﻿106 
  SANTA 
  MARIA 
  OIL 
  DISTRICT, 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  GEOLOGY. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  STATEMENT. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  productive 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  Lompoc 
  field 
  start 
  in 
  the 
  Fernando 
  

   formation 
  and 
  penetrate 
  its 
  clays, 
  sandstones, 
  and 
  conglomerates 
  

   for 
  distances 
  ranging 
  from 
  45 
  to 
  800 
  feet. 
  The 
  great 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  the 
  Fernando 
  in 
  adjacent 
  wells 
  (the 
  beds 
  over 
  much 
  of 
  

   the 
  territory 
  being 
  nearly 
  horizontal, 
  implies 
  great 
  inequalities 
  in 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  Monterey 
  shale, 
  and 
  this 
  in 
  turn 
  signifies 
  a 
  

   profound 
  unconformity 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  formations. 
  Water 
  is 
  

   encountered 
  in 
  the 
  Fernando 
  at 
  various 
  depths 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  wells. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Fernando 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  sand 
  the 
  wells 
  

   pass 
  through 
  shale 
  (largely 
  " 
  brown/' 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  logs). 
  Hard 
  

   siliceous 
  " 
  shell" 
  layers 
  are 
  encountered 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  in 
  this 
  shale, 
  

   and 
  in 
  one 
  well 
  hard 
  limy 
  " 
  shells" 
  were 
  struck 
  at 
  only 
  1,180 
  feet 
  

   from 
  the 
  surface. 
  These 
  limy 
  layers 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  

   just 
  above 
  the 
  oil 
  zone, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  above 
  

   this 
  horizon. 
  

  

  Oil 
  and 
  gas 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  minor 
  quantities 
  in 
  the 
  shale 
  at 
  various 
  

   depths, 
  from 
  500 
  feet 
  down 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  developed 
  area, 
  although 
  such 
  occurrences 
  are 
  not 
  recorded 
  for 
  

   the 
  wells 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  part. 
  

  

  BURNT 
  SHALE. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  Monterey 
  

   shale 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  is 
  the 
  evidence 
  that 
  combustion 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  

   within 
  it 
  at 
  certain 
  points 
  about 
  1,000 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  Mr. 
  

   Orcutt, 
  of 
  the 
  Union 
  Oil 
  Company, 
  exhibited 
  samples 
  of 
  red 
  shale 
  

   coming 
  from 
  depths 
  of 
  950 
  and 
  1,040 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  Hill 
  

   well 
  No. 
  1, 
  which 
  are 
  identical 
  in 
  appearance 
  and 
  texture 
  to 
  the 
  burnt 
  

   shale 
  found 
  so 
  abundantly 
  in 
  the 
  bituminous 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  Monterey 
  

   on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  field 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  fields 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  State. 
  Traces 
  of 
  petroleum 
  were 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  upper 
  

   stratum 
  of 
  burnt 
  shale 
  in 
  Hill 
  well 
  No. 
  1. 
  

  

  OIL 
  ZONES. 
  

  

  

  The 
  principal 
  productive 
  oil 
  zone 
  in 
  the 
  Lompoc 
  field 
  is 
  struck 
  at 
  

   depths 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  ranging 
  from 
  about 
  2,200 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  

   4,100 
  feet. 
  In 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  wells 
  the 
  productive 
  strata 
  are 
  overlain 
  

   by 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  prominent 
  series 
  of 
  limy 
  " 
  shell" 
  layers, 
  which 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  act 
  as 
  barriers 
  to 
  the 
  upward 
  migration 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  

   time. 
  The 
  hods 
  beneath 
  these 
  limy 
  " 
  shells" 
  are 
  true 
  sands 
  in 
  most 
  

   places, 
  although 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  these 
  sands 
  are 
  interstratified 
  

   with 
  varying 
  quantities 
  of 
  shale 
  and 
  limestone 
  " 
  shells." 
  The 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  zone 
  varies 
  from 
  about 
  160 
  to 
  700 
  feet, 
  and 
  a 
  productive 
  

   series 
  of 
  sands, 
  shales, 
  and 
  "shells" 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  penetrated 
  for 
  a 
  

  

  