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##### U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1713

# Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California

### *Edited by* Allegra Hosford Scheirer

### 2007

*San Joaquin Basin Province (red outline) of California. County boundaries indicated by dashed brown lines (from figure 1).*

#### Introduction

In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed an assessment of the oil and gas resource potential of the San Joaquin Basin Province of California. The assessment is based on the geologic elements of each Total Petroleum System defined in the province, including hydrocarbon source rocks (source-rock type and maturation and hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and hydrocarbon traps (trap formation and timing). Using this geologic framework, the USGS defined five total petroleum systems and ten assessment units within these systems. Undiscovered oil and gas resources were quantitatively estimated for the ten assessment units. In addition, the potential was estimated for further growth of reserves in existing oil fields of the San Joaquin Basin.

#### Resource Summary

With respect to technically recoverable undiscovered conventional hydrocarbon resources in the San Joaquin Basin Province, the USGS estimated means of 1.8 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG), 393 million barrels of oil (MMBO), and 86 million barrels of total natural gas liquids (MMBNGL) for the five total petroleum systems (exclusive of reserve growth in existing oil fields). Well over half of both the mean undiscovered gas resource (61 percent, 1 TCFG) and the mean natural gas liquids resource (67 percent, or 57 MMBNGL) is in the Deep Fractured Pre-Monterey Assessment Unit of the Eocene-Miocene Composite Total Petroleum System (table 1.1). Of the mean 393 MMB of total undiscovered oil, about 332 MMBO (84 percent) is estimated to be in five assessment units of the Miocene Total Petroleum System, and 46 MMBO (12 percent) is estimated for the Eocene West Side Fold Belt Assessment Unit of the Eocene Composite Total Petroleum System (table 1.1). Nearly 31 percent, or 121 MMB, of the total mean undiscovered oil resource in the San Joaquin Basin Province is estimated to be in the Central Basin Monterey Diagenetic Traps Assessment Unit.On the basis of the analyses of recovery efficiencies and remaining oil-in-place, the USGS estimated that another 4,000 MMBO may be added to reserves in existing oil fields. A significant proportion of these reserves will come from improved recovery in diatomite reservoirs of the Monterey Formation. 

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### Chapters

Chapter 1*Executive Summary-Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the San Joaquin Basin Province of California, 2003* by USGS San Joaquin Basin Province Assessment Team1 (pp1713_ch01.pdf; 1.2 MB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch01

#### Geologic Framework and Exploration History

Chapter 2*Introduction* by Donald L. Gautier, Marilyn E. Tennyson, and Allegra Hosford Scheirer (coming soon)

Chapter 3*A Brief History of Oil and Gas Exploration in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California* by Kenneth I. Takahashi and Donald L. Gautier (pp1713_ch03.pdf; 33.2 MB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch03

Chapter 4*California Cenozoic Biostratigraphy—Paleogene* by Kristin McDougall (pp1713_ch04.pdf; 1.9 MB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch04

Chapter 5*Age, Distribution, and Stratigraphic Relationship of Rock Units in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California*  by Allegra Hosford Scheirer and Leslie B. Magoon (pp1713_ch05.pdf; 9.2 MB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch05

Chapter 6*Middle Tertiary Stratigraphic Sequences of the San Joaquin Basin, California* by Cari L. Johnson and Stephan A. Graham (pp1713_ch06.pdf; 1.9 MB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch06

Chapter 7*The Three-Dimensional Geologic Model Used for the 2003 National Oil and Gas Assessment of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California* by Allegra Hosford Scheirer (pp1713_ch07.pdf and appendices files; 38.8 MB total) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch07

#### Petroleum Systems and Modeling Efforts

Chapter 8*Total Petroleum Systems Used to Determine Assessment Units in the San Joaquin Basin Province for the 2003 National Oil and Gas Assessment* by Leslie B. Magoon, Paul G. Lillis, and Kenneth E. Peters (pp1713_ch08.pdf and appendices files; 7.1 MB total) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch08

Chapter 9*Petroleum Systems of the San Joaquin Basin Province—Geochemical Characteristics of Oil Types* by Paul G. Lillis and Leslie B. Magoon (pp1713_ch09.pdf and appendices files; 9.1 MB total) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch09

Chapter 10*Petroleum Systems of the San Joaquin Basin Province—Geochemical Characteristics of Gas Types* by Paul G. Lillis, Augusta Warden, George E. Claypool, and Leslie B. Magoon (pp1713_ch10.pdf and small appendix file; 5.9 MB total) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch10

Chapter 11*Source Rock Geochemistry of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California* by Kenneth E. Peters, Leslie B. Magoon, Zenon C. Valin, and Paul G. Lillis (pp1713_ch11.pdf; 2.1 MB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch11

