196 
OIL DISTRICTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 
CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. 
Anyone at all familiar with the conditions of occurrence of petro¬ 
leum in the California fields knows that any but the most tentative 
predictions as to the location of the oil are extremely hazardous. 
The following conclusions, based on the evidence in hand, although 
lacking definiteness for obvious reasons, may be of some assistance 
to those carrying on development in the Los Angeles fields. 
CITY FIELDS. 
All of the evidence, both geologic and that obtained by exploita¬ 
tion, indicates that the productive territory in the region of the 
eastern, central, and western fields has been largely developed, in 
fact overdeveloped, for'the most part. It is very improbable, therefore, 
that prospecting outside of the already proved productive area, 
either immediately north or south of the oil belt, would result in 
success. 
EAST OF LOS ANGELES RIVER. 
Certain outcropping oil sands in the ravine occupied by the old 
Rapid Transit Railroad track indicate that oil-bearing strata under¬ 
lie the region east of Los Angeles River and south of this ravine. 
A number of wells have been sunk in this territory, however, and 
the greatest recorded production has been that of the Scott & Loftus 
well No. 1, which is said to have yielded 7 barrels of 17° B. oil per 
day. a It is to be borne in mind that the deepest well so far sunk 
in this territory is less than 1,000 feet deep and that deeper wells 
farther down the dip than those already drilled may possibly yield 
better results, providing water does not interfere with their opera¬ 
tion. 
The structure of the Fernando sand and gravel in the area north¬ 
east of Brooklyn Heights appears to be analogous to that in certain 
productive areas in the eastern field, as well as in the Puente Hills 
and Sulphur Mountain (Ventura County) fields. Moreover, the area 
mentioned is in the same formation and lies in the strike directly 
between the eastern field and the Whittier field. It does not seem 
improbable, therefore, that oil-bearing strata underlie the area 
here considered, although no direct evidence, such as seepages and 
brea, are known in the vicinity. 
Were the thick deposits of Pleistocene and late Fernando sedi¬ 
ments that conceal the structure of the older beds in the Raphetto 
Hills removed, these hills might be found to offer a remunerative 
field for exploitation with the drill. 
o Watts, W. L., Bull. California State Mining Bureau, No. 19, 1900, p. 73. 
