United States Geological Survey Geology and Petroleum Resources of Northwestern Kern Coid'jty California
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UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Bulletin ?21 GEOLOGY AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES OF NORTHWESTERN KERN COID'JTY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JOHN BARTON PAYNE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Jt 'Lct GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director A or- Bulletin 721 · 111111/IIIOOII Jfllillllilll 3 1295 01856 4467 GEOLOGY AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES OF NORTHWESTERN KERN COUNTY CALIFORNIA BY WALTER A. ENGLISH l..lt:ihi-1 1-<Y TEXAS TECH NOLOGICAL COLLEGE LU B'BOCK, TEXAS WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1921 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS l'UBLICATION MAY 11}; PROCUIU:U ··n o ll THE SUl'ERINTENDENT OF DOCII>tENTS GOVl!RNKENT l'RINTING OFI'ICE WASHINGTON, D. C. A'/ 10 CENTS PER COPY 'i1 CONTENTS. Page. Introductlon _________ __ -------___ --- --_____ ___ ----_---------- _-- _--~- 5 Scope of reporL--- ----------------------------------------------- 5 Field work----------- ------------------------------------------- 5 Previous publications-- ------------------------------------"---- --- 7 Geology----- ------------------··-- ··------------------ ---------------- 8 StratigraphY------------------- --------- --- -- -------------- ----- 8 Franciscan formation and associated igneous roci{S (Jurassic?)__ 8 Cretaceous rocks--------- --------------- - -------------------- 9 Tejon formation (Eocene>.- ----- ------------------------------ 10 Oligocene ( ?) rocks------------------------------------------ 12 Vaqueros sandstone and Maricopa shale (Miocene)------------- 13 General character---------------- --------------------- --- 13 Correlation and age-- --------- --------- - - ----------- ----- 15 Local detalls--------------------------------------------- 18 :hfcKittricl' to Temblor Ranch oil field________________ 18 West side of Temblor ValleY-- -------- --- ------- ------ 18 Gould Hill to Agua Media Creek______________________ 19 Carneros Creek to Devilwater Creek__________________ 21 Devilwater Creek to Bitterwater ValleY---------------- 21 Bitterwater Valley northward to head of Antelope ValleY------------ ---------- ------- --- ------------ 23 North side of Antelope ValleY-- ---- ------------- ---- -- 25 Sandstone dikes---------- ------------- -- ----------- ----- - 25 Relation to petroleum_________________________ ___________ 26 McKittrick formation (upper Miocene, Pliocene, nncl Pleistocene?) 26 Quaternary sand and graveL---------------------------- ------ 29 Structure ________________·__ ·-------------------- ----- ------------- 30 General features--------------------------------------------- 30 Structure of Diablo and Temblor ranges- -------------- -------- 31 Structure of the area Included in San Joaquin Valley_____ _____ __ 32 Known anticlines within the valley aren______ __ _____________ 32 Petroleum r esources--- ------- ------- - ---------- ---------------------- 35 Developed fields----------------- ---- --- -------------------- ----- - 35 Historical sketch--------------- -------------------- ---------- 35 Geology --- --------- --- ------- ---- ------------------------ --- 37 Devils Den field-- ----------------- - ---- - ----------------- 37 Lost Hills field------- --- --- ----------------------------- 37 North Belridge field------ ----- -- ----- ------------- ------- 37 Belridge field----------------------------- ----------- - --- 38 Temblor Ranch field----------------- - --------- ----------- 38 Prospective areaS---------- -------- - --- ----- ----- - ---------- ----- 38 Area occupied by exposed Tertiary formations_______ _________ __ 38 Area included in San Joaquin ValleY----------- ---- ----- --- -- - 39 General features- - ----------------- ---------------- - ----- 39 Area between Lost Hills and Temblor Range_____ ___ _______ 43 Possible continuation of McDonald anticline________________ 44 Gould Hill to the McKittrick Front_____________________ __ _ 45 Region east of the Lost Hills anticline___ __._ ______ -- - ---- 45 Index-----·-------------------------------- -------------------'----·--- 47 3 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Geologic ruap and sections of northwestern Kern County, Calif__ 8 II. Correlation chart showing variation of Vaqueros and Maricopa formations a long strike------------------------------- ---- 12 FIGURE 1. Index map of southwestern California showing area considered in this reporL------------------------------------------- 6 2. Diagraru showing the production of the Lost Hllls, Belridge, Mane! i\linor (;:-;'orth Belrldge), and North McKittrick Front fields, HllD-1919 ______________ _:._________________________ 35 4 GEOLOGY AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES OF NORTH WESTERN KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. By wALTER