HOUSTON, Oct. 2010 - Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) announced that it has acquired a position in four exploration blocks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Company has signed production sharing contracts (PSCs) for operatorship and an 80 percent ownership in two open blocks northeast of Erbil - Harir and Safen. The Kurdistan Regional Government will hold a fully carried 20 percent interest. Additionally, Marathon has been assigned working interests (WI) in two blocks north-northwest of Erbil - Atrush (20 percent WI) and Sarsang (25 percent WI).

Marathon is an integrated international energy company engaged in exploration and production; oil sands mining; integrated gas; and refining, marketing and transportation operations. Marathon, which is based in Houston, has principal operations in the United States, Angola, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Libya, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom. Marathon is the fourth largest United States-based integrated oil company and the nation's fifth largest refiner. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.marathon.com.