Print this pageAbstract: Salinas Valley Today and Tomorrow
More than 100 wildcat wells were drilled unsuccessfully in the Salinas Valley area prior to the discovery of the San Ardo field in November 1947. By 1951 the field was outlined fully and reservoir engineers estimated that reserves of between 50 and 100 million bbl of heavy oil would be recovered from the 2 billion bbl in place. Since the discovery of San Ardo more than 150 additional exploratory wells have been drilled in the basin without any substantial discoveries, but thermal-recovery processes and higher prices have increased greatly the field reserve. About 275 million bbl of oil have been produced and it appears probable that a similar volume will be produced in future years assuming a continuation of a favorable economic climate. As no expansion of producing area or discovery of new zones occurred between 1952 and the present, the San Ardo experience suggests that not only will "tomorrow's oil come from today's provinces" but that it well may come from yesterday's oil fields.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90976©1976 AAPG-SEPM-SEG Pacific Section Meeting, San Francisco, California