15,735	)
	Divested wells		¾			(6,980	)
	Balance at end of period		12,013			2,996
	Less exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period of one year or less		(12,013	)		(2,996	)
	Capitalized exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period greater than one year	$	¾		$	¾

Indebtedness

Indebtedness	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Indebtedness	(8) INDEBTEDNESS
	We had the following debt outstanding as of the dates shown below (bank debt interest rate at March 31, 2015 is shown parenthetically). No interest was capitalized during the three months ended March 31, 2015 or the year ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
			March 31,		December 31,
			2015		2014
	Bank debt (1.8%)		$	912,000	$	723,000
	Senior subordinated notes:
	6.75% senior subordinated notes due 2020			500,000		500,000
	5.75% senior subordinated notes due 2021			500,000		500,000
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2022			600,000		600,000
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2023			750,000		750,000
	Total debt		$	3,262,000	$	3,073,000
	Bank Debt
	In October 2014, we entered into an amended and restated revolving bank facility, which we refer to as our bank debt or our bank credit facility, which is secured by substantially all of our assets and has a maturity date of October 16, 2019. The bank credit facility provides for a maximum facility amount of $4.0 billion. On March 31, 2015, the bank commitments were $2.0 billion. The bank credit facility provides for a borrowing base subject to redeterminations annually each May and for event-driven unscheduled redeterminations. As part of our annual redetermination completed on March 31, 2015, our borrowing base was reaffirmed at $3.0 billion and our bank commitment was also reaffirmed at $2.0 billion. As of March 31, 2015, our bank group was composed of twenty-nine financial institutions with no one bank holding more than 6% of the total facility. The bank credit facility amount may be increased to the committed borrowing base amount, subject to the banks agreeing to participate in the facility increase and our payment of a mutually acceptable commitment fee to those banks. As of March 31, 2015, the outstanding balance under our bank credit facility was $912.0 million. Additionally, we had $108.0 million of undrawn letters of credit leaving $980.0 million of committed borrowing capacity available under the facility. During a non-investment grade period, borrowings under the bank credit facility can either be at the alternate base rate (“ABR,” as defined in the bank credit agreement) plus a spread ranging from 0.25% to 1.25% or LIBOR borrowings at the Adjusted LIBO Rate (as defined in the bank credit agreement) plus a spread ranging from 1.25% to 2.25%. The applicable spread is dependent upon borrowings relative to the borrowing base. We may elect, from time to time, to convert all or any part of our LIBOR loans to base rate loans or to convert all or any of the base rate loans to LIBOR loans. The weighted average interest rate was 1.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2015 compared to 2.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2014. A commitment fee is paid on the undrawn balance based on an annual rate of 0.30% to 0.375%. At March 31, 2015, the commitment fee was 0.30% and the interest rate margin was 1.50% on our LIBOR loans and 0.50% on our base rate loans.
	At any time during which we have an investment grade debt rating from Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and we have elected, at our discretion, to effect the investment grade rating period, certain collateral security requirements, including the borrowing base requirement and restrictive covenants will cease to apply and an additional financial covenant (as defined in the bank credit facility) will be imposed. During the investment grade period, borrowings under the credit facility can either be at the ABR plus a spread ranging from 0.125% to 0.75% or LIBOR borrowings plus a spread ranging from 1.125% to 1.75% depending on our debt rating. The commitment fee paid on the undrawn balance would range from 0.15% to 0.30%.
	Senior Subordinated Notes
	If we experience a change of control, bondholders may require us to repurchase all or a portion of all of our senior subordinated notes at 101% of the aggregate principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. All of the senior subordinated notes and the guarantees by our subsidiary guarantors are general, unsecured obligations and are subordinated to our bank debt and will be subordinated to future senior debt that we or our subsidiary guarantors are permitted to incur under the bank credit facility and the indentures governing the subordinated notes.
	Guarantees
	Range Resources Corporation is a holding company which owns no operating assets and has no significant operations independent of its subsidiaries. The guarantees by our subsidiaries, which are directly or indirectly owned by Range, of our senior subordinated notes and our bank credit facility are full and unconditional and joint and several, subject to certain customary release provisions. A subsidiary guarantor may be released from its obligations under the guarantee:
	—	in the event of a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the subsidiary guarantor or a sale or other disposition of all the capital stock of the subsidiary guarantor, to any corporation or other person (including an unrestricted subsidiary of Range) by way of merger, consolidation, or otherwise; or
	—	if Range designates any restricted subsidiary that is a guarantor to be an unrestricted subsidiary in accordance with the terms of the indenture.
	Debt Covenants
	Our bank credit facility contains negative covenants that limit our ability, among other things, to pay cash dividends, incur additional indebtedness, sell assets, enter into certain hedging contracts, change the nature of our business or operations, merge, consolidate, or make certain investments. In addition, we are required to maintain a ratio of EBITDAX (as defined in the credit agreement) to cash interest expense of equal to or greater than 2.5 and a current ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) of no less than 1.0. In addition, the ratio of the present value of proved reserves (as defined in the credit agreement) to total debt must be equal to or greater than 1.5 until Range has two investment grade ratings. We were in compliance with applicable covenants under the bank credit facility at March 31, 2015.
	The indentures governing our senior subordinated notes contain various restrictive covenants that are substantially identical to each other and may limit our ability to, among other things, pay cash dividends, incur additional indebtedness, sell assets, enter into transactions with affiliates, or change the nature of our business. At March 31, 2015, we were in compliance with these covenants.

Asset_Retirement_Obligations

Asset Retirement Obligations	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]
Asset Retirement Obligations	(9) ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS
	Our asset retirement obligations primarily represent the estimated present value of the amounts we will incur to plug, abandon and remediate our producing properties at the end of their productive lives. Significant inputs used in determining such obligations include estimates of plugging and abandonment costs, estimated future inflation rates and well lives. The inputs are calculated based on historical data as well as current estimated costs. In the first quarter 2015, we increased our estimated abandonment costs on certain of our water impoundments and changed well lives for certain wells in Pennsylvania. A reconciliation of our liability for plugging and abandonment costs for the three months ended March 31, 2015 is as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months
		Ended
		March 31,
		2015
	Beginning of period	$	287,463
	Liabilities incurred		1,460
	Liabilities settled		(3,257	)
	Disposition of wells		(4,112	)
	Accretion expense		4,723
	Change in estimate		14,353
	End of period		300,630
	Less current portion		(17,689	)
	Long-term asset retirement obligations	$	282,941
	Accretion expense is recognized as a component of depreciation, depletion and amortization expense in the accompanying statements of consolidated income.

Capital_Stock

Capital Stock	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
Capital Stock	(10) CAPITAL STOCK
	We have authorized capital stock of 485.0 million shares which includes 475.0 million shares of common stock and 10.0 million shares of preferred stock. We currently have no preferred stock issued or outstanding. The following is a schedule of changes in the number of common shares outstanding since the beginning of 2014:
		Three Months		Year
		Ended		Ended
		March 31,		December 31,
		2015		2014
	Beginning balance		168,628,177		163,342,894
	Equity offering		—		4,560,000
	SARs exercised		5,364		195,242
	Restricted stock grants		84,999		270,062
	Restricted stock units vested		194,606		244,413
	Treasury shares issued		9,417		15,566
	Ending balance		168,922,563		168,628,177

