Misplaced Pages

#516483

42-523: The oil field one of the two significant fields in the Cuyama Valley, the other being the much larger South Cuyama Oil Field . The Russell Ranch field is about seven miles (11 km) west-northwest of the town of New Cuyama . The total productive area is about 1,540 acres (6.2 km), and the field is about five miles (8 km) long by one-half mile across, with the long axis trending approximately northwest to southeast, beginning at Whiterock Bluff in

84-468: A couple of loaves of bread and a jar of peanut butter. When he submitted one expense account totaling $ 14.92 for one such mapping project, his Richfield Oil supervisor objected that he couldn't have even fed himself for that amount, to which Dibblee replied: "Oh, I find lots of things I like to eat up in the hills." He joined the US Geological Survey in 1952, and was assigned to geologic mapping in

126-641: A figure typical of a field near the end of its useful life. At the end of 2008, there were 44 wells still active on the field, all operated by E&B. All but one of these wells was in the Main Area; the other was the solitary well still producing in the Southeast Area. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved an oil well and pipeline project within the Carrizo Plain National Monument in 2018, but withdrew it after Los Padres ForestWatch and

168-406: A large find for a region previously written off as being without petroleum potential. The discovery of oil here and in the nearby Russell Ranch Oil Field transformed the Cuyama Valley from an almost uninhabited region with a few cattle ranches into a mini-boom area; ARCO built the town of New Cuyama in the years after the oil discovery to house the oil workers and provide associated services. ARCO

210-530: A porosity of between 23 and 32 percent. The oil field has four separate pools or producing horizons within its main area, and one small pool in another area about one-half mile southeast of the main part of the field. The four pools in the main area, all discovered in 1948 and 1949, are the Santa Margarita, in the formation of the same name, of late Miocene age; and the Dibblee, Griggs-Dibblee, and Colgrove, all in

252-427: A promising sign. Norris Oil Company put in the discovery well on January 1, 1948, which produced 190 barrels per day (30 m/d); unfortunately the production turned to water quickly, and prospectors began looking for a more favorable location. Richfield Oil Company, an ancestor of ARCO (now BP ), put in the well which found the most productive area of the field, drilling to a depth of 4,218 feet (1,286 m) into

294-455: A volunteer. Although he was "retired," he mapped the geology of more than 3,000 square miles (7,800 km ) in the national forest. In 1949 Dibblee married Loretta Escabosa, whom he met when she was a secretary at Richfield Oil. They had a long marriage, with no children. Loretta died in 2001. In 2004, Dibblee died in Santa Barbara. He was 93 years old. The Dibblee Geological Foundation

336-513: A well drilled there in 1975 was abandoned in 1978 after producing 42,000 barrels (6,700 m ). Richfield Oil Co., later part of Atlantic Richfield Company ( ARCO ), drilled the first well in the area to hit oil, on the advice of Thomas Dibblee , in May 1949. Richfield named the oil-bearing unit, the Dibblee Sand, in his honor. This single well initially produced 525 barrels per day (83.5 m /d),

378-584: Is a large oil and gas field in the Cuyama Valley and the adjacent northern foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in northeastern Santa Barbara County, California . Discovered in 1949, and with a cumulative production of around 225 million barrels (35,800,000 m ) of oil, it ranks 27th in size in the state, but is believed to retain only approximately two percent of its original oil (approximately 4.6 million barrels (730,000 m )), according to

420-651: Is about 2,000 to 2,500 feet (760 m) of the Pliocene Morales Formation . None of these upper rocks are oil-bearing, although gas has been produced from the Santa Margarita Formation. Oil from the South Cuyama Field is of generally medium to high API gravity , ranging from 28 to 36 API, so it flows easily. A small pool in the Dibblee Sand in the now-abandoned Southeast Area of the field had oil of even higher gravity and lower viscosity;

