Natural gas in San Joaquin Valley, California
The San Joaquin Valley is a small geosynclinal basin between the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges of California. The structural axis of the basin lies close to the western margin of the valley. Gas is found in a variety of structural and stratigraphic traps. Typical fields representing gas production from traps of different types and rocks of different ages are described. The San Joaquin Valley natural gas reserves of approximately 4.7 trillion cu ft constitute about 46% of the total gas reserves in California. Gas is produced from rock units ranging in age from Late Cretaceous to Pleistocene. The wet gas comes mainly from Miocene rocks and the dry gas from Pliocene rocks. California's gas industry began in 1910 when the first pipelines were laid from Buena Vista Hills to Bakersfield. Expansion has continued through a period of oversupply in the late 1920's to the present period of insufficient supply from local sources. (24 refs.)
- Research Organization:
- Marathon Oil Co
- OSTI ID:
- 6043584
- Journal Information:
- Mem. - Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.; (United States), Journal Name: Mem. - Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.; (United States) Vol. 1:9; ISSN MAPGA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
History of petroleum exploration in California and the West Coast
Thermal history of rocks in southern San Joaquin Valley, California: Evidence from fission-track analysis
Related Subjects
030200* -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
CALIFORNIA
CENOZOIC ERA
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
INDUSTRY
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
NORTH AMERICA
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RESOURCES
STRATIGRAPHY
TERTIARY PERIOD
USA
WESTERN REGION