Derivative_Activities

Derivative Activities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Activities	(11) DERIVATIVE ACTIVITIES
	We use commodity-based derivative contracts to manage exposure to commodity price fluctuations. We do not enter into these arrangements for speculative or trading purposes. We do not utilize complex derivatives as we typically utilize commodity swaps or collars to (1) reduce the effect of price volatility of the commodities we produce and sell and (2) support our annual capital budget and expenditure plans. The fair value of our derivative contracts, represented by the estimated amount that would be realized upon termination, based on a comparison of the contract price and a reference price, generally the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) for natural gas and oil or Mont Belvieu for NGLs, approximated a net unrealized pre-tax gain of $430.1 million at March 31, 2015. These contracts expire monthly through December 2017. The following table sets forth our commodity-based derivative volumes by year as of March 31, 2015, excluding our basis swaps which are discussed separately below:
	Period		Contract Type		Volume Hedged		Weighted
							Average Hedge Price
	Natural Gas
	2015		Collars		145,000 Mmbtu/day		$ 4.07–$ 4.56
	2015		Swaps		730,809 Mmbtu/day		$3.64
	2016		Swaps		622,500 Mmbtu/day		$3.42
	2017		Swaps		20,000 Mmbtu/day		$3.49
	Crude Oil
	2015		Swaps		10,671 bbls day		$87.26
	2016		Swaps		2,000 bbls/day		$75.35
	NGLs (C3-Propane)
	2015		Swaps		13,331 bbls/day		$ 0.61/gallon
	2016		Swaps		5,500 bbls/day		$ 0.60/gallon
	NGLs (NC4-Normal Butane)
	2015		Swaps		3,500 bbls/day		$ 0.72/gallon
	2016		Swaps		2,500 bbls/day		$ 0.72/gallon
	NGLs (C5-Natural Gasoline)
	2015		Swaps		3,335 bbls/day		$ 1.15/gallon
	2016		Swaps		2,000 bbls/day		$ 1.21/gallon
	Every derivative instrument is required to be recorded on the balance sheet as either an asset or a liability measured at its fair value. If the derivative does not qualify as a hedge or is not designated as a hedge, changes in fair value of these non-hedge derivatives are recognized in earnings as derivative fair value income or loss.
	Basis Swap Contracts
	In addition to the collars and swaps above, at March 31, 2015, we had natural gas basis swap contracts that are not designated for hedge accounting, which lock in the differential between NYMEX and certain of our physical pricing indices primarily in Appalachia. These contracts settle monthly through March 2017 and the volumes are for 44,070,000 Mmbtu. The fair value of these contracts was a loss of $1.4 million on March 31, 2015.
	Derivative Assets and Liabilities
	The combined fair value of derivatives included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 is summarized below. The assets and liabilities are netted where derivatives with both gain and loss positions are held by a single counterparty and we have master netting arrangements. The tables below provide additional information relating to our master netting arrangements with our derivative counterparties (in thousands):
				31-Mar-15
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts
				Amounts				Amounts				of Assets
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Presented in the
				Assets				Balance Sheet				Balance Sheet
	Derivative assets:
	Natural gas	–swaps		$	242,156			$	—			$	242,156
		–collars			51,439				—				51,439
		–basis swaps			1,211				(1,487	)			(276	)
	Crude oil	–swaps			113,693				—				113,693
	NGLs	–C3 swaps			15,883				(1,448	)			14,435
		–NC4 swaps			4,687				—				4,687
		–C5 swaps			3,721				—				3,721
				$	432,790			$	(2,935	)		$	429,855
				31-Mar-15
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts of (Liabilities)
				Amounts				Amounts				Presented in the
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Balance Sheet
				(Liabilities)				Balance Sheet
	Derivative (liabilities):
	Natural gas	–basis swaps		$	(2,629	)		$	1,487			$	(1,142	)
	NGLs	–C3 swaps			(1,448	)			1,448				—
				$	(4,077	)		$	2,935			$	(1,142	)
				December 31, 2014
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts
				Amounts				Amounts				of Assets
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Presented in the
				Assets				Balance Sheet				Balance Sheet
	Derivative assets:
	Natural gas	–swaps		$	198,740			$	—			$	198,740
		–collars			57,460				—				57,460
		–basis swaps			2,442				(755	)			1,687
	Crude oil	–swaps			128,578				—				128,578
	NGLs	–C3 swaps			14,727				—				14,727
		–C5 swaps			2,171				—				2,171
				$	404,118			$	(755	)		$	403,363
				December 31, 2014
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts
Amounts				Amounts				of (Liabilities)
of Recognized				Offset in the				Presented in the
(Liabilities)				Balance Sheet				Balance Sheet
Derivative (liabilities):
Natural gas	–basis swaps		$	(755	)		$	755			$	—
			$	(755	)		$	755			$	—
For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the effects of our cash flow hedges (or those derivatives that previously qualified for hedge accounting) on AOCI is summarized below (in thousands):
		Realized Gain (Loss)
		Reclassified from OCI
		into Revenue (a)
Swaps		$	836
Collars			1,328
Income taxes			(924	)
		$	1,240
(a)	For realized gains upon derivative contract settlement, the reduction in AOCI is offset by an increase in natural gas, NGLs and oil sales. For realized losses upon derivative contract settlement, the increase in AOCI is offset by a decrease in revenues.
The effects of our non-hedge derivatives (or those derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting) on our consolidated statements of income are summarized below (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		Gain (Loss) Recognized in								Derivative Fair Value
		Income (Non-hedge Derivatives)								Income (Loss)
		2015				2014				2015				2014
Swaps		$	125,777			$	(44,073	)		$	125,777			$	(44,073	)
Collars			8,415				(39,148	)			8,415				(39,148	)
Basis swaps			(11,353	)			(63,629	)			(11,353	)			(63,629	)
Total		$	122,839			$	(146,850	)		$	122,839			$	(146,850	)

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	(12) FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
	Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. There are three approaches for measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities: the market approach, the income approach and the cost approach, each of which includes multiple valuation techniques. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to measure fair value by converting future amounts, such as cash flows or earnings, into a single present value amount using current market expectations about those future amounts. The cost approach is based on the amount that would currently be required to replace the service capacity of an asset. This is often referred to as current replacement cost. The cost approach assumes that the fair value would not exceed what it would cost a market participant to acquire or construct a substitute asset of comparable utility, adjusted for obsolescence.
	The fair value accounting standards do not prescribe which valuation technique should be used when measuring fair value and does not prioritize among the techniques. These standards establish a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in applying the various valuation techniques. Inputs broadly refer to the assumptions that market participants use to make pricing decisions, including assumptions about risk. Level 1 inputs are given the highest priority in the fair value hierarchy while Level 3 inputs are given the lowest priority. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:
	—	Level 1 – Observable inputs that reflect unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
	—	Level 2 – Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data. These are inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date.
	—	Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data and may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value.
	Valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs are favored. Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest priority level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the placement of assets and liabilities within the levels of the fair value hierarchy.
	Fair Values – Recurring
	We use a market approach for our recurring fair value measurements and endeavor to use the best information available. The following tables present the fair value hierarchy table for assets and liabilities measured at fair value, on a recurring basis (in thousands):
			Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2015 using:
			Quoted Prices			Significant			Significant			Total
			in Active			Other			Unobservable			Carrying
			Markets for			Observable			Inputs			Value as of
			Identical Assets			Inputs			(Level 3)			March 31,
			(Level 1)			(Level 2)						2015
	Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans		$	69,360		$	—		$	—		$	69,360
	Derivatives –swaps			—			378,692			—			378,692
	–collars			—			51,439			—			51,439
	–basis swaps			—			(1,418	)					(1,418	)
			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2014 using:
			Quoted Prices			Significant			Significant			Total
			in Active			Other			Unobservable			Carrying
			Markets for			Observable			Inputs			Value as of
			Identical Assets			Inputs			(Level 3)			December 31,
			(Level 1)			(Level 2)						2014
	Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans		$	68,454		$	—		$	—		$	68,454
	Derivatives –swaps			—			344,216			—			344,216
	–collars			—			57,460			—			57,460
	–basis swaps			—			1,687			—			1,687
	Our trading securities in Level 1 are exchange-traded and measured at fair value with a market approach using end of period market values. Derivatives in Level 2 are measured at fair value with a market approach using third-party pricing services, which have been corroborated with data from active markets or broker quotes.
	Our trading securities held in the deferred compensation plan are accounted for using the mark-to-market accounting method and are included in other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. We elected to adopt the fair value option to simplify our accounting for the investments in our deferred compensation plan. Interest, dividends, and mark-to-market gains or losses are included in deferred compensation plan expense in the accompanying statement of income. For first quarter 2015, interest and dividends were $109,000 and the mark-to-market adjustment was a gain of $1.4 million compared to interest and dividends of $274,000 and mark-to-market gain of $429,000 in first quarter 2014.
	Fair Values—Reported
	The following table presents the carrying amounts and the fair values of our financial instruments as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
			March 31, 2015						December 31, 2014
			Carrying			Fair			Carrying			Fair
			Value			Value			Value			Value
	Assets:
	Commodity swaps, collars and basis swaps		$	429,855		$	429,855		$	403,363		$	403,363
	Marketable securities(a)			69,360			69,360			68,454			68,454
	(Liabilities):
	Commodity basis swaps			(1,142	)		(1,142	)		—			—
	Bank credit facility(b)			(912,000	)		(912,000	)		(723,000	)		(723,000	)
	Deferred compensation plan(c)			(196,161	)		(196,161	)		(203,433	)		(203,433	)
	6.75% senior subordinated notes due 2020(b)			(500,000	)		(520,000	)		(500,000	)		(523,125	)
	5.75% senior subordinated notes due 2021(b)			(500,000	)		(523,750	)		(500,000	)		(520,000	)
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2022(b)			(600,000	)		(597,000	)		(600,000	)		(601,500	)
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2023(b)			(750,000	)		(749,063	)		(750,000	)		(754,688	)
	(a)	Marketable securities, which are held in our deferred compensation plans, are actively traded on major exchanges. Refer to Note 13 for additional information.
	(b)	The book value of our bank debt approximates fair value because of its floating rate structure. The fair value of our senior subordinated notes is based on end of period market quotes which are Level 2 inputs. Refer to Note 8 for additional information.
	(c)	The fair value of our deferred compensation plan is updated at the closing price on the balance sheet date which is a Level 1 input.
	Our current assets and liabilities contain financial instruments, the most significant of which are trade accounts receivable and payable. We believe the carrying values of our current assets and liabilities approximate fair value. Our fair value assessment incorporates a variety of considerations, including (1) the short-term duration of the instruments and (2) our historical and expected incurrence of bad debt expense. Non-financial liabilities initially measured at fair value include asset retirement obligations. For additional information, see Note 9.
	Concentrations of Credit Risk
	As of March 31, 2015, our primary concentrations of credit risk are the risks of not collecting accounts receivable and the risk of a counterparties’ failure to perform under derivative obligations. Most of our receivables are from a diverse group of companies, including major energy companies, pipeline companies, local distribution companies, financial institutions and end-users in various industries. Letters of credit or other appropriate security are obtained as deemed necessary to limit our risk of loss. Our allowance for uncollectible receivables was $3.0 million at March 31, 2015 and $2.7 million at December 31, 2014. As of March 31, 2015, our derivative contracts consist of swaps and collars. Our exposure to credit risk is diversified among major investment grade financial institutions, where we have master netting agreements which provide for offsetting payables against receivables from separate derivative contracts. To manage counterparty risk associated with our derivatives, we select and monitor our counterparties based on our assessment of their financial strength and/or credit ratings. We may also limit the level of exposure with any single counterparty. At March 31, 2015, our derivative counterparties include seventeen financial institutions, of which all but two are secured lenders in our bank credit facility. At March 31, 2015, our net derivative assets include a net receivable from these two counterparties that are not included in our bank credit facility of $27.2 million.