A. ENGLISH. INTRODUCTION. SCOPE. OF REPORT. The area treated in this report comprises about 200 square miles of hilly and mountainous country and about 350 square miles of the alluvium-covered San Joaquin Valley, in which the Lost Hills, North Belridge or Manel Minor, and Belridge oil fields are situated and in which there appear to be possibilities that other fields may be devel oped (see fig. 1). The discussion is practically confined to the areal geology and to the possibilities of finding oil in untested areas. Con ditions in the developed fields are considered solely as a problem in structural geology, and no attempt is made to present a study of the details of underground conditions. This lack of treatment of the developed fields in detail is due both to the circumstances con nected with the preparation of the report and to the writer's belief that the United States Geological Survey's field of greatest useful ness lies rather in the type of work here set :forth than in the study of underground conditions of interest to engineers engaged in the work of development and production. The California State Mining Bureau is now making such studies in much more detail and keep ing data obtained more nearly up to date than the Geological Survey, under existing conditions, would find possible. The reader is there fore referred :for such data to the bureau mentioned. FIELD WORK. The field work on which this report is based was done by the writer, assisted by W. S. W. Kew, in the fall of 1916. Approximately two months was spent in the field. The writer originally planned to make this a joint report by himself and R. W. Pack, who was to contribute the discussion of the developed fields. However, owing to the pressure of other work, Mr. Pack's part will probably be much delayed, and it seems best to publish the results available at the present time. 5 6 GEOLOGY AND PETROLEUM OF KERN COUNTY, CALIF. The same field methods were followed as in previous work in California. Copies of the Geological Survey's topographic maps enlarged to a scale of li inches to the mile were used as a base for ~· recording field observations, and locations for plotting geologic .. Area mapped and dis GU $ sed in this report ~ Areas on which reports Nvt' ~ alreedy been publi&hed ~ Oth~roil · produci ngdis- t..::::.J::::'J tncb, of' t.ht State. INDEX TO PUBLISHED REPORTS ON OIL I Sen Joo~uin Volley no~ ofCoolinga (BuU.603) ~ ~~~~~:/~~~l.a3uJijfsiJ . I 4 SalinasValley-Parkfield (Bull.691) ~ 5 Northw~tefn KernCo.( Bullis. nian d 406) 6 McKitt.riei<-Sunsel(Bull.4o6) · 1 Sunset-Midw a( <P.P.nsjnd Bull.471) ~ ~~t,~~~;~i~u~.u~i:fl . iO 5ummer land(Bull.321) II 5anta Oara Ri ver valley(Bull.309) IZ Simi Valley(Bull. 691) 13 LosAngele:.(Bull.309) 14 Puente: Hills(Bull. 309) 15 Barstow-Kramer ( Bull541) FIOIIRE 1.-lndex mnl) of sonthwestern Cnllfornlo. Rhowlng nrea considered In tbis !'eport. data were determined by the intersection of compass sights to prominent peaks or other features which it seemed probable had been accurately located by the topographers. 'Where details of to pography seemed to be inaccurately shown, the areal geology as mapped (Pl. I) was adjusted to fit the topographic details only if "INTRODUCTION. 7 no very material change wa..q required. The geologic lines are there fore not in all places shown: in. their proper relation to the details of topography. No attempt .was made to locate any section corners. The accuracy of the geologic lines with respect to section co.rners therefore depends on the accuracy with which these corners were 'located by the topographic engineers. Though the land net as shown . is in all proba}?ility substantially correct, where an accurate tie between the geology and the land lines is desired the relations of the two should be checked. PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS. The following list includes the papers dealing with the geology and petroleum resources of the general region considered in this bul- 1etin: that have appeared in recent years: 1894. Watts, W. L., The gas and petroleum yielding formations of the central va!.Jey of California: Callfol'nia State Min. Bur. Bull. 3, 100 pp., maps, plates, and figures. Sact·amento. Notes on the topography, geology, and oil resources of the Sunset diStrict are given on pp. 22-37, and on the McKittrick district (called the Buena Vista district. in Watts's report) on pp. 41-53; some analyses .of. ~ater trom the regian are given on pp.' 90 and 91. 1000. Watts,. W. L., Oil and gas :y~eldlng formations of California: California · State Min. Bur. Bull. 19, 236 pp., maps, plates, and figmes. Sacramento. Additional notes to those contained in his formet· report are given as follows: Geologic sketch of San Joaquin Valley, pp. 106-109; Sunset district, pp. 117-:-125; McKittrick district, pp. 12!}-131; Devlls Den dis· trict, pp. 131 and 132. 1904. Prutzman, P. W., Production and uses of petrole.um In California: Cali fornia State Min. Bur. BulL 32, 230 pp., maps, plates, figures,