Kern River Formation
E649644
The Kern River Formation is a major oil-bearing geologic unit in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, known for its thick, shallow heavy-oil reservoirs that have been extensively developed using thermal recovery methods.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
geologic formation
ⓘ
sedimentary rock unit ⓘ |
| associatedOilField |
Fruitvale Oil Field
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Kern River Oil Field NERFINISHED ⓘ Ponds Oil Field NERFINISHED ⓘ Round Mountain Oil Field NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basin | San Joaquin Basin NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| containsResource |
bitumen-bearing sandstones
ⓘ
heavy oil ⓘ petroleum ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| depositionalEnvironment |
alluvial plain
ⓘ
fluvial ⓘ |
| depthCharacteristic | shallow subsurface ⓘ |
| developmentMethod |
cyclic steam stimulation
ⓘ
steam flooding ⓘ steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) (limited use) ⓘ thermal enhanced oil recovery ⓘ |
| discoveryAsOilReservoir | late 19th century ⓘ |
| economicImportance |
major oil-bearing unit in California
ⓘ
significant contributor to California heavy-oil production ⓘ |
| geologicAge |
Pliocene
ⓘ
late Miocene to Pliocene ⓘ |
| hydrocarbonProduction | onshore ⓘ |
| knownFor |
extensive thermal recovery development
ⓘ
thick, shallow heavy-oil reservoirs ⓘ |
| lithology |
claystone
ⓘ
conglomerate ⓘ sandstone ⓘ siltstone ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
California, United States
ⓘ
surface form:
California
Kern County, California NERFINISHED ⓘ southern San Joaquin Valley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Kern River NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| operatorPresence | Chevron (historically major operator in Kern River Oil Field) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| overlies | Etchegoin Formation NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | San Joaquin Valley stratigraphic sequence ⓘ |
| porosityType | intergranular porosity ⓘ |
| primaryLithology | fluvial sandstone ⓘ |
| province | California Central Valley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| region | San Joaquin Valley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reservoirType | shallow heavy-oil reservoir ⓘ |
| structuralSetting | foredeep basin fill ⓘ |
| thicknessCharacteristic | locally very thick ⓘ |
| typicalOilAPIGravity | heavy oil ⓘ |
| typicalOilViscosity | high viscosity ⓘ |
| underlies |
Pleistocene deposits
ⓘ
Quaternary alluvium ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.