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  SANTA 
  MARIA 
  OIL 
  DISTRICT, 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  being 
  1 
  per 
  cenl 
  is 
  too 
  liberal, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  low 
  estimates 
  

   of 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  diatomaceous 
  material 
  present 
  and 
  the 
  complete 
  

   ignoring 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  important 
  organic 
  sources 
  for 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  shale, 
  

   would 
  still 
  cause 
  the 
  estimate 
  to 
  be 
  conservative. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  the 
  question, 
  What 
  kind 
  of 
  organic 
  material 
  has 
  a 
  

   character 
  most 
  favorable 
  for 
  producing 
  oil? 
  the 
  relative 
  rate 
  of 
  putre- 
  

   faction 
  is 
  important. 
  Plants 
  have 
  the 
  advantage 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  their 
  

   slower 
  rate 
  of 
  decomposition. 
  David 
  White 
  inclines 
  to 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  

   plants 
  are 
  more 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  oil, 
  largely 
  for 
  this 
  

   reason. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  putrefaction, 
  which 
  is 
  largely 
  a 
  bacterial 
  

   process, 
  goes 
  on 
  more 
  rapidly 
  in 
  animal 
  tissue, 
  while 
  vegetable 
  mate- 
  

   rial 
  has 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  turn 
  into 
  hydrocarbons. 
  The 
  slow 
  decompo- 
  

   sition 
  of 
  the 
  protoplasm 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  diatom 
  frustule 
  is 
  especially 
  

   significant. 
  F. 
  J. 
  Keeley, 
  of 
  the 
  Philadelphia 
  Academy 
  of 
  Natural 
  

   Sciences, 
  says 
  as 
  follows 
  in 
  a 
  letter: 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  point 
  I 
  can 
  think 
  of 
  that 
  might 
  have 
  any 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  

   relation 
  of 
  diatoms 
  to 
  petroleum 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  organic 
  matter 
  of 
  diatoms 
  does 
  not 
  

   appear 
  to 
  decompose 
  and 
  become 
  dissipated 
  quickly 
  after 
  death, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  

   most 
  low 
  organisms. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  diatoms 
  kept 
  in 
  water 
  will 
  show 
  the 
  

   shrunken 
  contents 
  for 
  years, 
  and 
  Ehrenberg 
  noted 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  such 
  organic 
  con- 
  

   tents 
  in 
  old 
  fossil 
  diatoms 
  from 
  Hanover, 
  while 
  J. 
  Brun 
  reports 
  a 
  similar 
  observation 
  

   in 
  a 
  fossil 
  deposit 
  from 
  Holland. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  round 
  wmite 
  diatom 
  tests 
  of 
  

   the 
  soft 
  Monterey 
  shale 
  contain 
  minute 
  specks 
  of 
  black 
  that 
  appear 
  

   like 
  bituminous 
  material 
  derived 
  in 
  situ 
  from 
  the 
  diatom. 
  These 
  

   specks, 
  however, 
  are 
  present 
  in 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  tests 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  proof 
  that 
  the 
  black 
  substance 
  has 
  not 
  come 
  from 
  

   infiltration 
  and 
  deposition 
  in 
  the 
  slight 
  hollow 
  of 
  the 
  shell. 
  Thin 
  

   sections 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  reveal 
  small 
  black 
  filaments 
  that 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  

   carbonaceous 
  material. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  ooze 
  at 
  the 
  sea 
  bottom 
  in 
  Monterey 
  time 
  

   was 
  being 
  deposited 
  very 
  rapidly. 
  The 
  idea 
  of 
  rapid 
  accumulation 
  

   of 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  diatoms, 
  aided 
  by 
  the 
  accession 
  of 
  organic 
  and 
  

   detrital 
  material 
  of 
  other 
  kinds, 
  is 
  quite 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  the 
  well- 
  

   known 
  faculty 
  of 
  these 
  organisms 
  for 
  quick 
  and 
  abundant 
  reproduc- 
  

   tion; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  but 
  an 
  essential 
  corollary 
  of 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  deposits 
  of 
  such 
  vast 
  thickness 
  w 
  T 
  ere 
  formed 
  during 
  

   middle 
  Miocene 
  time. 
  This 
  rapid 
  accumulation 
  created 
  further 
  

   favorable 
  conditions 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  oil, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  organic 
  

   substance 
  that 
  reached 
  the 
  sea 
  floor 
  became 
  quickly 
  buried 
  without 
  

   sufficient 
  time 
  intervening 
  for 
  decomposition 
  to 
  go 
  very 
  far. 
  Thus 
  

   the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  diatom 
  frustules 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  plant 
  and 
  

   animal 
  remains 
  became 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  deposit. 
  

  

  The 
  alkalinity 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  another 
  favoring 
  factor. 
  

   As 
  the 
  deposits 
  grew, 
  salts 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  water 
  were 
  probably 
  included 
  

  

  