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Adventures in Scenery 



may have some connection with the migration of oil in highly 

 disturbed regions such as occur in California, but even where 

 the oil occurs in folded strata its accumulation is in no way 

 proportional to the amount of deformation which the strata 

 have undergone. In fact in most places very highly inclined 

 beds are known to be detrimental to the accumulation of oil 

 in large quantities. 



Photo by Ralph Arnold, U. S. Geol. Survey 



FIG. 82. Topatopa Anticline, in Hopper Canyon, Ventura County. Shale 

 and sandstone of Miocene age, Modelo formation. 



Other geologists have arrived at the conclusion the migra- 

 tory faculty of petroleum may be ascribed entirely to the pres- 

 ence of the associated gas, which would cause the oil to fill 

 every crevice offering a point of escape. The hydraulic hy- 

 pothesis (water pressure) contemplates that the action of un- 

 derground circulating water, together with the capillary action 

 of water, drives the oil before it, and the oil then accumulates 

 in pools. The formations in California generally are not re- 

 garded as favorable for the circulation of ground waters. It 