StockBased_Compensation_Plans

Stock-Based Compensation Plans	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Stock-Based Compensation Plans	(13) STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLANS
	Stock-Based Awards
	In 2005, we began granting SARs which represent the right to receive a payment equal to the excess of the fair market value of shares of common stock on the date the right is exercised over the value of the stock on the date of grant. All SARs granted under our Amended and Restated 2005 Equity-Based Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2005 Plan”) will be settled in shares of stock, vest over a three-year period and have a maximum term of five years from the date they are granted. Beginning in first quarter 2011, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors began granting restricted stock units under our equity-based stock compensation plans. These restricted stock units, which we refer to as restricted stock Equity Awards, vest over a three-year period. All awards granted have been issued at prevailing market prices at the time of grant and the vesting of these shares is based upon an employee’s continued employment with us.
	In first quarter 2014, the Compensation Committee began granting performance share unit (“PSU”) awards under our 2005 Plan. The number of shares to be issued is determined by our total shareholder return compared to the total shareholder return of a predetermined group of peer companies over the performance period. The grant date fair value of the PSU awards is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation and is recognized as stock-based compensation expense over the three-year performance period. The actual payout of shares granted depends on our total shareholder return compared to our peer companies and will be between zero and 150%.
	The Compensation Committee also grants restricted stock to certain employees and non-employee directors of the Board of Directors as part of their compensation. Upon grant of these restricted shares, which we refer to as restricted stock Liability Awards, the shares generally are placed in our deferred compensation plan and, upon vesting, employees are allowed to take withdrawals either in cash or in stock. Compensation expense is recognized over the balance of the vesting period, which is typically three years for employee grants and immediate vesting for non-employee directors. All restricted stock awards are issued at prevailing market prices at the time of the grant and vesting is based upon an employee’s continued employment with us. Prior to vesting, all restricted stock awards have the right to vote such shares and receive dividends thereon. These Liability Awards are classified as a liability and are remeasured at fair value each reporting period. This mark-to-market adjustment is reported as deferred compensation plan expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of income.
	Total Stock-Based Compensation Expense
	Stock-based compensation represents amortization of restricted stock, PSUs and SARs expense. Unlike the other forms of stock-based compensation, the mark-to-market adjustment of the liability related to the vested restricted stock held in our deferred compensation plans is directly tied to the change in our stock price and not directly related to the functional expenses and therefore, is not allocated to the functional categories. The following table details the allocation of stock-based compensation that is allocated to functional expense categories (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015				2014
	Direct operating expense	$	886			$	852
	Brokered natural gas and marketing expense		506				528
	Exploration expense		732				1,153
	General and administrative expense		11,080				11,604
	Termination costs		1,287				—
	Total	$	14,491			$	14,137
	Stock Appreciation Right Awards
	We have one active equity-based stock plan, the 2005 Plan. Under this plan, incentive and non-qualified stock options, SARs, and various other awards may be issued to non-employee directors and employees pursuant to decisions of the Compensation Committee, which is comprised of only non-employee, independent directors. There were 1.9 million SARs outstanding at March 31, 2015. Information with respect to SARs activity is summarized below:
			Shares				Weighted
							Average
							Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			1,966,549			$	59.8
	Exercised			(92,934	)			46.38
	Expired/forfeited			(9,189	)			65.55
	Outstanding at March 31, 2015			1,864,426			$	60.44
	Performance Share Unit Awards
	The following is a summary of our non-vested PSU awards outstanding at March 31, 2015:
							Weighted
			Units				Average
							Grant Date Fair Value
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			134,341			$	86.11
	Units granted (a)			77,119				55.17
	Units vested			(26,102	)			76.75
	Units forfeited			(2,679	)			82.6
	Outstanding at March 31, 2015			182,679			$	74.44
	(a) Amounts granted reflect the number of performance units granted; however, the actual payout of shares will be between zero percent and 150% of the performance units granted depending on the total shareholder return ranking compared to the peer companies at the end of the three-year performance period.
	The following assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of PSUs granted during first quarter 2015:
			Three
			Months Ended March 31, 2015
	Risk-free interest rate			1.05	%
	Expected annual volatility			33.9	%
	Grant date fair value per unit		$	55.17
	We recorded PSU compensation expense of $1.3 million in first quarter 2015 compared to $533,000 in the same period of 2014.
	Restricted Stock Awards
	Equity Awards
	In first quarter 2015, we granted 548,000 restricted stock Equity Awards to employees at an average grant price of $52.45 compared to 351,000 restricted stock Equity Awards granted to employees at an average grant price of $84.89 in first quarter 2014. These awards generally vest over a three-year period. We recorded compensation expense for these Equity Awards of $7.8 million in first quarter 2015 compared to $6.5 million in the same period of 2014. Equity Awards are not issued to employees until they are vested. Employees do not have the option to receive cash.
	Liability Awards
	In first quarter 2015, we granted 95,000 shares of restricted stock Liability Awards as compensation to employees at an average price of $52.25 with vesting generally over a three-year period. In first quarter 2014, we granted 76,000 shares of Liability Awards as compensation to employees at an average price of $85.02 with vesting generally over a three-year period. We recorded compensation expense for Liability Awards of $3.9 million in first quarter 2015 compared to $4.7 million in first quarter 2014. Substantially all of these awards are held in our deferred compensation plan, are classified as a liability and are remeasured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. This mark-to-market adjustment is reported as deferred compensation expense in our consolidated statements of income (see additional discussion below). The following is a summary of the status of our non-vested restricted stock outstanding at March 31, 2015:
			Equity Awards						Liability Awards
			Shares				Weighted		Shares			Weighted
							Average Grant					Average Grant
							Date Fair Value					Date Fair Value
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			360,415			$	79.6		304,504		$	80.33
	Granted			548,046				52.45		94,573			52.25
	Vested			(127,637	)			69.98		(73,396	)		74.14
	Forfeited			(8,957	)			69.99		(9,574	)		72.77
	Outstanding at March 31, 2015			771,867			$	62.03		316,107		$	73.6
	Deferred Compensation Plan
	Our deferred compensation plan gives non-employee directors and officers the ability to defer all or a portion of their salaries and bonuses and invest in Range common stock or make other investments at the individual’s discretion. Range provides a partial matching contribution which vests over three years. The assets of the plans are held in a grantor trust, which we refer to as the Rabbi Trust, and are therefore available to satisfy the claims of our general creditors in the event of bankruptcy or insolvency. Our stock held in the Rabbi Trust is treated as a liability award as employees are allowed to take withdrawals from the Rabbi Trust either in cash or in Range stock. The liability for the vested portion of the stock held in the Rabbi Trust is reflected as deferred compensation liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and is adjusted to fair value each reporting period by a charge or credit to deferred compensation plan expense on our consolidated statements of income. The assets of the Rabbi Trust, other than our common stock, are invested in marketable securities and reported at their market value as other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The deferred compensation liability reflects the vested market value of the marketable securities and Range stock held in the Rabbi Trust. Changes in the market value of the marketable securities and changes in the fair value of the deferred compensation plan liability are charged or credited to deferred compensation plan expense each quarter. We recorded mark-to-market gain of $5.6 million in first quarter 2015 compared to mark-to-market gain of $2.0 million in first quarter 2014. The Rabbi Trust held 2.8 million shares (2.5 million of vested shares) of Range stock at March 31, 2015 compared to 2.8 million shares (2.5 million of vested shares) at December 31, 2014.

Supplemental_Cash_Flow_Informa

Supplemental Cash Flow Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Supplemental Cash Flow Information	(14) SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
		(in thousands)
	Net cash provided from operating activities included:
	Income taxes paid to taxing authorities	$	—		$	39
	Interest paid		54,284			55,190
	Non-cash investing and financing activities included:
	Increase in asset retirement costs capitalized		15,813			3,218
	(Decrease) increase in accrued capital expenditures		(110,622	)		6,808

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	(15) COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
	Litigation
	We are the subject of, or party to, a number of pending or threatened legal actions, administrative proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. While many of these matters involve inherent uncertainty, we believe that the amount of the liability, if any, ultimately incurred with respect to proceedings or claims will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position as a whole or on our liquidity, capital resources or future annual results of operations. We will continue to evaluate our litigation quarterly and will establish and adjust any litigation reserves as appropriate to reflect our assessment of the then current status of litigation.
	Transportation and Gathering Contracts
	In first quarter 2015, our transportation and gathering commitments increased by approximately $52.9 million over the next nine years primarily from new firm transportation contracts.
	Delivery Commitments
	In first quarter 2015, we entered into new agreements with several pipeline companies and end users to deliver natural gas volumes from our production. The new agreements are to deliver from 1,000 Mmbtu per day to 40,000 Mmbtu per day of natural gas and the commitments are between two and five years and are expected to begin in second quarter 2015.

