Elk Hills Oil Field
Encyclopedia
The Elk Hills Oil Field (formerly the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1) is a large oil field
in northwestern Kern County
, in the Elk Hills of the San Joaquin Valley
, California
in the United States
, about twenty miles (32 km) west of Bakersfield
. Discovered in 1911, and having a cumulative production of close to 1.3 Goilbbl of oil at the end of 2006, it is the fifth-largest oil field in California, and the seventh-most productive field in the United States. Its estimated remaining reserves, as of the end of 2006, were around 107 Moilbbl, and it had 2,387 active oil-producing wells. It is by an order of magnitude the largest natural gas-producing oil field in California, having produced over 2 Tcuft of gas since its discovery, and retaining over 700 Gcuft in reserve, making it even larger than the Rio Vista Gas Field
, the largest non-associated natural gas field in the state.
The principal operator on the field is Occidental of Elk Hills, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum
. Largely as a consequence of their operations at Elk Hills, Occidental is the third-largest petroleum producer in California.
, and the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field
, the largest in California. West of the Elk Hills is the large McKittrick Oil Field
, and northwest is the even larger Cymric Oil Field
. Although the Elk Hills is only one field of many in a region of oil fields, it is geographically distinct because its boundaries correspond with the shape of the hills that give it its name.
Skyline Road, which is closed to public entry, follows the long axis of the field. It begins near McKittrick
and goes east, following the crest of the hills. Perpendicular to this road, and about halfway down its length, is Elk Hills Road, which connects the town of Taft to the south with Buttonwillow
to the north. Two guarded gates to the Occidental Petroleum operations, 3 and 4, make up the intersection with Skyline Road on the summit of the range.
Overall the oil field is approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) long roughly following the crestline of the hills, and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) across at the widest point. It encompasses 21170 acres (85.7 km²) considered productive, or about 33 square miles (85.5 km²).
compared to other nearby fields, many of which are a single large pool in a simple structural trap. Thirteen separate oil pools have been identified so far in the Elk Hills Field, in rock units ranging in age from Oligocene
to Pleistocene
. The shallowest formation, the Tulare, was the first in which oil was found, at 1120 feet (341.4 m) below ground surface, and the deepest, the Oligocene portion of the Temblor containing the Agua Pool at a depth of 9500 feet (2,895.6 m), was not found until 1977.
, concerned about the long-term availability of petroleum for the U.S. Navy, designated the region as the nation's first Naval Petroleum Reserve.
The dusty Elk Hills have a prominent role in U.S. political history, for it was the lease of this land by Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall
, to Pan American Petroleum in 1922 in return for personal loans at no interest, that brought on the Teapot Dome scandal
which ruined the reputation of the administration of Warren G. Harding
, now commonly considered to be one of the most corrupt in U.S. history. In 1927 the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the lease, and returned the Elk Hills to the U.S. government.
The oil field went largely untapped, held as a reserve, until the mid-1970s, when Congress passed the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act in response to the 1973-1974 Arab Oil Embargo. In 1976 the Carter Administration opened the lands for drilling and production again. NPR-1, operated by Williams Brothers Engineering Company, reached peak production in 1981, pumping 42 million barrels (6.7 million cubic meters) of oil out of the Stevens Pool in that year alone.
A drive to privatize some government lands during the mid-1990s succeeded in 1997 with the sale of the reserve to Occidental Petroleum, the highest bidder. Occidental took over operations in early 1998 and has been the principal operator since then; in 2008 they had a 78% interest in the oil field. Current reserves are claimed to be either 106,554,000 barrels of oil (according to the California Department of Conservation) or 484,000,000 barrels of oil equivalent, according to Occidental Petroleum.
(Stylocline citroleum), a tiny plant endemic to the Elk Hills area, was given its name because it is limited to oil field
country.
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
in northwestern Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, in the Elk Hills of the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, about twenty miles (32 km) west of Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. Discovered in 1911, and having a cumulative production of close to 1.3 Goilbbl of oil at the end of 2006, it is the fifth-largest oil field in California, and the seventh-most productive field in the United States. Its estimated remaining reserves, as of the end of 2006, were around 107 Moilbbl, and it had 2,387 active oil-producing wells. It is by an order of magnitude the largest natural gas-producing oil field in California, having produced over 2 Tcuft of gas since its discovery, and retaining over 700 Gcuft in reserve, making it even larger than the Rio Vista Gas Field
Rio Vista Gas Field
The Rio Vista Gas Field is a large natural gas field in the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in northern California. Discovered in 1936, and in continuous operation since, it has produced over of gas in its lifetime, and retains an estimated reserve of approximately . p. 62. In 2008 alone,...
, the largest non-associated natural gas field in the state.
The principal operator on the field is Occidental of Elk Hills, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America...
. Largely as a consequence of their operations at Elk Hills, Occidental is the third-largest petroleum producer in California.
Setting
The oil field underlies the Elk Hills, a range of low hills trending west to east with a high elevation of 1551 feet (472.7 m). To the north, east, and southeast are the agricultural fields of the San Joaquin Valley, and to the southwest is the Buena Vista Valley. Across that valley is the town of TaftTaft, California
Taft is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. Taft is located west-southwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 955 feet . The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census...
, and the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field
Midway-Sunset Oil Field
The Midway-Sunset Oil Field is a large oil field in Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California in the United States. Discovered in 1894, and having a cumulative production of close to of oil at the end of 2006, it is the largest oil field in California and the third largest in the United States....
