Petroleum Systems of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California—Geochemical Characteristics of Oil Types

1 Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California Chapter 9 Petroleum Systems of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California—Geochemical Characteristics of Oil Types By Paul G. Lillis and Leslie B. Magoon studies suggest that the CM oil type is derived from the Late Contents Cretaceous to Paleocene Moreno Formation. Abstract-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Maps of the distribution of the oil types show that the Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 MM oil type is restricted to the southern third of the San Stratigraphy------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Joaquin Basin Province. The composition of MM oils along the southern and eastern margins of the basin reflects the Previous Geochemical Studies--------------------------------------------------- 4 increased contribution of terrigenous organic matter to the Methods and Approach---------------------------------------------------------------- 5 marine basin near the Miocene paleoshoreline. EK oils are Oil-Oil Correlation----------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 widely distributed along the western half of the basin, and Oil Analyses From USGS Laboratory--------------------------------------------- 5 ET oils are present in the central and west-central areas of Oil Analyses From the Literature--------------------------------------------------7 the basin. The CM oil type has only been found in the Coal- Oil-Source Rock Correlation----------------------------------------------------------- 9 inga area in southwestern Fresno County. The oil type maps Geographic Distribution of Oil Types-------------------------------------------------13 provide the basis for petroleum system maps that incorporate Conclusions---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 source rock distribution and burial history, migration path- Acknowledgments--------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 ways, and geologic relationships between hydrocarbon source References Cited-----------------------------------------------------------------------18 and reservoir rocks. These petroleum system maps were used Tables------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23 for the 2003 U.S. Geological Survey resource assessment of Appendixes (.xls and .mdb files) the San Joaquin Basin Province. Abstract Introduction New analyses of 120 oil samples combined with 139 A petroleum system consists of a pod of active source previously published oil analyses were used to character- rock; reservoir rock with an adequate seal; favorable timing of ize and map the distribution of oil types in the San Joaquin petroleum generation, migration, and trap formation; and all Basin, California. The results show that there are at least four genetically related hydrocarbons that occur as petroleum shows, oil types designated MM, ET, EK, and CM. Most of the oil seeps, and accumulations (Magoon and Dow, 1994). The first from the basin has low to moderate sulfur content (less than 1 step in identifying petroleum systems is to characterize and map weight percent sulfur), although a few unaltered MM oils have the geographical distribution of oil and gas types. This paper as much as 1.2 weight percent sulfur. presents the results of a petroleum geochemical study that char- Reevaluation of source rock data from the literature acterizes oil types that, in turn, establish a basis for mapping indicate that the EK oil type is derived from the Eocene petroleum systems in the San Joaquin Basin, California (Magoon Kreyenhagen Formation, and the MM oil type is derived, in and others, this volume, chapter 8). The petroleum system maps part, from the Miocene to Pliocene Monterey Formation and were used for the 2003 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) resource its equivalent units. The ET oil type is tentatively correlated assessment of the basin (USGS San Joaquin Basin Province to the Eocene Tumey formation of Atwill (1935). Previous Assessment Team, this volume, chapter 1). 