Kern River Oil Field
Encyclopedia
The Kern River Oil Field is a large oil field
in Kern County
in the San Joaquin Valley
of California
, north-northeast of Bakersfield
in the lower Sierra foothills. According to a California State Historical Marker of the original site in Kern County, "Oil was discovered at 70 feet in 1899, when Tom Means persuaded Roy Elwood and Frank Wiseman, aided by Jonathan, Bert, Jed, and Ken Elwood, George Wiseman, and John Marlowe, to dig here for oil. On June 1, 1899, 400 feet to the north, Horace and Milton McWhorter drilled this region's first commercial well." Yielding a cumulative production of close to 2 Goilbbl of oil by the end of 2006, it is the third largest oil field in California, after the Midway-Sunset Oil Field
and the Wilmington Oil Field
, and the fifth largest in the United States. Its estimated remaining reserves, as of the end of 2006, were around 476 Moilbbl, the second largest in the state. It had 9,183 active wells, the second highest in the state. The principal operator on the field was Chevron Corporation
flows south of the field, from east to west, from the Sierra Nevada into the city of Bakersfield.
The oil field is one of many contiguous oil fields along the eastern edge of the southern San Joaquin Valley, lying between the Kern Front
field to the northwest and the Kern Bluff field to the southeast, on the other side of the Kern River. Directly north of the Kern River field is the large Mount Poso Oil Field
, entirely in the Sierra foothills, and to the northeast is the Round Mountain Oil Field
.
-Pleistocene
age, and lies 400 to 1300 feet (396.2 m) below ground surface; the Vedder and Jewett are of Oligocene
and Miocene
ages, respectively, with depths of 4,700 and 4220 feet (1,286.3 m).
The deepest well in the Kern River Oil Field was originally drilled by Standard Oil of California, and attained a depth of 6986 feet (2,129.3 m) below ground surface. The granitic basement rocks were of late Jurassic
age.
, which has gradually acquired the field through buyout and merger with the various other operators, including Tidewater
, one of the original developers of the enhanced production technologies that revived the field in the 1960s; Getty Oil
; and Texaco
.
While most of the oil has been removed from the field, enhanced production technologies such as steam flooding have made it possible to extract much of the oil once considered unfeasible to recover. The recent high price of oil also makes recovery of previously marginal pools attractive. Total estimated reserves of the Kern River field at the end of 2006 totaled more than 475 Moilbbl, which represented approximately 15% of California's 3.2 Goilbbl reserve.
Wastewater from the field was once allowed to drain directly into the streams dissecting the region, and thence into the Kern River. This practice ended in the 1960s and 1970s when more stringent environmental regulations were enacted both on federal and state levels. Wastewater now is treated in facilities specifically built for this purpose, and after the treatment, is used to irrigate crops in the San Joaquin Valley.
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 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 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...
of 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...
, north-northeast 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....
in the lower Sierra foothills. According to a California State Historical Marker of the original site in Kern County, "Oil was discovered at 70 feet in 1899, when Tom Means persuaded Roy Elwood and Frank Wiseman, aided by Jonathan, Bert, Jed, and Ken Elwood, George Wiseman, and John Marlowe, to dig here for oil. On June 1, 1899, 400 feet to the north, Horace and Milton McWhorter drilled this region's first commercial well." Yielding a cumulative production of close to 2 Goilbbl of oil by the end of 2006, it is the third largest oil field in California, after the 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....
and the Wilmington Oil Field
Wilmington Oil Field
The Wilmington Oil Field is a large petroleum field in Los Angeles County in southern California in the United States in terms of cumulative oil produced. Discovered in 1932, it is the third largest oil field in the United States...