Office_Closing_and_Termination

Office Closing and Termination Costs	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Office Closing and Termination Costs	(16) OFFICE CLOSING AND TERMINATION COSTS
	In first quarter 2015, we announced the closing of our Oklahoma City administrative and operational office to reduce our general and administrative expenses, due in part to the impact of lower commodity prices on our operations. In the year ended December 31, 2014, we accrued an estimated $8.4 million relating to the closure of this office. In first quarter 2015, those plans and personnel involved were finalized which resulted in additional accruals for severance and other costs for personnel involved of $275,000, additional accelerated vesting of stock-based compensation of $608,000 and $3.2 million of building lease costs. Also in first quarter 2015, additional accruals for severance of $1.2 million and stock-based compensation of $680,000 was recorded for additional expected personnel reductions in order to reduce our lease operating expenses due to the lower commodity price environment. The following summarizes our termination costs (in thousands):
			Three Months			Year Ended
			Ended			31-Dec-14
			31-Mar-15
	Termination costs	$	1,431		$	5,372
	Building lease		3,232			—
	Stock-based compensation		1,287			2,999
		$	5,950		$	8,371
	The following details our accrued liability as of March 31, 2015 (in thousands):
			Three Months
			Ended
			31-Mar-15
	Beginning balance	$	5,372
	Additional accrued termination costs		1,431
	Accrued building rent		3,232
	Payments		(1,674	)
	Ending balance	$	8,361

Capitalized_Costs_and_Accumula

Capitalized Costs and Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Capitalized Costs and Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	(17) Capitalized Costs and Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (a)
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
			(in thousands)
	Natural gas and oil properties:
	Properties subject to depletion		$	9,745,129		$	9,624,725
	Unproved properties			942,606			943,246
	Total			10,687,735			10,567,971
	Accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization			(2,581,753	)		(2,590,398	)
	Net capitalized costs		$	8,105,982		$	7,977,573
	(a)	Includes capitalized asset retirement costs and the associated accumulated amortization.

Costs_Incurred_for_Property_Ac

Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development	(18) Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development (a)
			Three		Year
			Months Ended		Ended
			March 31,		December 31,
			2015		2014
			(in thousands)
	Acquisitions		$	—	$	404,252	(b)
	Acreage purchases			13,354		226,475
	Development			240,792		1,119,896
	Exploration:
	Drilling			21,056		180,925
	Expense			7,154		58,979
	Stock-based compensation expense			732		4,569
	Gas gathering facilities:
	Development			2,184		13,137
	Subtotal			285,272		2,008,233
	Asset retirement obligations			15,813		56,822
	Total costs incurred		$	301,085	$	2,065,055
	(a)	Includes costs incurred whether capitalized or expensed.
	(b)	The year ended December 31, 2014 represents the EQT assets in Virginia we received as part of the Conger Exchange transaction.  The transaction was recorded at fair value and we also received $145.0 million in cash, before closing adjustments.

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Tax Expense	Income tax expense was as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Income tax expense	$	22,366		$	18,957
	Effective tax rate		44.7	%		36.8	%

Income_Per_Common_Share_Tables

Income Per Common Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Computations of Basic and Diluted (Loss) Income Per Common Share	Basic income or loss per share attributable to common shareholders is computed as (1) income or loss attributable to common shareholders (2) less income allocable to participating securities (3) divided by weighted average basic shares outstanding. Diluted income or loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed as (1) basic income or loss attributable to common shareholders (2) plus diluted adjustments to income allocable to participating securities (3) divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding. The following tables set forth a reconciliation of income or loss attributable to common shareholders to basic income or loss attributable to common shareholders to diluted income or loss attributable to common shareholders (in thousands except per share amounts):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net income, as reported	$	27,684		$	32,521
	Participating earnings (a)		(463	)		(560	)
	Basic net income attributed to common shareholders		27,221			31,961
	Reallocation of participating earnings (a)		—			3
	Diluted net income attributed to common shareholders	$	27,221		$	31,964
	Net income per common share:
	Basic	$	0.16		$	0.2
	Diluted	$	0.16		$	0.2
	(a)	Restricted Stock Awards represent participating securities because they participate in nonforfeitable dividends or distributions with common equity owners. Income allocable to participating securities represents the distributed and undistributed earnings attributable to the participating securities. Participating securities, however, do not participate in undistributed net losses.
Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding to Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding	The following table provides a reconciliation of basic weighted average common shares outstanding to diluted weighted average common shares outstanding (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic		166,039			160,794
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Director and employee stock options and SARs		27			1,031
	Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted		166,066			161,825

Suspended_Exploratory_Well_Cos1

Suspended Exploratory Well Costs (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Suspended Exploratory Well Costs	The following table reflects the change in capitalized exploratory well costs for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Balance at beginning of period	$	2,996		$	6,964
	Additions to capitalized exploratory well costs pending the determination of proved reserves		9,017			18,747
	Reclassifications to wells, facilities and equipment based on determination of proved reserves		¾			(15,735	)
	Divested wells		¾			(6,980	)
	Balance at end of period		12,013			2,996
	Less exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period of one year or less		(12,013	)		(2,996	)
	Capitalized exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period greater than one year	$	¾		$	¾

Indebtedness_Tables

Indebtedness (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt Outstanding	We had the following debt outstanding as of the dates shown below (bank debt interest rate at March 31, 2015 is shown parenthetically). No interest was capitalized during the three months ended March 31, 2015 or the year ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
		March 31,		December 31,
		2015		2014
	Bank debt (1.8%)	$	912,000	$	723,000
	Senior subordinated notes:
	6.75% senior subordinated notes due 2020		500,000		500,000
	5.75% senior subordinated notes due 2021		500,000		500,000
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2022		600,000		600,000
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2023		750,000		750,000
	Total debt	$	3,262,000	$	3,073,000

Asset_Retirement_Obligation_Ta

Asset Retirement Obligation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]
Asset Retirement Obligation	Our asset retirement obligations primarily represent the estimated present value of the amounts we will incur to plug, abandon and remediate our producing properties at the end of their productive lives. Significant inputs used in determining such obligations include estimates of plugging and abandonment costs, estimated future inflation rates and well lives. The inputs are calculated based on historical data as well as current estimated costs. In the first quarter 2015, we increased our estimated abandonment costs on certain of our water impoundments and changed well lives for certain wells in Pennsylvania. A reconciliation of our liability for plugging and abandonment costs for the three months ended March 31, 2015 is as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months
		Ended
		March 31,
		2015
	Beginning of period	$	287,463
	Liabilities incurred		1,460
	Liabilities settled		(3,257	)
	Disposition of wells		(4,112	)
	Accretion expense		4,723
	Change in estimate		14,353
	End of period		300,630
	Less current portion		(17,689	)
	Long-term asset retirement obligations	$	282,941

Capital_Stock_Tables

Capital Stock (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
Capital Stock	The following is a schedule of changes in the number of common shares outstanding since the beginning of 2014:
		Three Months		Year
		Ended		Ended
		March 31,		December 31,
		2015		2014
	Beginning balance		168,628,177		163,342,894
	Equity offering		—		4,560,000
	SARs exercised		5,364		195,242
	Restricted stock grants		84,999		270,062
	Restricted stock units vested		194,606		244,413
	Treasury shares issued		9,417		15,566
	Ending balance		168,922,563		168,628,177