2 Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California ° ° ° ° ° Index Map California San Joaquin Basin Province N ° ° SAN ANDREAS FAULT TEMBLOR RANGE N ° S. SIERRA MADRE MTNS. TN I M AP CH HA -TE DIO SAN EMIG Figure 9.1. Location map of San Joaquin Basin Province (red outline) showing topography and location of county lines and some cities. Inset shows location of San Joaquin Basin Province (red outline) within the State of California. Figure 9.1 Petroleum Systems of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California—Geochemical Characteristics of Oil Types 3 SAN JOAQUIN BASIN PROVINCE SYSTEM Mega- NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH SERIES sequences West East West East West East Ma (2nd order) STAGE basin axis Alluvium basin axis Alluvium basin axis Alluvium 0 PLEIS. unnamed Tulare Fm San Joaquin Fm PLIO. San Joaquin Fm unnamed 5 unnamed Etchegoin Fm unnamed Etchegoin Fm Trans- Reef Ridge Sh Mbr Reef Ridge Sh Mbr pression Chanac Monterey Fm DEL. Antelope sh KR Santa Margarita Santa Margarita Fm Ss McLure Shale Mbr Ss Stevens sd Santa Margarita 10 Monterey Fm Fruitvale shale Ss McDonald Sh Mbr MOHNIAN unnamed NEOGENE Devilwater Sh Round Mtn Silt LUI. Mbr/Gould Sh unnamed 15 Temblor Fm Mbr, undiff migration Nozu sd MIOCENE B REL. Triple junction Triple Media Sh Mbr Olcese Zilch fm Sand Zilch fm Carneros Ss Mbr 20 Fm Temblor Santos Jewett SAUCESIAN Freeman Sand Silt Agua SsSh Mbr PH 25 . Bed Rio Bravo sd Vaqueros Fm 30 unnamed Walker Fm Subduction and magmatism Wygal Ss Mbr Vedder Sand ZEMORRIAN OLIGOCENE Cymric Shale Mbr REF. 35 Leda sd Tumey formation Tumey formation Oceanic sand 40 Kreyenhagen Formation Kreyenhagen Formation Point of Rocks Ss unnamed unnamed Mbr sand Famoso EOCENE Kreyenhagen Formation 45 Famoso sand Famoso subsidence unnamed unnamed Canoas Slts Mbr Diablo Range Diablo unnamed uplift and basin basin and uplift Domengine Fm Domengine Fm Yokut B=Buttonbed Ss Mbr Ss PH=Pyramid Hill Sd Mbr KR=Kern River Fm 50 Arroyo Hondo Sh Mbr Gatchell sd PALEOGENE Cantua Ss Mbr Oil reservoir rock Gas reservoir rock unnamed PENUTIAN ULATSIAN NARIZIAN Potential marine Potential nonmarine reservoir rock 55 Lodo Fm reservoir rock Nonmarine Marine coarse coarse grained TIAN BULI- grained rock rock orogeny San Carlos sd Clay/shale/ ~ ~ Coast Range mudstone/ ~ ~ ophiolite/ Granitic basement and Laramide biosiliceous ZIAN YNE- 60 Oil-prone source Hiatus or loss by rock/ erosion Gas-prone source rock Garzas Ss Flat slab subduction Wheatville sd Moreno Fm PALEOCENE undifferentiated Moreno Fm Cretaceous 65 CHENEYIAN 121˚W 120˚W 119˚W 38˚N miles unnamed Stockton Arch basin axis San Joaquin0 Basin 25Province Blewett sds 70 MAASTRICH. Starkey sands COAST RANGES Tracy sds RVS Brown Mtn ss North Sawtooth shale Ragged Valley silt SIERRA NEVADA 75 Panoche Fm Joaquin Ridge Ss Mbr 37˚N Lathrop sd Sacramento shale Panoche Fm 80 LATE CAMPANIAN Forbes fm SAN ANDREAS FAULT Central 85 SANT. ? ? DCN CON. RVS=Ragged Valley silt 36˚N DR DC T 90 PH South TUR. undifferentiated Cretaceous DD J Bakersfield Arch marine and nonmarine strata CRETACEOUS undifferentiated Cretaceous 95 marine and nonmarine strata Pacific Ocean WWF CENO. 100 35˚N SAN EMIGDIO,TECHAPI MOUNTAINS Sierran magmatism Sierran 160 Ma 120 Ma 160 Ma 120 Ma 160 Ma 120 Ma 105 and margin Convergent EARLY ALBIAN Basement rocks Basement rocks Basement rocks 110 Figure 9.2. San Joaquin Basin Province stratigraphy showing hydrocarbon reservoir rocks and potential hydrocarbon source rocks. See Hosford Scheirer and Magoon (this volume, chapterFigure 5) for 9.2 complete explanation of the figure. Formation names in italics are informal and are defined as follows (in approximate age order): Forbes formation of Kirby (1943), Sacramento shale and Lathrop sand of Callaway (1964), Sawtooth shale and Tracy sands of Hoffman (1964), Brown Mountain sandstone of Bishop (1970), Ragged Valley silt, Starkey sands, and Blewett sands of Hoffman (1964), Wheatville sand of Callaway (1964), San Carlos sand of Wilkinson (1960), Gatchell sand of Goudkoff (1943), Oceanic sand of McMasters (1948), Leda sand of Sullivan (1963), Tumey formation of Atwill (1935), Famoso sand of Edwards (1943), Rio Bravo sand of Noble (1940), Nozu sand of Kasline (1942), Zilch formation of Loken (1959), Stevens sand of Eckis (1940), Fruitvale shale of Miller and Bloom (1939), and Antelope shale of Graham and Williams (1985). 4 Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California The San Joaquin Basin is primarily an oil-producing prov- late Eocene (Refugian benthic foraminiferal zone) unit overly- ince located in the southern part of the Great Valley of central ing the Kreyenhagen Formation (fig. 9.2). California between the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada (fig. 9.1). Several potential petroleum source rocks have been recognized in the basin (fig. 9.2), suggesting the possibility of Previous Geochemical Studies several oil types and petroleum systems (Magoon and others, this volume, chapter 8, and Peters, Magoon, Valin and Lillis, this Previous petroleum geochemical studies within the San volume, chapter 11). Peters and others (1994) previously recog- Joaquin Basin recognized the middle Miocene to Pliocene nized petroleum systems along the western margin of the basin, Monterey Formation and the middle Eocene

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