PE120 Petroleum Geology Field Trip

Nov. 14, 1998

A very interesting, intructive and enjoyable field trip was organized for the class PE120, under the leadership of Prof. Steve Graham of the Dept. of Geological and Environmental Sciences. We followed the path of oil from source rocks, to conduit beds, to reservoir rocks. We visited the oil field at San Ardo. We sniffed, scraped and hammered. We put our arms around some oil. We held heterogeneity in our hands.

Source Beds at Arroyo Seco

Source beds of the Monterey formation.
If you screw up your face the right way, you can see a fossil.
The infamous fault line that magnetically attracts engineering structures. The group looks in astonishment.

Nacimiento Reservoir (no, water)

A good spot for lunch...
So, geologists didn't just make up this stuff about folds.

San Ardo Oil Field

Steve points out distant structures.
Pumping unit. Run for your life!

Return to Stanford Petroleum Engineering home page