Derivative_Activities_Tables

Derivative Activities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Volumes Hedged and Average Hedge Prices	The following table sets forth our commodity-based derivative volumes by year as of March 31, 2015, excluding our basis swaps which are discussed separately below:
	Period		Contract Type		Volume Hedged		Weighted
							Average Hedge Price
	Natural Gas
	2015		Collars		145,000 Mmbtu/day		$ 4.07–$ 4.56
	2015		Swaps		730,809 Mmbtu/day		$3.64
	2016		Swaps		622,500 Mmbtu/day		$3.42
	2017		Swaps		20,000 Mmbtu/day		$3.49
	Crude Oil
	2015		Swaps		10,671 bbls day		$87.26
	2016		Swaps		2,000 bbls/day		$75.35
	NGLs (C3-Propane)
	2015		Swaps		13,331 bbls/day		$ 0.61/gallon
	2016		Swaps		5,500 bbls/day		$ 0.60/gallon
	NGLs (NC4-Normal Butane)
	2015		Swaps		3,500 bbls/day		$ 0.72/gallon
	2016		Swaps		2,500 bbls/day		$ 0.72/gallon
	NGLs (C5-Natural Gasoline)
	2015		Swaps		3,335 bbls/day		$ 1.15/gallon
	2016		Swaps		2,000 bbls/day		$ 1.21/gallon
Combined Fair Value of Derivatives, by Consolidated Balance Sheets	The combined fair value of derivatives included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 is summarized below. The assets and liabilities are netted where derivatives with both gain and loss positions are held by a single counterparty and we have master netting arrangements. The tables below provide additional information relating to our master netting arrangements with our derivative counterparties (in thousands):
				31-Mar-15
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts
				Amounts				Amounts				of Assets
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Presented in the
				Assets				Balance Sheet				Balance Sheet
	Derivative assets:
	Natural gas	–swaps		$	242,156			$	—			$	242,156
		–collars			51,439				—				51,439
		–basis swaps			1,211				(1,487	)			(276	)
	Crude oil	–swaps			113,693				—				113,693
	NGLs	–C3 swaps			15,883				(1,448	)			14,435
		–NC4 swaps			4,687				—				4,687
		–C5 swaps			3,721				—				3,721
				$	432,790			$	(2,935	)		$	429,855
				31-Mar-15
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts of (Liabilities)
				Amounts				Amounts				Presented in the
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Balance Sheet
				(Liabilities)				Balance Sheet
	Derivative (liabilities):
	Natural gas	–basis swaps		$	(2,629	)		$	1,487			$	(1,142	)
	NGLs	–C3 swaps			(1,448	)			1,448				—
				$	(4,077	)		$	2,935			$	(1,142	)
				December 31, 2014
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts
				Amounts				Amounts				of Assets
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Presented in the
				Assets				Balance Sheet				Balance Sheet
	Derivative assets:
	Natural gas	–swaps		$	198,740			$	—			$	198,740
		–collars			57,460				—				57,460
		–basis swaps			2,442				(755	)			1,687
	Crude oil	–swaps			128,578				—				128,578
	NGLs	–C3 swaps			14,727				—				14,727
		–C5 swaps			2,171				—				2,171
				$	404,118			$	(755	)		$	403,363
				December 31, 2014
				Gross				Gross				Net Amounts
				Amounts				Amounts				of (Liabilities)
				of Recognized				Offset in the				Presented in the
				(Liabilities)				Balance Sheet				Balance Sheet
	Derivative (liabilities):
	Natural gas	–basis swaps		$	(755	)		$	755			$	—
				$	(755	)		$	755			$	—
Effects of Cash Flow Hedges and Other Hedges on Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the effects of our cash flow hedges (or those derivatives that previously qualified for hedge accounting) on AOCI is summarized below (in thousands):
			Realized Gain (Loss)
			Reclassified from OCI
			into Revenue (a)
	Swaps		$	836
	Collars			1,328
	Income taxes			(924	)
			$	1,240
	(a)	For realized gains upon derivative contract settlement, the reduction in AOCI is offset by an increase in natural gas, NGLs and oil sales. For realized losses upon derivative contract settlement, the increase in AOCI is offset by a decrease in revenues.
Effects of Non-Hedge Derivatives on Consolidated Statements of Operations	The effects of our non-hedge derivatives (or those derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting) on our consolidated statements of income are summarized below (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended March 31,
			Gain (Loss) Recognized in								Derivative Fair Value
			Income (Non-hedge Derivatives)								Income (Loss)
			2015				2014				2015				2014
	Swaps		$	125,777			$	(44,073	)		$	125,777			$	(44,073	)
	Collars			8,415				(39,148	)			8,415				(39,148	)
	Basis swaps			(11,353	)			(63,629	)			(11,353	)			(63,629	)
	Total		$	122,839			$	(146,850	)		$	122,839			$	(146,850	)

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Hierarchy Table for Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value	We use a market approach for our recurring fair value measurements and endeavor to use the best information available. The following tables present the fair value hierarchy table for assets and liabilities measured at fair value, on a recurring basis (in thousands):
			Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2015 using:
			Quoted Prices			Significant			Significant			Total
			in Active			Other			Unobservable			Carrying
			Markets for			Observable			Inputs			Value as of
			Identical Assets			Inputs			(Level 3)			March 31,
			(Level 1)			(Level 2)						2015
	Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans		$	69,360		$	—		$	—		$	69,360
	Derivatives –swaps			—			378,692			—			378,692
	–collars			—			51,439			—			51,439
	–basis swaps			—			(1,418	)					(1,418	)
			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2014 using:
			Quoted Prices			Significant			Significant			Total
			in Active			Other			Unobservable			Carrying
			Markets for			Observable			Inputs			Value as of
			Identical Assets			Inputs			(Level 3)			December 31,
			(Level 1)			(Level 2)						2014
	Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans		$	68,454		$	—		$	—		$	68,454
	Derivatives –swaps			—			344,216			—			344,216
	–collars			—			57,460			—			57,460
	–basis swaps			—			1,687			—			1,687
Carrying Amounts and Fair Values of Financial Instruments	The following table presents the carrying amounts and the fair values of our financial instruments as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
			March 31, 2015						December 31, 2014
			Carrying			Fair			Carrying			Fair
			Value			Value			Value			Value
	Assets:
	Commodity swaps, collars and basis swaps		$	429,855		$	429,855		$	403,363		$	403,363
	Marketable securities(a)			69,360			69,360			68,454			68,454
	(Liabilities):
	Commodity basis swaps			(1,142	)		(1,142	)		—			—
	Bank credit facility(b)			(912,000	)		(912,000	)		(723,000	)		(723,000	)
	Deferred compensation plan(c)			(196,161	)		(196,161	)		(203,433	)		(203,433	)
	6.75% senior subordinated notes due 2020(b)			(500,000	)		(520,000	)		(500,000	)		(523,125	)
	5.75% senior subordinated notes due 2021(b)			(500,000	)		(523,750	)		(500,000	)		(520,000	)
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2022(b)			(600,000	)		(597,000	)		(600,000	)		(601,500	)
	5.00% senior subordinated notes due 2023(b)			(750,000	)		(749,063	)		(750,000	)		(754,688	)
	(a)	Marketable securities, which are held in our deferred compensation plans, are actively traded on major exchanges. Refer to Note 13 for additional information.
	(b)	The book value of our bank debt approximates fair value because of its floating rate structure. The fair value of our senior subordinated notes is based on end of period market quotes which are Level 2 inputs. Refer to Note 8 for additional information.
	(c)	The fair value of our deferred compensation plan is updated at the closing price on the balance sheet date which is a Level 1 input.

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_

Stock-Based Compensation Plans (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Allocation of Stock-Based Compensation by Functional Category	The following table details the allocation of stock-based compensation that is allocated to functional expense categories (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015				2014
	Direct operating expense	$	886			$	852
	Brokered natural gas and marketing expense		506				528
	Exploration expense		732				1,153
	General and administrative expense		11,080				11,604
	Termination costs		1,287				—
	Total	$	14,491			$	14,137
Stock Option and SARs Activities	Information with respect to SARs activity is summarized below:
			Shares				Weighted
							Average
							Exercise Price
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			1,966,549			$	59.8
	Exercised			(92,934	)			46.38
	Expired/forfeited			(9,189	)			65.55
	Outstanding at March 31, 2015			1,864,426			$	60.44
Summary of Performance Share Unit Awards Activity	The following is a summary of our non-vested PSU awards outstanding at March 31, 2015:
							Weighted
			Units				Average
							Grant Date Fair Value
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			134,341			$	86.11
	Units granted (a)			77,119				55.17
	Units vested			(26,102	)			76.75
	Units forfeited			(2,679	)			82.6
	Outstanding at March 31, 2015			182,679			$	74.44
	(a) Amounts granted reflect the number of performance units granted; however, the actual payout of shares will be between zero percent and 150% of the performance units granted depending on the total shareholder return ranking compared to the peer companies at the end of the three-year performance period.
Schedule of Share Based Payment Award Performance Stock Awards Valuation Assumptions	The following assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of PSUs granted during first quarter 2015:
			Three
			Months Ended March 31, 2015
	Risk-free interest rate			1.05	%
	Expected annual volatility			33.9	%
	Grant date fair value per unit		$	55.17
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Outstanding	The following is a summary of the status of our non-vested restricted stock outstanding at March 31, 2015:
			Equity Awards						Liability Awards
			Shares				Weighted		Shares			Weighted
							Average Grant					Average Grant
							Date Fair Value					Date Fair Value
	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			360,415			$	79.6		304,504		$	80.33
	Granted			548,046				52.45		94,573			52.25
	Vested			(127,637	)			69.98		(73,396	)		74.14
	Forfeited			(8,957	)			69.99		(9,574	)		72.77
	Outstanding at March 31, 2015			771,867			$	62.03		316,107		$	73.6

Supplemental_Cash_Flow_Informa1

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Supplemental Cash Flow Information		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
		(in thousands)
	Net cash provided from operating activities included:
	Income taxes paid to taxing authorities	$	—		$	39
	Interest paid		54,284			55,190
	Non-cash investing and financing activities included:
	Increase in asset retirement costs capitalized		15,813			3,218
	(Decrease) increase in accrued capital expenditures		(110,622	)		6,808

Office_Closing_and_Termination1

Office Closing and Termination Costs (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Summary of Termination Costs	The following summarizes our termination costs (in thousands):
			Three Months			Year Ended
			Ended			31-Dec-14
			31-Mar-15
	Termination costs	$	1,431		$	5,372
	Building lease		3,232			—
	Stock-based compensation		1,287			2,999
		$	5,950		$	8,371
Exit Costs Included in Accrued Liabilities in Consolidated Balance Sheet	The following details our accrued liability as of March 31, 2015 (in thousands):
			Three Months
			Ended
			31-Mar-15
	Beginning balance	$	5,372
	Additional accrued termination costs		1,431
	Accrued building rent		3,232
	Payments		(1,674	)
	Ending balance	$	8,361

Capitalized_Costs_and_Accumula1

Capitalized Costs and Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Capitalized Costs and Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
			(in thousands)
	Natural gas and oil properties:
	Properties subject to depletion		$	9,745,129		$	9,624,725
	Unproved properties			942,606			943,246
	Total			10,687,735			10,567,971
	Accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization			(2,581,753	)		(2,590,398	)
	Net capitalized costs		$	8,105,982		$	7,977,573
	—	Includes capitalized asset retirement costs and the associated accumulated amortization.

