ABSTRACT
The West Edison oil field is on the east side of the southern San Joaquin Valley about 9 miles southeast of Bakersfield. Oil occurs in the non-marine Chanac formation (Pliocene-Miocene), marine Santa Margarita sand (upper Miocene), marine Nozu sand (middle Miocene), and Olcese(?) sand (lower Miocene). The total thickness of strata overlying basement varies from 4,000 to 6,500 feet, and average depth of wells is about 4,000 feet. The field lies on a general regional homocline dipping southwest, and oil accumulation is largely a result of faulting but partly of lensing sands. The field was discovered in 1935 and has had five periods of activity as a result of discovery of new zones and new fault blocks. There are now 1,300 acres productive from 180 wells. Total production is more than 8,000,000 barrels, or 6,200 barrels per acre, and 1951 showed the highest annual production in the field’s history, 1,400,000 barrels. Current production is 4,200 barrels per day, or an average of 23 barrels per day per well.
