The Geology of naturally-fractured petroleum reservoirs in the Monterey Formation, Cat Canyon area, Santa Barbara County, California

Surface mapping was used to determine the structure and geologic history of petroleum reservoirs in Miocene strata in the northeastern Santa Maria Basin. Siliceous strata are generally accepted as the primary productive lithology in the western basin, both onshore and offshore. In the northern area of the Cat Canyon oil field, hydrocarbons are produced from dolomite and pervasively dolomitized strata and typically occur in the basal Monterey Formation. Siliceous shale, calcareous shale, and chert comprise the non-carbonate rocks of the Monterey Formation in this area (See more in text.)