462-616: Is also known, together with co-author Mason Hill , for the assertion in 1953 that hundreds of miles of lateral movement had taken place along the San Andreas Fault in California , an idea that was radical at the time, but which has been vindicated by later work and the modern theory of plate tectonics . Dibblee was one of the most prolific field geologists in American history, and over a 60-year career of field mapping, including 25 years with

SECTION 10

#1732852748517

504-412: Is cut by many small faults, and the oil exists in a series of stratigraphic traps , where it is in most cases blocked in its upward motion by impermeable blocks of Monterey, often offset by faults. The average depth of oil in the field is about 4,200 feet (1,300 m) below ground surface, and the thickness of the oil-bearing units rarely exceeds 200 feet (61 m); in the separate southeastern area of

546-591: Is in a large homocline , including porous sedimentary units dipping northeast and essentially planar, which terminate at the Russell Fault, a normal fault with an approximately 1,000-foot (300 m) vertical offset which has barricaded upwards movement of hydrocarbons against impermeable rock of Pliocene age. The oil-bearing rocks in the homocline – the Santa Margarita and Vaqueros Formations , of late and early Miocene age respectively – are sandstones with

588-525: The Caliente Range , crossing under the Cuyama River , and ending in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains . The Cuyama River, and California State Route 166 which parallels the river, cut through the center of the field; travelers on Route 166 have a brief view of oil storage tanks and several pumpjacks, but most of the oilfield operations are out of sight from the public right-of-way. Elevations on

630-459: The Center for Biological Diversity filed objections citing the potential for oil spills, air pollution and harm to wildlife, among other environmental concerns. The BLM approved the project in 2020 after their analysis showed that the new well posed no undue health or safety concerns, had no significant impacts to the environment and was consistent with management directives for the monument. An agreement

672-642: The Mojave Desert . In 1953 he and co-worker Mason Hill published a paper proposing 350 miles (560 km) of lateral movement along the San Andreas Fault. At that time, prior to plate tectonics theory, there was no known mechanism that could cause such large-scale movements. Dibblee retired from the USGS in 1977, and the following year began mapping the geology of the Los Padres National Forest as

714-638: The US Geological Survey , left a legacy of 40,000 square miles (100,000 km ) of geologic maps, covering approximately one fourth of the state of California. Dibblee was born in 1911, the eldest son of Thomas Dibblee Sr. and Anita Oreña Dibblee. His earliest California ancestor was Captain José de la Guerra y Noriega , the Comandante of the Presidio of Santa Barbara . Dibblee grew up on Rancho San Julian , one of

756-634: The Cuyama River dries up by the late summer in most years. The area is prone to brushfires in the summer and fall; indeed a fire in 1994 caused a loss of $ 76,000 to the operators, and in July 2006 an accident on the oil field involving a metal plate crossing power lines started the Perkins Fire, which burned 15,000 acres (61 km ) on the north side of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Native vegetation in

798-414: The Cuyama Valley is open to the sea, although through a narrow gap. Summers are hot with temperatures commonly exceeding 100 °F (38 °C); winters are cool, with the mean freeze-free period being about 250 days. Average annual rainfall is about 12 inches, almost all of it falling in the winter in the form of rain, although occasional snowfall has occurred. All streams are dry in the summer, and even

840-490: The Dibblee - de la Guerra family ranches. He became interested in geology as a boy, when he assisted a geologist who surveyed the family ranch for oil-bearing structures. After graduating from Stanford University in 1936, Dibblee worked briefly for the California Division of Mines, then went to work for Union Oil Company and then Richfield Oil as a field exploration petroleum geologist. His field mapping led to

882-481: The Dibblee Formation commencing in 1964 and 1955, respectively. As of 2008, E&B Resources still uses waterflooding to assist in flow of oil to pumping wells; other wells are designated for water disposal. At the end of 2008, the average water cut – the percentage of liquid pumped from oil wells that was water – was running at 98.4 percent, indicating a field very close to the end of its useful life. Wells on

