Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-30
BILLIONS IN OIL
STORED IN EARTH
Vast Resources of CoaIinga Dis
trict Estimated by Govern
ment Biologists

A report on the geology and oil re-
sources of the Coalinga oil district in
the western part of Fresno and Kings
counties by Ralph Arnold and Robert
Anderson has been published by the
United States geological survey as
bulletin 1893. This bulletin may be had
without cost by applying to the director
of the survey at Washington.
The district described is declared to
be about fifteen miles wide and fifty
miles long, stretching along the north
east base of the Diablo range, and in
| cludes a band of productive oil land
three miles wide and thirteen miles
long at It's north end and narrow
strip of oil land along its southwestern
| boundary.
The region includes about $50 produce
ing wells, which range in depth from
900 to 1000 feet and penetrate from
twenty to 200 feet of oil land. The pro-
duct ranges from a black oil Of 10 de-
grees Baume to a green oil of 35 de-
grees Baume. The yield of single wells
differs greatly, ranging from three to
5000 barrels a day.
The district Is declared to be the
leading producer in California and one
of the most productive in the world. It's
production in 1907 was 1871, 1923 barrels,
! in 1908 1t was 10, 3S6, 1853 barrels and in
1909 1t was probably 100000 barrels or
more.
The total quantity of oil thus far
taken from the ground in the district
to the end Of 1909 was about 63,000,0OO
barrels of forty-two gallons each, leav-
ing available q vast store of oil which
has been roughly estimated as 2,737, ,0OO,-
900 barrels Even If this great quantity
of oil is In the ground 1t is not possible
to state whether all of 1t can ever be
obf n declares fba hnllptin
Pipe lines connect the district with
the seaboard at Monterey, 110 miles
away, with San Francisco bay, 200
miles away, and with other points.
The report describes the topography,
geology, paleontology and oil in the
Coalinga district, which have been in
part described in an earlier report pub
lished by the survey, but not obtain
| able now. The present report includes
a more complete discussion of the dis
trict and many new maps, sections and
other illustrations, besides a paper by
Irving c. Allen on the chemical and
physical properties of the oils. Many
| interesting points in connection with
| the history of the region in past geo.
detic ages are brought out, and by
means of careful descriptions of the
formations a foundation is laid for
an accurate study Of the occurrence of
oil within this region and for the trac-
ing of formations and oil horizons in
other parts of California.
The report covers 354 pages and in
cludes fifty-two plates and nine text
| figures. The characteristic fossils of
the rocks of the region are fully illus
trated. These afford a means of iden-
| tifying particular strata from place to
place. and of determining the depth and
position of the oil-bearing sands.
The discussions of the oil zones, of
the factors affecting the accumulation
and the gravity of the oil, of the rela-
tions of oil and water, and of the origin
of the oil are of broad general interest.
The maps and diagrams and the de-
tailed accounts of the geology of the
wells and the character of their various
mediate value.