, and the fifth largest in the United States. Its estimated remaining reserves, as of the end of 2006, were around 476 Moilbbl, the second largest in the state. It had 9,183 active wells, the second highest in the state. The principal operator on the field was Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
Geographic setting
The Kern River Oil Field covers an area of 10750 acres (43.5 km²) in a rough oval extending over the low hills north-northeast of Bakersfield, hills which are now almost completely barren except for oil rigs, drilling pads and associated equipment. This area is the densest operational oil development in the state of California: Midway-Sunset, which has more wells, is almost three times as large in surface area, for a lower overall density. Elevations on the Kern River Oil Field range from approximately 400 to 1000 feet (304.8 m), rising towards the northeast, and the Kern RiverKern River
The Kern River is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for...
flows south of the field, from east to west, from the Sierra Nevada into the city of Bakersfield.
The oil field is one of many contiguous oil fields along the eastern edge of the southern San Joaquin Valley, lying between the Kern Front
Kern Front Oil Field
The Kern Front Oil Field is a large oil and gas field in the lower Sierra Nevada foothills in Kern County, California. Discovered in 1912, and with a cumulative production of around of oil, it ranks 29th in size in the state, and is believed to retain approximately ten percent of its original oil...
field to the northwest and the Kern Bluff field to the southeast, on the other side of the Kern River. Directly north of the Kern River field is the large Mount Poso Oil Field
Mount Poso Oil Field
The Mount Poso Oil Field is a large oil and gas field in the lower foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Kern County, California. Discovered in 1926, and relatively close to exhaustion with less than three percent of its original oil remaining, it is the 21st largest field in California by...
, entirely in the Sierra foothills, and to the northeast is the Round Mountain Oil Field
Round Mountain Oil Field
The Round Mountain Oil Field is a large oil and gas field in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about ten miles northeast of Bakersfield, California. It is east of the giant Kern River Oil Field, one of the largest in the United States, and also close to the Mount Poso Oil Field and...
.
Geology
Unlike some of the other Kern County oil fields which contain numerous pools, the Kern River field has one large pool, named for the field itself (the Kern River) and two smaller pools, the Vedder and Jewett, discovered in 1981 and 1985 respectively. The formation containing the Kern River pool is of PliocenePliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
-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 ....
age, and lies 400 to 1300 feet (396.2 m) below ground surface; the Vedder and Jewett are of 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...
and Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
ages, respectively, with depths of 4,700 and 4220 feet (1,286.3 m).
The deepest well in the Kern River Oil Field was originally drilled by Standard Oil of California, and attained a depth of 6986 feet (2,129.3 m) below ground surface. The granitic basement rocks were of late Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
age.
Operations and estimated reserves
The principal operator of the Kern River Field is ChevronChevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
, which has gradually acquired the field through buyout and merger with the various other operators, including Tidewater
Tidewater Petroleum
Tidewater Oil Company was a major petroleum refining and marketing concern in the United States for more than 80 years. Tidewater was best known for its Flying A-branded products and gas stations, and for Veedol motor oil, which was known throughout the world.Tidewater was founded in New York City...
, one of the original developers of the enhanced production technologies that revived the field in the 1960s; Getty Oil
Getty Oil
Getty Oil is an oil company founded by J. Paul Getty. It was at its height during the 1960s. In 1971, the Getty Realty division was formed to manage the real estate needs of Getty stations. The division was later spun off, but now owns the rights to the Getty brand...
; and Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
.
While most of the oil has been removed from the field, enhanced production technologies such as steam flooding have made it possible to extract much of the oil once considered unfeasible to recover. The recent high price of oil also makes recovery of previously marginal pools attractive. Total estimated reserves of the Kern River field at the end of 2006 totaled more than 475 Moilbbl, which represented approximately 15% of California's 3.2 Goilbbl reserve.
Wastewater from the field was once allowed to drain directly into the streams dissecting the region, and thence into the Kern River. This practice ended in the 1960s and 1970s when more stringent environmental regulations were enacted both on federal and state levels. Wastewater now is treated in facilities specifically built for this purpose, and after the treatment, is used to irrigate crops in the San Joaquin Valley.
External links
- 100 Years of Oil, from the Bakersfield Californian: stories about local oilfields including the Kern River