SECTION 20

#1732852748517

924-518: The Dibblee Sand (named for Thomas Dibblee , the geologist who led Richfield to explore for oil in the Cuyama Valley). This well produced over 350 barrels per day (56 m/d), and many more wells followed; each of the producing horizons had been discovered before 1950, and by July 1, 1950, there were 142 producing wells on the field. The success of the Russell Ranch field development led quickly to

966-549: The Vaqueros Formation of early Miocene age. The pool in the Southeast Area is also in the Dibblee Sand of the Vaqueros Formation. Depths of the pools range from 2,500 feet (760 m) below ground surface in the Santa Margarita to 3,600 in the Dibblee Sand in the Southeast area, and oil is of medium grade, with API gravity ranging from 25 to 40. Sulfur content is generally low, with values from 0.26 to 0.46 percent in each of

1008-477: The discovery of the Russell Ranch Oil Field , the first oil field to be found in the Cuyama Valley in 1948, and then to the nearby larger South Cuyama Oil Field in 1949. Dibblee was known for "roughing it" during his field mapping trips, for which he dropped out of sight for a week or two at a time. Some of colleagues report that during these trips, he would sleep in his car and take little more than

1050-555: The discovery of the South Cuyama field about seven miles (11 km) to the southeast, in 1949; this field proved to have over three times the oil of the Russell Ranch field, and remains the largest in the Cuyama Valley. The field reached its peak production in 1950, when 7.9 million barrels (1,260,000 m) of oil were withdrawn from the reservoir. Inevitably, production declined, and field operators employed several enhanced recovery technologies to increase reservoir pressure and keep

1092-417: The distance from the coast; winters are colder, with occasional freezes, and summertime temperatures sometimes top 100 °F (38 °C). Drainage is to the Cuyama River, which flows out to the ocean at Guadalupe . In the vicinity of the oil field, the predominant land use, aside from activities associated with oil production and storage, is cattle grazing. The bottomlands of the Cuyama Valley, adjacent to

1134-410: The east and State Route 33 . Elevations on the field range from approximately 2,200 to 3,000 feet (670 to 910 meters). The productive area of the field is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long by two across, with the long axis running northwest to southeast; the total productive area as reported by DOGGR is 2,650 acres (10.7 km ). The climate is semi-arid, with occasional marine influence, as

1176-421: The field are on hilly terrain, and some is within the Los Padres National Forest . The field can be reached from California State Route 166 via Aliso Canyon Road on the northwest, and Perkins Road on the northeast; Perkins Road joins 166 at the town of New Cuyama. While these roads run roughly north-south, Foothill Road crosses through the field from east to west, eventually reaching Santa Barbara Canyon Road on

1218-409: The field on the east-southeast, are primarily agricultural. Unlike many oil fields in central California, the Russell Ranch field is not an anticlinal formation with an obvious surface expression – indeed the geologic formation containing oil is quite invisible from the ground surface, being covered with alluvium and masked by the mountain ranges running almost perpendicular to the oil field. The oil

1260-476: The field range from around 1,750 feet (530 m) where the river cuts across the field, to around 2,200 feet (670 m) at the southern end in the hills. Terrain consists of an alluvial plain around the river, and grass- and brush-covered hills, cut by numerous gullies and badlands, at both ends of the field in the lower portion of the Caliente and Sierra Madre mountains. Climate is Mediterranean , but modified by

1302-422: The field were producing an average of 7.9 barrels of oil per day, and the operators have been reinjecting the enormous quantities of water produced with the oil back into the formation through approximately 50 water disposal and water flood wells scattered throughout the field. E&B also maintains a gas processing plant, known as Gas Plant 10, on the eastern side of the oil field; all natural gas production from

Russell Ranch Oil Field - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-637: The field, where the Colgrove sand is 5,840 feet (1,780 m) below ground surface, the oil bearing rock is only 50 feet (15 m) thick. The source rock for the South Cuyama oil is most likely the Soda Lake Shale member of the Vaqueros Formation. Overlying the faulted and broken Miocene rocks, which include the Monterey , Branch Canyon , and Santa Margarita Formations , and separated by an unconformity ,