, the largest in California. West of the Elk Hills is the large McKittrick Oil Field
McKittrick Oil Field
The McKittrick Oil Field is a large oil and gas field in western Kern County, California. The town of McKittrick overlies the northeastern portion of the oil field...
, and northwest is the even larger Cymric Oil Field
Cymric Oil Field
The Cymric Oil Field is a large oil field in Kern County, California in the United States. While only the 14th-largest oil field in California in total size, in terms of total remaining reserves it ranks fifth, with the equivalent of over still in the ground...
. Although the Elk Hills is only one field of many in a region of oil fields, it is geographically distinct because its boundaries correspond with the shape of the hills that give it its name.
Skyline Road, which is closed to public entry, follows the long axis of the field. It begins near McKittrick
McKittrick, California
McKittrick is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. McKittrick is located northwest of Taft, at an elevation of 1056 feet . The population was 115 at the 2010 census, down from 160 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and goes east, following the crest of the hills. Perpendicular to this road, and about halfway down its length, is Elk Hills Road, which connects the town of Taft to the south with Buttonwillow
Buttonwillow, California
Buttonwillow is a census-designated place in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. Buttonwilliow is located west of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 269 feet . The population was 1,508 at the 2010 census, up from 1,266 at the 2000 census...
to the north. Two guarded gates to the Occidental Petroleum operations, 3 and 4, make up the intersection with Skyline Road on the summit of the range.
Overall the oil field is approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) long roughly following the crestline of the hills, and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) across at the widest point. It encompasses 21170 acres (85.7 km²) considered productive, or about 33 square miles (85.5 km²).
Geology
The Elk Hills Oil Field has a complex stratigraphyStratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
compared to other nearby fields, many of which are a single large pool in a simple structural trap. Thirteen separate oil pools have been identified so far in the Elk Hills Field, in rock units ranging in age from Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
to Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. The shallowest formation, the Tulare, was the first in which oil was found, at 1120 feet (341.4 m) below ground surface, and the deepest, the Oligocene portion of the Temblor containing the Agua Pool at a depth of 9500 feet (2,895.6 m), was not found until 1977.
Production and political history
Associated Oil Company discovered the field in June 1911, with the drilling of their "Well No. 1," to a depth of 4030 feet (1,228.3 m). The official "discovery" well, however, was drilled by the Standard Oil Company ("Hay No. 1") in January, 1919. By 1912 the field's capacity was considered to be significant enough that President William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
, concerned about the long-term availability of petroleum for the U.S. Navy, designated the region as the nation's first Naval Petroleum Reserve.
The dusty Elk Hills have a prominent role in U.S. political history, for it was the lease of this land by Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall
Albert B. Fall
Albert Bacon Fall was a United States Senator from New Mexico and the Secretary of the Interior under President Warren G. Harding, infamous for his involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal.-Early life and family:...
, to Pan American Petroleum in 1922 in return for personal loans at no interest, that brought on the Teapot Dome scandal
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
which ruined the reputation of the administration of Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
, now commonly considered to be one of the most corrupt in U.S. history. In 1927 the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the lease, and returned the Elk Hills to the U.S. government.
The oil field went largely untapped, held as a reserve, until the mid-1970s, when Congress passed the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act in response to the 1973-1974 Arab Oil Embargo. In 1976 the Carter Administration opened the lands for drilling and production again. NPR-1, operated by Williams Brothers Engineering Company, reached peak production in 1981, pumping 42 million barrels (6.7 million cubic meters) of oil out of the Stevens Pool in that year alone.
A drive to privatize some government lands during the mid-1990s succeeded in 1997 with the sale of the reserve to Occidental Petroleum, the highest bidder. Occidental took over operations in early 1998 and has been the principal operator since then; in 2008 they had a 78% interest in the oil field. Current reserves are claimed to be either 106,554,000 barrels of oil (according to the California Department of Conservation) or 484,000,000 barrels of oil equivalent, according to Occidental Petroleum.
2009 discovery
Occidental Petroleum announced in 2009 that it had made a major discovery of oil and natural gas in Kern County, calling it the largest onshore California oil and gas discovery in 35 years. Although Occidental declined to divulge the location, state records show that Occidental has been drilling wells to depths of 10,000 feet to 12,000 feet at the northwest end of Elk Hills Field, between Elk Hills and Railroad Gap Field. Occidental estimated the new find to contain 150 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), of which about one-third is oil.Ecology
The oil neststrawStylocline citroleum
Stylocline citroleum is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name oil neststraw.-Distribution:...
(Stylocline citroleum), a tiny plant endemic to the Elk Hills area, was given its name because it is limited to oil field
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
country.
Further reading
- California Oil and Gas Fields, Volumes I, II and III. Vol. I (1998), Vol. II (1992), Vol. III (1982). California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). 1,472 pp. Elk Hills field information is on pp. 168-173. PDF file available on CD from www.consrv.ca.gov.
- California Department of Conservation, Oil and Gas Statistics, Annual Report, December 31, 2006.
- Center for Public Integrity: timeline of events at Elk Hills
External links
- Elk Hills Initially Underestimated, from "100 Years of Oil" (Bakersfield Californian)
- Panoramic view of Elk Hills Oil Field in 2002