Coalinga Oil District
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLP ^AL SURVEY GEORGE OT.IS SMITH, DIRECTOR BULLET IK 351 PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THH: COALINGA OIL DISTRICT ERESNO AND KINGS COUNTIES CALIFORNIA BY RALPH ARNOLD AND ROBERT ANDERSON WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1908 CONTENTS. Introduction.............................................................. 7 General features of the district......................................... 7 Plan of the present report..................................... '.......... 7 Acknowledgments....................................................... 9 Advantage of cooperation among operators............................... 10 Geography, and topography.................................................. 11 Location.............................................................. 11 Definitions of place names^ ...........;.................'................ 12 General topographic features........................................... 16 ' Geology.................................................................. 19 General statement...................................................... 19 Stratigraphy.......................................................... 20 Franciscan formation.............................................. 20 Knoxville-Chico rocks.............................................. 21 Tejon formation................................................... 23 The post-Eocene formations........................................ 29 Vaqueros sandstone................................................. 31 Santa Margarita formation........................................... 35 Jacalitos formation................................................ 40 Etchegoin formation................................................ 46 Paso Robles formation. ............................................. 56 Terrace deposits and alluvium...................................... 61 Igneous rocks......................................................... 61 Structure. ............................................................... 62 Cross structures and their topographic influence..................... 62 Periods of movement and effect on formations of different ages........ 63 Main lines of structure.............................................. 64 Character of the folds and faults.................................... 67 The oil................................................................... 68 Occurrence............................................................. 68 Oil zones. .......................................................... 68 Accumulation of the oil............................................ 70 Gravity of the oil....................................................... 71 Relations of water to oil................................................ 72 Origin of the oil....................................................... 73 The oil fields............................................................... 74 Subdivisions.:........................................................ 74 Contour map........................................................... 74 Explanation....................................................... 74 Use of the map.................................................... 74 Basis of the contour map........................................... 75 Difficulties of preparation and degree of accuracy.................... 75 3 4 . CONTENTS. The oil fields Continued. Page. Details of the productive areas........................................... 76 Oil City field...................................................... 76 Location.....................................:................ 76 Geology and structure.......................................... 76 Geology of the wells. ........................................... 77 Product...................................................... 78 Eastside field...................................................... 79 Peerless-California Diamond-T. C. area........................... 79 Location.................................................. 79 Geology of the wells........................................ 79 Product...................... i ............................ 81 Technology................................................ 82 Standard-Caribou-California Monarch area....................... 82 'Location.................................................. 82 Geology of the wells........................................ 82 Product.................................................. 83 Standard-California Oilfields (sec. 27) area....................... 84 Location.................................................. 84 Geology of the wells. ....^.................................. 84 Product................................................... 85 California Oilfields (sec. 34)-Coalinga-Mohawk area.............. 86 Location.................................................. 86 Geology of the wells........................................ 86 Product.................................................. 87 Standard-Stockholders-Hanford area............................. 87 Location.................................................. 87 Geology of the wells........................................ 88 Product................................................... 88 Westside field...................................................... 89 Call-Confidence area............ '. ............................... 89 Location.................................................. 89 Geology of the wells........................................ 89 Product.................................................. 91 Mercantile Crude-S. W. & B. area............................... 91 Location......'............................................ 91 Geology of the wells........................................ 91 Product.................................I................ 93 Zier-Porter and Scribner-M. K. & T. area...................... 93 Location.................................................. 93 Geology of the wells........................................ 93 Product.................................................. 95 Associated-Caledonian-Union area....................".......... 96 Location................... ? .............................. 96 Structure.................................................. 96 Geology of the wells. ......................................... 96 Product.................................................. 98 Area between Waltham Creek and San Joaquin Valley coal mine.. 99 Location. ...........:...............'............-........... 99 Geology.................................................. 99 Structure.................................................. 102 Geology of the wells........................................ 104 Sec. 2, T. 21 S., R. 14 E., and vicinity.......................... 106 Geology of the wells........................................ 106 Product.................................................. 107 ILLUSTEATIONS. 5 The oil fields Continued. Details of the productive areas Continued. Page. Kreyenhagen field.......................... ... ...... .............. 107 Location...................................................... 107 General geology and occurrence of oil........................... 108 Geology of the wells............................................ 108 Kettleman Hills field............................................... Ill Location............................:......................... Ill Geology and indications of oil................................... 112 Geology of the wells............................................ 112 Future development..............................................:..... 113 General statement.................................................. 113 Areas discussed.................................................... 114 Northwest of Eastside field..................................... 114 Eastside field.................................................. 115 Anticline Ridge and Guijarral Hills............................. 116 Westside field.................................................. 117 Jacalitos anticline.............................................. 118 Reef Ridge south to Dagariy Gap .............................. 119 Kettleman Hills................................................ 120 Production........ .................................................... 124 Transportation facilities..................................................... 125 Mineral lands.............................................................. 126 Oil companies and oil wells in the district.................................... 127 Survey publications on petroleum and natural gas........................... 136 Index.................................................................... 139 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Geologic and structural map of the Coalinga district........... In pocket. II. Structural-contour map of the Coalinga field................... In pocket. Fig. 1. Index map of a part of southern California............................ 9 PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND OIL RESOURCES OF THE COALINGA DISTRICT, FRESNO AND KINGS COUNTIES, CAT, By RALPH ARNOLD and ROBERT ANDERSON. INTRODUCTION. General features of the district. The Coalinga district is a strip of land about 50 miles in length by 15 miles in width lying along the northeastern base of the Diablo Range in western Fresno and Kings counties, Cal. The region is accessible by rail from the main lines of both the Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads by a branch line running westward from Goshen to