California Oil-Bearing Region

California Oil-Bearing Region

 

a petroleum-bearing region in the United States, located along the coast of southern California (including the continental shelf) and extending into the southern part of the Central Valley. Explored reserves in 1968 were 590 million tons of petroleum and 240 billion cu m of natural gas. The most significant extraction is in the Los Angeles area. The total petroleum extraction in the California oil-bearing region is about 50 million tons a year (1970), primarily from Miocene and Pleistocene deposits.