Subsurface Characterization of the Lower to Middle Miocene Monterey Formation-Equivalent Strata of Long Beach Oil Field: Los Angeles Basin, California
Abstract
In spite being the most prolific petroleum producing basin per square foot in the world, the Monterey-equivalent strata from the deep Los Angeles Basin has been poorly explored and large volumes of technically recoverable petroleum may remain undiscovered. A report from the US Geological Survey estimates that between 1.4 and 5.6 billion barrels of recoverable conventional oil remains in place in the Los Angeles Basin. Little is known about unconventional potential. This study will create a detailed characterization of the Monterey-equivalent, lower to middle Miocene rocks of the Long Beach Oil Field in the Los Angeles Basin. Most conventional production from the Long Beach Field has been from upper Miocene to lower Pleistocene sandstones but the lower to middle Miocene rocks equally have tangible contributions to the petroleum system of the field. Consequently, the study will analyze both modern and legacy well data for regional stratigraphic correlation and to provide a stratigraphic framework of the older and deeper Miocene Monterey-equivalent rocks. A detail petrophysical analysis will provide lithological units and define lateral variations that may be due to original depositional facies or structural offset. Lithologic, mineralogic and geochemical analysis of cores and cuttings from the greatest penetration wells will provide the data necessary to characterize the deep lithostratigraphy of the Long Beach Oil Field. Integration of petrographic and petrophysical analysis with regional studies of the basin will help define the lateral distribution of reservoir facies and give us insight into the tectonic and sedimentary history of the early stages of the formations within the Los Angeles Basin. In the light of the development of the unconventional plays in North America, understanding these deep Miocene rocks are critically important both for their source and reservoir potential.
AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90339 ©2019 AAPG Pacific Section Convention 2019, Long Beach, California, April 1-3, 2019