Costs_Incurred_for_Property_Ac1

Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development			Three		Year
			Months Ended		Ended
			March 31,		December 31,
			2015		2014
			(in thousands)
	Acquisitions		$	—	$	404,252	(b)
	Acreage purchases			13,354		226,475
	Development			240,792		1,119,896
	Exploration:
	Drilling			21,056		180,925
	Expense			7,154		58,979
	Stock-based compensation expense			732		4,569
	Gas gathering facilities:
	Development			2,184		13,137
	Subtotal			285,272		2,008,233
	Asset retirement obligations			15,813		56,822
	Total costs incurred		$	301,085	$	2,065,055
	(a)	Includes costs incurred whether capitalized or expensed.
	(b)	The year ended December 31, 2014 represents the EQT assets in Virginia we received as part of the Conger Exchange transaction.  The transaction was recorded at fair value and we also received $145.0 million in cash, before closing adjustments.

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_

Acquisitions and Dispositions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Significant Acquisitions And Disposals [Line Items]
(Loss) gain on the sale of assets		-175,000	($353,000)
Conger Exchange Transaction
Significant Acquisitions And Disposals [Line Items]
(Loss) gain on the sale of assets	282,700,000
Cash proceeds from sale of assets	145,000,000			145,000,000
Net operating income prior to disposition			12,400,000
Sale and exchange transaction, closing date		2014-06
Miscellaneous Proved and Unproved Properties
Significant Acquisitions And Disposals [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of oil and gas		10,700,000	294,000
(Loss) gain on the sale of assets		-175,000	-353,000
West Texas
Significant Acquisitions And Disposals [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of oil and gas		10,500,000

Income_Taxes_Income_Tax_Expens

Income Taxes - Income Tax Expense (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Components Of Income Tax Expense Benefit Continuing Operations [Abstract]
Income tax expense	$22,366	$18,957
Effective tax rate	44.70%	36.80%

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Federal statutory rate	35.00%	35.00%
Income tax expense (benefit)	$22,366	$18,957
Deferred compensation plan
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Income tax expense (benefit)	-2,000
Valuation Allowance, Operating Loss Carryforwards | State
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Income tax expense (benefit)	$5,100

Income_Per_Common_Share_Comput

Income Per Common Share - Computations of Basic and Diluted (Loss) Income Per Common Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share Reconciliation [Abstract]
Net income, as reported	$27,684		$32,521
Participating earnings	-463	[1]	-560	[1]
Basic net income attributed to common shareholders	27,221		31,961
Reallocation of participating earnings	0	[1]	3	[1]
Diluted net income attributed to common shareholders	$27,221		$31,964
Net income per common share:
Basic	$0.16		$0.20
Diluted	$0.16		$0.20
[1]	Restricted Stock Awards represent participating securities because they participate in nonforfeitable dividends or distributions with common equity owners. Income allocable to participating securities represents the distributed and undistributed earnings attributable to the participating securities. Participating securities, however, do not participate in undistributed net losses.

Income_Per_Common_Share_Basic_

Income Per Common Share - Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding to Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding (Detail)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic	166,039	160,794
Effect of dilutive securities:
Director and employee stock options and SARs	27	1,031
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted	166,066	161,825

Income_Per_Common_Share_Additi

Income Per Common Share - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Stock excluded from earning per share calculation	2.8	2.8
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Antidilutive Securities Excluded From Computation Of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Stock excluded from earning per share calculation	1.4

Suspended_Exploratory_Well_Cos2

Suspended Exploratory Well Costs - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Capitalized exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period greater than one year	$0	$0

Suspended_Exploratory_Well_Cos3

Suspended Exploratory Well Costs - Suspended Exploratory Well Costs (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Extractive Industries [Abstract]
Balance at beginning of period	$2,996	$6,964
Additions to capitalized exploratory well costs pending the determination of proved reserves	9,017	18,747
Reclassifications to wells, facilities and equipment based on determination of proved reserves		-15,735
Divested wells		-6,980
Balance at end of period	12,013	2,996
Less exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period of one year or less	-12,013	-2,996
Capitalized exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period greater than one year	$0	$0

Indebtedness_Additional_Inform

Indebtedness - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Interest capitalized during the period	$0	$0

Indebtedness_Debt_Outstanding_

Indebtedness - Debt Outstanding (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Bank debt	$912,000	$723,000
Senior subordinated notes	2,350,000	2,350,000
Total debt	3,262,000	3,073,000
Notes Payable to Banks | 1.8% Bank Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Bank debt	912,000	723,000
Senior Subordinated Notes | 6.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior subordinated notes	500,000	500,000
Senior Subordinated Notes | 5.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior subordinated notes	500,000	500,000
Senior Subordinated Notes | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior subordinated notes	600,000	600,000
Senior Subordinated Notes | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior subordinated notes	$750,000	$750,000

Indebtedness_Debt_Outstanding_1

Indebtedness - Debt Outstanding (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Notes Payable to Banks | 1.8% Bank Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Bank debt percentage	1.80%	1.80%
Senior Subordinated Notes | 6.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	6.75%	6.75%
Senior Subordinated Notes | 5.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	5.75%	5.75%
Senior Subordinated Notes | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	5.00%	5.00%
Senior Subordinated Notes | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	5.00%	5.00%

Indebtedness_Bank_Debt_Additio

Indebtedness - Bank Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
	CommercialBank
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Bank Credit facility, maximum amount	$4,000,000,000
Bank commitments	2,000,000,000
Percentage holding of commercial banks, Maximum	6.00%
Number of commercial banks included in current bank group	29
Maturity date of loan	16-Oct-19
Notice period for increase in facility amount	20 days
Bank debt	912,000,000		723,000,000
Undrawn letters of credit	108,000,000
Committed borrowing capacity available under the facility amount	$980,000,000
Weighted average interest rate on the bank credit facility	1.80%	2.00%
Commitment fee	0.30%
Alternate Base Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Minimum range of base rate	0.25%
Maximum range of base rate	1.25%
Interest rate margin	0.50%
Alternate Base Rate | Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Minimum range of base rate	0.13%
Maximum range of base rate	0.75%
LIBOR Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Minimum range of base rate	1.25%
Maximum range of base rate	2.25%
Interest rate margin	1.50%
LIBOR Rate | Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Minimum range of base rate	1.13%
Maximum range of base rate	1.75%
Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annual rate of commitment fee paid on the undrawn balance	0.30%
Minimum | Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annual rate of commitment fee paid on the undrawn balance	0.15%
Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annual rate of commitment fee paid on the undrawn balance	0.38%
Maximum | Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annual rate of commitment fee paid on the undrawn balance	0.30%

Indebtedness_Senior_Subordinat

Indebtedness - Senior Subordinated Notes and Early Extinguishment of Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (Subordinated Debt)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Subordinated Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum redemption price of notes as percentage of principal amount	101.00%

Indebtedness_Guarantees_and_De

Indebtedness - Guarantees and Debt Covenants - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, Covenant compliance	Our bank credit facility contains negative covenants that limit our ability, among other things, to pay cash dividends, incur additional indebtedness, sell assets, enter into certain hedging contracts, change the nature of our business or operations, merge, consolidate, or make certain investments. In addition, we are required to maintain a ratio of EBITDAX (as defined in the credit agreement) to cash interest expense of equal to or greater than 2.5 and a current ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) of no less than 1.0. In addition, the ratio of the present value of proved reserves (as defined in the credit agreement) to total debt must be equal to or greater than 1.5 until Range has two investment grade ratings. We were in compliance with applicable covenants under the bank credit facility at March 31, 2015. The indentures governing our senior subordinated notes contain various restrictive covenants that are substantially identical to each other and may limit our ability to, among other things, pay cash dividends, incur additional indebtedness, sell assets, enter into transactions with affiliates, or change the nature of our business. At March 31, 2015, we were in compliance with these covenants.
Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Ratio of debt to EBITDAX	2.5
Present Value Of Proved Reserves To Total Debt.	1.5
Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current ratio	1