1386-408: The field. Since the oil in the South Cuyama Field is not heavy, steam injection has not been necessary to reduce viscosity and improve flow; however, both gas injection and waterflooding have been used, both in the Colgrove and Dibblee formations. The field operators used waterflooding between 1956 and 1973 in the Colgrove, with some success, and both gas injection and waterflooding have been used in

1428-490: The northwest. Peak production for the field was in 1951, shortly after discovery, during which over 14 million barrels (2,200,000 m ) of oil were pumped from the Dibblee and Colgrove pools. Production has declined steadily since, with around 820,000 barrels (130,000 m ) pumped in 1977, 500,000 in 1987, 390,000 in 1997, and 270,000 in 2007. At the end of 2008, there were only 87 oil wells still in production. Some enhanced recovery projects have been undertaken on

1470-546: The official estimates of the California Department of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). Of the top forty onshore oil fields in California, it is the most recent to be discovered, but by the end of 2008 only 87 wells remained in production. The oil field is south of the town of New Cuyama in the portion of the Cuyama Valley that slopes gently into the northern foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Parts of

1512-409: The oil wells goes there. The purpose of the gas plant is to strip out hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) from the gas, making it acceptable for commercial use. After processing at the plant it is sent on for sale, reinjected into the field to enhance recovery, or used as fuel for oilfield operations. NGLs are sent to a tank farm where they are mixed with

1554-489: The oil. Santa Barbara County gave the plant its first permit to operate in 1988. 34°53′52″N 119°42′20″W  /  34.8977°N 119.7055°W  / 34.8977; -119.7055 Thomas Dibblee Thomas Wilson Dibblee, Jr. (11 October 1911, in Santa Barbara, California – 17 November 2004, in Santa Barbara, California) was an American geologist best known for his geological mapping. He

1596-459: The pools. The Russell Ranch field was the first to be found in the Cuyama Valley. Prospectors had long suspected the presence of oil there – after all, almost all the surrounding basins were full of oil fields, which only needed to be found by drilling deep enough – but early boreholes found nothing of commercial value. A well drilled in the 1920s near the western edge of the field found nothing, and wells drilled in 1945–6 found traces of oil sands,

1638-682: The vicinity of the field ranges from grassland to chaparral to oak woodland . Drainage is to the north, towards the Cuyama River , along Bitter Creek, Branch Canyon Wash, and several ephemeral drainages. Oil in the South Cuyama Basin comes from two primary pools, the Miocene -age Dibblee Sand and the Colgrove Sand, porous units in the Vaqueros Formation underneath the largely impermeable Monterey Formation . The sedimentary Cuyama Basin

1680-512: The wells flowing. Waterflooding was begun in 1953, and air injection in 1971. A cyclic steam program ran from 1966 to 1968 but failed to produce any significant benefit. The field changed hands several times, with West America Resources and J.P. Oil among the owners prior to the purchase by E&B Natural Resources from J.P. Oil in 2003. E&B, the current operator, reported pumping 66,621 barrels (10,591.9 m) of oil in 2008; its wells were averaging only 4.1 barrels per day (0.65 m/d),

1722-477: Was only the first of several companies to work the New Cuyama Field. In 1990, they sold off their interest in the field to Stream Energy. The next company to operate the field was Hallador Petroleum, which continued operations until 2005, at which time it sold its interest to E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation, the current operator, which also runs the Russell Ranch field four miles (6 km) to

Russell Ranch Oil Field - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-596: Was reached in 2022 over a lawsuit against the BLM filed by the conservation groups in 2020. The BLM issued an order to E&B to permanently close and remove 11 long-dormant oil wells, return the oil pads and more than 3 miles (4.8 km) of access roads to natural conditions, as well as removing pipelines, powerlines and other infrastructure from within the monument. 34°59′25″N 119°48′20″W  /  34.9904°N 119.8055°W  / 34.9904; -119.8055 South Cuyama Oil Field The South Cuyama Oil Field

#516483