﻿72 
  SANTA 
  MARTA 
  OTL 
  DISTRICT, 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  noticed 
  that 
  ihc 
  principal 
  gas 
  wells 
  then 
  known 
  in 
  western 
  Pennsylvania 
  were 
  sit- 
  

   uated 
  close 
  to 
  where 
  ant 
  ieli 
  nal 
  axes 
  were 
  drawn 
  on 
  the 
  geological 
  maps. 
  From 
  this 
  

   he 
  inferred 
  there 
  musl 
  he 
  some 
  connection 
  between 
  the 
  gas 
  wells 
  and 
  the 
  anticlines. 
  

   After 
  visiting 
  all 
  the 
  greal 
  ^ 
  r 
  as 
  wells 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  struck 
  in 
  western 
  Pennsylvania 
  

   and 
  West 
  Virginia, 
  and 
  carefully 
  examining 
  the 
  geological 
  surroundings 
  of 
  each, 
  I 
  

   found 
  that 
  every 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  was 
  situated 
  either 
  directly 
  on 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  an 
  

   anticlinal 
  axis, 
  while 
  wells 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  bored 
  in 
  the 
  syncline 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  furnished 
  

   lit 
  t 
  le 
  or 
  no 
  gas, 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  salt 
  water. 
  Further 
  observation 
  

   showed 
  that 
  the 
  gas 
  wells 
  were 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  narrow 
  belt, 
  only 
  one-fourth 
  to 
  1 
  mile 
  

   wide, 
  along 
  the 
  crests 
  of 
  the 
  anticlinal 
  folds. 
  These 
  facts 
  seemed 
  to 
  connect 
  gas 
  terri- 
  

   tory 
  unmistakably 
  with 
  the 
  disturbance 
  in 
  the 
  rocks 
  caused 
  by 
  their 
  upheaval 
  into 
  

   arches, 
  hut 
  the 
  crucial 
  test 
  was 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  actual 
  location 
  of 
  good 
  gas 
  ter- 
  

   ritory 
  on 
  this 
  theory. 
  During 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  years 
  I 
  have* 
  submitted 
  it 
  to 
  all 
  manner 
  of 
  

   tests, 
  both 
  in 
  locating 
  and 
  condemning 
  gas 
  territory, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  result 
  has 
  been 
  

   to 
  confirm 
  the 
  anticlinal 
  theory 
  beyond 
  a 
  reasonable 
  doubt. 
  

  

  The 
  anticlinal 
  theory 
  was 
  found 
  applicable, 
  according 
  to 
  Red- 
  

   wood," 
  by 
  various 
  investigators 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Hemisphere, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Caucasian 
  and 
  Carpathian 
  fields, 
  in 
  India, 
  Persia, 
  and 
  Algiers, 
  and 
  

   as 
  stated 
  by 
  Lyman, 
  6 
  in 
  some 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  in 
  Japan. 
  Fur- 
  

   ther 
  credence 
  has 
  been 
  lent 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  investigators 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  world 
  in 
  subsequent 
  reports 
  on 
  oil 
  districts. 
  It 
  has, 
  however, 
  not 
  

   been 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  universal 
  application. 
  

  

  ACCUMULATION 
  OF 
  OIL 
  IN 
  THE 
  SANTA 
  MARIA 
  DISTRICT. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  and 
  Lompoc 
  fields 
  the 
  evidence 
  indicates 
  that 
  

   anticlinal 
  structure 
  is 
  favorable 
  although 
  probably 
  not 
  absolutely 
  

   essential 
  to 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  oil. 
  But 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  this 
  fact 
  

   is 
  explainable 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  anticlinal 
  theory 
  as 
  previously 
  

   advanced, 
  and 
  as 
  seemingly 
  applicable 
  to 
  eastern 
  fields, 
  remains 
  a 
  

   question, 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  definite 
  evidence 
  is 
  lacking 
  regarding 
  

   the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  strata 
  containing 
  the 
  oil. 
  

   The 
  fields 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  district 
  are 
  not 
  yet 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  make 
  

   it 
  ascertainable 
  whether 
  water 
  occupies 
  lower 
  levels 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  por- 
  

   ous 
  strata 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  oil 
  is 
  contained, 
  or 
  strata 
  below 
  those 
  contain- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  oil, 
  and 
  whether 
  water 
  will 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  on 
  its 
  

   exhaustion 
  in 
  the 
  wells; 
  or, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  whether 
  the 
  oil 
  

   occurs 
  unassociated 
  with 
  water 
  in 
  large 
  amounts. 
  What 
  evidence 
  

   there 
  is 
  throws 
  doubt 
  on 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  water 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  

   sufficient 
  amounts 
  materially 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  

   strata. 
  Although 
  over 
  a 
  hundred 
  wells 
  have 
  been 
  sunk 
  to 
  depths 
  

   ranging 
  between 
  1,500 
  and 
  considerably 
  more 
  than 
  4,000 
  feet 
  in 
  

   various 
  positions 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  axes 
  of 
  folds, 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  

   in 
  only 
  four 
  wells 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  1,000 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   or 
  below 
  sea 
  level, 
  and 
  in 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  wells 
  below 
  300 
  or 
  400 
  feet. 
  

   In 
  other 
  words, 
  whatever 
  water 
  is 
  present 
  occurs 
  in 
  all 
  but 
  four 
  wells 
  

  

  a 
  Redwood, 
  Boverton, 
  assisted 
  by 
  Holloway, 
  G. 
  T. 
  : 
  Petroleum 
  and 
  its 
  products, 
  London, 
  1st 
  ed., 
  1896, 
  

   vol. 
  l.pp. 
  44 
  4i,; 
  also 
  2d 
  ed.,- 
  1906, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  112. 
  

   t> 
  Geological 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  lands 
  of 
  Japan, 
  Tokio, 
  1877 
  and 
  1878. 
  

  

  