Asset_Retirement_Obligations_A

Asset Retirement Obligations - Asset Retirement Obligations (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Asset Retirement Obligation [Abstract]
Beginning of period	$287,463
Liabilities incurred	1,460
Liabilities settled	-3,257
Disposition of wells	-4,112
Accretion expense	4,723
Change in estimate	14,353
End of period	300,630
Less current portion	-17,689	-15,067
Long-term asset retirement obligations	$282,941

Capital_Stock_Additional_Infor

Capital Stock - Additional Information (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Class Of Stock Disclosures [Abstract]
Authorized capital stock	485,000,000	485,000,000
Common stock, shares authorized	475,000,000	475,000,000
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0

Capital_Stock_Detail

Capital Stock (Detail)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity [Line Items]
Beginning balance	168,628,177	163,342,894
Restricted stock grants	84,999	270,062
Restricted stock units vested	194,606	244,413
Treasury shares issued	9,417	15,566
Ending balance	168,922,563	168,628,177
Common Stock | Equity Offering
Equity [Line Items]
Equity offering		4,560,000
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Equity [Line Items]
SARs exercised	5,364	195,242

Derivative_Activities_Addition

Derivative Activities - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Basis Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	($1,418)
Volume Hedged	44,070,000
Derivatives Excluding Basis Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	$430,100

Derivative_Activities_Derivati

Derivative Activities - Derivative Volumes Hedged and Average Hedge Prices (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2015
Natural Gas | Collars | 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	145,000
Average floor price	4.07
Average cap price	4.56
Natural Gas | Swaps | 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	730,809
Average hedge price	3.64
Natural Gas | Swaps | 2016
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	622,500
Average hedge price	3.42
Natural Gas | Swaps | 2017
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	20,000
Average hedge price	3.49
Crude Oil | Swaps | 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	10,671
Average hedge price	87.26
Crude Oil | Swaps | 2016
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	2,000
Average hedge price	75.35
Commodity Contract NGLs (C3 - Propane) | Swaps | 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	13,331
Average hedge price	0.61
Commodity Contract NGLs (C3 - Propane) | Swaps | 2016
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	5,500
Average hedge price	0.6
Commodity Contract NGLs (NC4 - Normal Butane) | Swaps | 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	3,500
Average hedge price	0.72
Commodity Contract NGLs (NC4 - Normal Butane) | Swaps | 2016
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	2,500
Average hedge price	0.72
Commodity Contract NGLs (C5 - Natural Gasoline) | Swaps | 2015
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	3,335
Average hedge price	1.15
Commodity Contract NGLs (C5 - Natural Gasoline) | Swaps | 2016
Derivative [Line Items]
Volume Hedged	2,000
Average hedge price	1.21

Derivative_Activities_Schedule

Derivative Activities - Schedule of Additional Information Related to Master Netting Arrangements with Derivative Counterparties (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	$432,790	$404,118
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	-2,935	-755
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	429,855	403,363
Gross Amounts of Recognized (Liabilities)	-4,077	-755
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	2,935	755
Net Amounts of (Liabilities) Presented in the Balance Sheet	-1,142	0
Natural Gas | Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	242,156	198,740
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	0	0
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	242,156	198,740
Natural Gas | Collars
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	51,439	57,460
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	0	0
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	51,439	57,460
Natural Gas | Basis Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	1,211	2,442
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	-1,487	-755
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	-276	1,687
Gross Amounts of Recognized (Liabilities)	-2,629	-755
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	1,487	755
Net Amounts of (Liabilities) Presented in the Balance Sheet	-1,142	0
Crude Oil | Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	113,693	128,578
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	0	0
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	113,693	128,578
Commodity Contract NGLs (C3 - Propane) | Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	15,883	14,727
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	-1,448	0
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	14,435	14,727
Gross Amounts of Recognized (Liabilities)	-1,448
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	1,448
Net Amounts of (Liabilities) Presented in the Balance Sheet	0
Commodity Contract NGLs (NC4 - Normal Butane) | Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	4,687
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	0
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	4,687
Commodity Contract NGLs (C5 - Natural Gasoline) | Swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	3,721	2,171
Gross Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheet	0	0
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Balance Sheet	$3,721	$2,171

Derivative_Activities_Effects_

Derivative Activities - Effects of Cash Flow Hedges and Other Hedges on Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Realized Gain (Loss) Reclassified from OCI into Revenue	$462,632	$457,342
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Realized Gain (Loss) Reclassified from OCI into Revenue		1,240	[1]
Tax Effect | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Realized Gain (Loss) Reclassified from OCI into Revenue		-924	[1]
Swaps | Before Tax | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Realized Gain (Loss) Reclassified from OCI into Revenue		836	[1]
Collars | Before Tax | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Realized Gain (Loss) Reclassified from OCI into Revenue		$1,328	[1]
[1]	For realized gains upon derivative contract settlement, the reduction in AOCI is offset by an increase in natural gas, NGLs and oil sales. For realized losses upon derivative contract settlement, the increase in AOCI is offset by a decrease in revenues.

Derivative_Activities_Effects_1

Derivative Activities - Effects of Non-Hedge Derivatives on Consolidated Statement of Operations (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income (Non-hedge Derivatives)	$122,839	($146,850)
Derivative Fair Value Income (Loss)	122,839	-146,850
Swaps
Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income (Non-hedge Derivatives)	125,777	-44,073
Derivative Fair Value Income (Loss)	125,777	-44,073
Collars
Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income (Non-hedge Derivatives)	8,415	-39,148
Derivative Fair Value Income (Loss)	8,415	-39,148
Basis Swaps
Derivative Financial Instruments [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income (Non-hedge Derivatives)	-11,353	-63,629
Derivative Fair Value Income (Loss)	($11,353)	($63,629)

Fair_Value_Measurements_Fair_V

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value Hierarchy Table for Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Basis Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	($1,418)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans	69,360	68,454
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	378,692	344,216
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Collars
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	51,439	57,460
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Basis Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	-1,418	1,687
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans	69,360	68,454
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Collars
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 | Basis Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	378,692	344,216
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Collars
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	51,439	57,460
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 | Basis Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	-1,418	1,687
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Trading securities held in the deferred compensation plans	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Collars
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 | Basis Swaps
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Recurring And Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative assets liabilities at fair value net	$0	$0

Fair_Value_Measurements_Additi

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
	Company
	Lenders
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Interest and dividends	$109,000	$274,000
Mark-to-market gain	1,400,000	429,000
Allowance for doubtful accounts on accounts receivable	2,982,000		2,719,000
Number of financial institutions included in counter parties	17
Number of secured lenders not in banking credit facility	2
Net derivative assets	$27,200,000

Fair_Value_Measurements_Carryi

Fair Value Measurements - Carrying Amounts and Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Carrying Value
Assets:
Commodity swaps, collars and basis swaps	$429,855		$403,363
Marketable securities	69,360	[1]	68,454	[1]
(Liabilities):
Commodity basis swaps	-1,142		0
Bank credit facility	-912,000	[2]	-723,000	[2]
Deferred compensation plan	-196,161	[3]	-203,433	[3]
Carrying Value | 6.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2020
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-500,000	[2]	-500,000	[2]
Carrying Value | 5.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-500,000	[2]	-500,000	[2]
Carrying Value | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2022
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-600,000	[2]	-600,000	[2]
Carrying Value | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2023
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-750,000	[2]	-750,000	[2]
Fair Value
Assets:
Commodity swaps, collars and basis swaps	429,855		403,363
Marketable securities	69,360	[1]	68,454	[1]
(Liabilities):
Commodity basis swaps	-1,142		0
Bank credit facility	-912,000	[2]	-723,000	[2]
Deferred compensation plan	-196,161	[3]	-203,433	[3]
Fair Value | 6.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2020
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-520,000	[2]	-523,125	[2]
Fair Value | 5.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-523,750	[2]	-520,000	[2]
Fair Value | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2022
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	-597,000	[2]	-601,500	[2]
Fair Value | 5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2023
(Liabilities):
Subordinated debt	($749,063)	[2]	($754,688)	[2]
[1]	Marketable securities, which are held in our deferred compensation plans, are actively traded on major exchanges. Refer to Note 13 for additional information.
[2]	The book value of our bank debt approximates fair value because of its floating rate structure. The fair value of our senior subordinated notes is based on end of period market quotes which are Level 2 inputs. Refer to Note 8 for additional information.
[3]	The fair value of our deferred compensation plan is updated at the closing price on the balance sheet date which is a Level 1 input.

