﻿GEOLOGY 
  AND 
  OIL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  

   SANTA 
  MARIA 
  OIL 
  DISTRICT, 
  SANTA 
  

   BARBARA 
  COUNTY, 
  CAL. 
  

  

  By 
  Kalph 
  Arnold 
  and 
  Robert 
  Anderson. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  PURPOSE 
  OF 
  THIS 
  REPORT. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  years 
  the 
  region 
  near 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  part 
  of 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  County, 
  Cal., 
  has 
  shown 
  promise 
  of 
  

   becoming 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  oil 
  fields 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  if 
  not 
  of 
  

   the 
  whole 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  developed 
  fields 
  lie 
  on 
  the 
  low, 
  rolling 
  

   hills 
  between 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  and 
  Lompoc 
  valleys, 
  where 
  the 
  oil 
  has 
  

   accumulated 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  in 
  the 
  Monterey 
  shale, 
  of 
  middle 
  

   Tertiary 
  age, 
  which 
  underlies 
  this 
  region. 
  The 
  lightness 
  of 
  the 
  oil, 
  

   which 
  averages 
  from 
  25° 
  to 
  27° 
  Baume, 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  productiveness 
  

   of 
  the 
  wells, 
  which 
  yield 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  3,000 
  barrels 
  a 
  day, 
  with 
  an 
  

   average 
  of 
  300 
  to 
  400 
  barrels, 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  features 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  

   district 
  has 
  become 
  noted. 
  Large 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  region 
  

   as 
  the 
  productive 
  fields 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  be 
  analo- 
  

   gous, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  surface 
  evidence 
  went, 
  to 
  the 
  proved 
  territory, 
  and 
  it 
  

   was 
  thought 
  that 
  geologic 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  might 
  furnish 
  

   valuable 
  information 
  and 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  developments. 
  

   Accordingly, 
  with 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  studying 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  oil, 
  

   the 
  extent 
  and 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  oil-bearing 
  formations, 
  and 
  their 
  rela- 
  

   tions 
  to 
  associated 
  formations, 
  the 
  writers 
  carried 
  on 
  the 
  field 
  work 
  

   leading 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  report 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  autumn 
  of 
  

   1906. 
  The 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  accompanying 
  geo- 
  

   logic 
  map 
  (PI. 
  I, 
  in 
  pocket) 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  completely 
  studied 
  in 
  all 
  

   parts. 
  Between 
  the 
  San 
  Rafael 
  and 
  Santa 
  Ynez 
  ranges 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   worked 
  with 
  considerable 
  detail, 
  but 
  the 
  mapping 
  of 
  the 
  mountainous 
  

   regions 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  reconnaissance 
  outside 
  of 
  

   the 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  Monterey 
  formation. 
  

  

  A 
  preliminary 
  paper 
  containing 
  the 
  features 
  of 
  this 
  report 
  most 
  

   immediately 
  pertinent 
  to 
  the 
  oil 
  developments 
  and 
  an 
  outline 
  map 
  

   has 
  been 
  published 
  as 
  Bulletin 
  No. 
  317 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Geolog- 
  

   ical 
  Survey. 
  

  

  