Chapter 12*A Four Dimensional Petroleum Systems Model for the San Joaquin Basin Province, California* by Kenneth E. Peters, Leslie B. Magoon, Carolyn Lampe, Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Paul G. Lillis, and Donald L. Gautier (pp1713_ch12.pdf; 10.1 MB and appendix file; 10.2 MB compressed and 70.1 MB when expanded) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch12

#### Geologic Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources

Chapter 13*Miocene Total Petroleum System—Southeast Stable Shelf Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Donald L. Gautier and Allegra Hosford Scheirer (pp1713_ch13.pdf; 2.3 MB and appendix folder; 600 kB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch13

Chapter 14*Miocene Total Petroleum System—Lower Bakersfield Arch Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Donald L. Gautier and Allegra Hosford Scheirer (pp1713_ch14.pdf; 1.7 MB and appendix folder; 750 kB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch14

Chapter 15*Miocene Total Petroleum System—Miocene West Side Fold Belt Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Marilyn E. Tennyson (coming soon)

Chapter 16*Miocene Total Petroleum System—South of White Wolf Fault Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Marilyn E. Tennyson (coming soon)

Chapter 17*Miocene Total Petroleum System—Central Basin Monterey Diagenetic Traps Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Marilyn E. Tennyson, and Donald L. Gautier (coming soon)

Chapter 18*Eocene Composite Total Petroleum System—Eocene West Side Fold Belt Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Marilyn E. Tennyson (coming soon)

Chapter 19*Eocene Composite Total Petroleum System—North and East of Eocene West Side Fold Belt Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Donald L. Gautier and Allegra Hosford Scheirer (pp1713_ch19.pdf; 2.8 MB and appendix folder; 408 kB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch19

Chapter 20*Eocene-Miocene Composite Total Petroleum System—Deep Fractured Pre-Monterey Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Marilyn E. Tennyson and Allegra Hosford Scheirer (coming soon)

Chapter 21*Winters-Domengine Total Petroleum System—Northern Nonassociated Gas Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Allegra Hosford Scheirer and Leslie B. Magoon (pp1713_ch21.pdf; 7.0 MB and appendix folder; 574 kB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch21

Chapter 22*Neogene Non-associated Gas Total Petroleum System—Neogene Nonassociated Gas Assessment Unit of the San Joaquin Basin Province* by Leslie B. Magoon and Allegra Hosford Scheirer (pp1713_ch22.pdf; 1.5 MB and appendix folder; 574 kB) doi:10.3133/pp1713.ch22

#### Reserve Growth

Chapter 23*Growth of Reserves in Large San Joaquin Basin Oil Fields During the 20th Century* by Marilyn E. Tennyson (coming soon)

#### Assessment Methodology

Chapter 24*U.S. Geological Survey Assessment Concepts for Conventional Petroleum Accumulations* by James W. Schmoker and T.R. Klett (pp1713_ch24.pdf; 240 kB)

Chapter 25*U.S. Geological Survey Input-Data Form and Operational Procedure for the Assessment of Conventional Petroleum Accumulations* by T.R. Klett, James W. Schmoker, and Ronald R. Charpentier (pp1713_ch25.pdf; 256 kB)

Chapter 26*A Monte Carlo Simulation Method for the Assessment of Undiscovered, Conventional Oil and Gas* by Ronald R. Charpentier and T.R. Klett (pp1713_ch26.pdf, Emc2.xls, and emcee.xls; 416 kB total)

Chapter 27*Data Sources and Compilation* by T.R. Klett and James W. Schmoker (pp1713_ch27.pdf; 1460 kB)

Chapter 28*Tabular Data and Graphical Images in Support of the U.S. Geological Survey National Oil and Gas Assessment - San Joaquin Basin (5010)* by T.R. Klett and P.A. Le (pp1713_ch28.pdf; 200 kB)

Chapter 29*Glossary* by T.R. Klett, James W. Schmoker, Ronald R. Charpentier, Thomas S. Ahlbrandt, and Gregory F. Ulmishek (pp1713_ch29.pdf; 168 kB)

Chapter 30*Abbreviations and Acronyms* by T.R. Klett (pp1713_ch30.pdf; 104 kB)

Chapter 31*Conversion Factors (Approximate)* by T.R. Klett (pp1713_ch31.pdf; 112 kB)

1Donald L. Gautier (Task Leader), Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Kenneth E. Peters, Leslie B. Magoon, Paul G. Lillis, Ronald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Christopher D. French, Timothy R. Klett, Richard M. Pollastro, and Christopher J. Schenk.
**For additional information:**Contact Information, Energy Resources ProgramU.S. Geological Survey12201 Sunrise Valley DriveNational Center, MS 913Reston, VA 20192http://energy.usgs.gov/

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