Fair_Value_Measurements_Carryi1

Fair Value Measurements - Carrying Amounts and Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Parenthetical) (Detail) (Senior Subordinated Notes)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
6.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2020
Fair Value Balance Sheet Grouping Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	6.75%	6.75%
5.75% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Fair Value Balance Sheet Grouping Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	5.75%	5.75%
5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2022
Fair Value Balance Sheet Grouping Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	5.00%	5.00%
5.00% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2023
Fair Value Balance Sheet Grouping Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate on senior subordinated notes	5.00%	5.00%

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_1

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Maximum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Actual payout of shares on performance units granted	150.00%
Minimum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Actual payout of shares on performance units granted	0.00%
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) | Maximum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expiration term of stock units	5 years
Performance Shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years	3 years
Restricted Stock
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_2

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Allocation of Stock-Based Compensation by Functional Category (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Employee Service Share Based Compensation Allocation Of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$14,491	$14,137
Direct Operating Expense
Employee Service Share Based Compensation Allocation Of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	886	852
Brokered Natural Gas and Marketing Expense
Employee Service Share Based Compensation Allocation Of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	506	528
Exploration Expense
Employee Service Share Based Compensation Allocation Of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	732	1,153
General and Administrative Expense
Employee Service Share Based Compensation Allocation Of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	11,080	11,604
Termination Costs
Employee Service Share Based Compensation Allocation Of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$1,287	$0

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_3

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Additional Information 1 (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
	Plans
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Active equity-based stock plans	1
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of stock option outstanding	1,864,426	1,966,549

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_4

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Stock Option and SARs Activities (Detail) (Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs), USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Beginning Balance, Shares	1,966,549
Exercised, Shares	-92,934
Expired/forfeited, Shares	-9,189
Ending Balance, Shares	1,864,426
Beginning Balance, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$59.80
Exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$46.38
Expired/forfeited, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$65.55
Ending Balance, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$60.44

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_5

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - PSUA Activity (Detail) (Performance Shares, USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Performance Shares
Summary of Performance Share Unit Awards outstanding, Number of Units
Outstanding, Beginning Balance	134,341
Units granted	77,119	[1]
Units vested	-26,102
Units forfeited	-2,679
Outstanding, Ending Balance	182,679
Summary of Performance Share Unit Awards outstanding, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding, Beginning Balance, weighted average grant date fair value	$86.11
Granted, weighted average grant date fair value	$55.17	[1]
Vested, weighted average grant date fair value	$76.75
Forfeited, weighted average grant date fair value	$82.60
Outstanding, Ending Balance, weighted average grant date fair value	$74.44
[1]	Amounts granted reflect the number of performance units granted; however, the actual payout of shares will be between zero percent and 150% of the performance units granted depending on the total shareholder return ranking compared to the peer companies at the end of the three-year performance period.

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_6

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - PSUA Activity (Parenthetical) (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Performance Shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years	3 years
Minimum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Actual payout of shares on performance units granted	0.00%
Maximum
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Actual payout of shares on performance units granted	150.00%

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_7

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Valuation Assumptions for Grant Date Fair Value of Performance Awards (Detail) (Performance Shares, USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Performance Shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate	1.05%
Expected annual volatility	33.90%
Grant date fair value per unit	$55.17	[1]
[1]	Amounts granted reflect the number of performance units granted; however, the actual payout of shares will be between zero percent and 150% of the performance units granted depending on the total shareholder return ranking compared to the peer companies at the end of the three-year performance period.

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_8

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Additional Information 2 (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2014
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$14,491		$14,137
Performance Shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	1,300		533
Units granted	77,119	[1]
Weighted average grant date fair value	$55.17	[1]
Vesting period	3 years		3 years
Equity Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	7,800		6,500
Units granted	548,046		351,000
Weighted average grant date fair value	$52.45		$84.89
Vesting period	3 years
Restricted Stock Liability Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$3,900		$4,700
Units granted	94,573
Weighted average grant date fair value	$52.25
Vesting period	3 years		3 years
Restricted Stock Liability Awards | Employees
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Units granted			76,000
Weighted average grant date fair value			$85.02
[1]	Amounts granted reflect the number of performance units granted; however, the actual payout of shares will be between zero percent and 150% of the performance units granted depending on the total shareholder return ranking compared to the peer companies at the end of the three-year performance period.

StockBased_Compensation_Plans_9

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Outstanding (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Outstanding, Beginning Balance	360,415
Granted	548,046	351,000
Vested	-127,637
Forfeited	-8,957
Outstanding, Ending Balance	771,867
Outstanding, Beginning Balance, weighted average grant date fair value	$79.60
Granted, weighted average grant date fair value	$52.45	$84.89
Vested, weighted average grant date fair value	$69.98
Forfeited, weighted average grant date fair value	$69.99
Outstanding, Ending Balance, weighted average grant date fair value	$62.03
Restricted Stock Liability Awards
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Outstanding, Beginning Balance	304,504
Granted	94,573
Vested	-73,396
Forfeited	-9,574
Outstanding, Ending Balance	316,107
Outstanding, Beginning Balance, weighted average grant date fair value	$80.33
Granted, weighted average grant date fair value	$52.25
Vested, weighted average grant date fair value	$74.14
Forfeited, weighted average grant date fair value	$72.77
Outstanding, Ending Balance, weighted average grant date fair value	$73.60

Recovered_Sheet1

Stock-Based Compensation Plans - Additional Information 3 (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Deferred compensation plan vesting period	3 years
Deferred compensation plan	$5,624	$2,035
Shares held in rabbi trust total	2.8		2.8
Vested shares held in rabbi trust	2.5		2.5

Supplemental_Cash_Flow_Informa2

Supplemental Cash Flow Information - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Net cash provided from operating activities included:
Income taxes paid to taxing authorities			$39
Interest paid	54,284		55,190
Non-cash investing and financing activities included:
Increase in asset retirement costs capitalized	15,813	[1]	3,218	56,822	[1]
(Decrease) increase in accrued capital expenditures	($110,622)		$6,808
[1]	Includes costs incurred whether capitalized or expensed.

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Transportation commitments future minimum transportation fees due three months change	$52.90
Period of transportation commitments future minimum transportation fees due three months change	9 years
Natural Gas | Minimum
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Transportation and gathering commitments contingent upon pipeline construction or modification, term of contract	2 years
Oil and Gas Delivery Commitments and Contracts, Daily Production	1,000
Natural Gas | Maximum
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Transportation and gathering commitments contingent upon pipeline construction or modification, term of contract	5 years
Oil and Gas Delivery Commitments and Contracts, Daily Production	40,000

Office_Closing_and_Termination2

Office Closing and Termination Costs - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure - Office Closing and Termination Costs - Additional Information (Detail) [Line Items]
Termination costs	$5,950,000	$8,371,000
Additional accruals for severance costs	275,000
Stock-based compensation	1,287,000	2,999,000
Building lease costs	3,232,000
Additional accruals for severance	1,200,000
Oklahoma City Restructuring
Disclosure - Office Closing and Termination Costs - Additional Information (Detail) [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	608,000
Other Restructuring
Disclosure - Office Closing and Termination Costs - Additional Information (Detail) [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$680,000

Office_Closing_and_Termination3

Office Closing and Termination Costs - Summary of Termination Costs (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Termination costs	$1,431	$5,372
Building lease	3,232
Stock-based compensation expense	1,287	2,999
Total termination costs	$5,950	$8,371

Office_Closing_and_Termination4

Office Closing and Termination Costs - Exit Costs Included in Accrued Liabilities in Consolidated Balance Sheet (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Exit costs included in accrued liabilities in consolidated balance sheet
Beginning balance	$5,372
Additional accrued termination costs	1,431	5,372
Building lease costs	3,232
Payments	-1,674
Ending balance	$8,361	$5,372

Capitalized_Costs_and_Accumula2

Capitalized Costs and Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Natural gas and oil properties:
Properties subject to depletion	$9,745,129	[1]	$9,624,725	[1]
Unproved properties	942,606	[1]	943,246	[1]
Total	10,687,735	[1]	10,567,971	[1]
Accumulated depletion and depreciation	-2,581,753	[1]	-2,590,398	[1]
Natural gas and oil properties, successful efforts method, net	$8,105,982	[1]	$7,977,573	[1]
[1]	Includes capitalized asset retirement costs and the associated accumulated amortization.

Costs_Incurred_for_Property_Ac2

Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015		Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Costs Incurred Oil And Gas Property Acquisition Exploration And Development Activities [Line Items]
Acquisitions				$404,252	[1],[2]
Acreage purchases	13,354	[1]		226,475	[1]
Development	240,792	[1]		1,119,896	[1]
Gas gathering facilities:
Development	2,184	[1]		13,137	[1]
Subtotal	285,272	[1]		2,008,233	[1]
Asset retirement obligations	15,813	[1]	3,218	56,822	[1]
Total costs incurred	301,085	[1]		2,065,055	[1]
Drilling
Exploration:
Exploration costs incurred	21,056	[1]		180,925	[1]
Expense
Exploration:
Exploration costs incurred	7,154	[1]		58,979	[1]
Stock-based compensation expense
Exploration:
Exploration costs incurred	$732	[1]		$4,569	[1]
[1]	Includes costs incurred whether capitalized or expensed.
[2]	The year ended December 31, 2014 represents the EQT assets in Virginia we received as part of the Conger Exchange transaction. The transaction was recorded at fair value and we also received $145.0 million in cash, before closing adjustments.

Costs_Incurred_for_Property_Ac3

Costs Incurred for Property Acquisition, Exploration and Development (Parenthetical) (Detail) (Conger Exchange Transaction, USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Conger Exchange Transaction
Costs Incurred Oil And Gas Property Acquisition Exploration And Development Activities [Line Items]
Cash proceeds from sale of assets	$145	$145