Petrolog, Inc, is a Geological Well Logging Company (mudlogging) based in Ventura, California. The company was founded by my parents (Tom and Evelyn Queenie Williams) in 1961; Petrolog has logged approximately 2500 wells, primarily onshore and offshore California.
It is my pleasure to sponsor Coast Geological Society, which is an affiliated Society of the Pacific Section AAPG and AAPG. I look forward to sponsoring our first meeting of the new 2024-2025 season, Tuesday, September 17th 2024, 6pm, at beautiful Poinsettia Pavilion, Ventura.
Scooters Catering will provide a great dinner setting, served by students from Santa Barbara City College; plus our icebreaker has tasty horderves and refreshments, provided by our CGS Logistics Committee; our enjoyable social starts at 6pm; it’s an opportunity to visit your geologic friends, and then hear a stimulating geologic talk by Dan Hollis, “Using Ambient Earth Vibrations to Image and Monitor the Earths Subsurface”.
My comments on Mud-Logging and oil & gas drilling in California.
The end of oil/gas drilling in California’s has already happened, descending since 2015; capitulation occurred in early 2020, from 25 to 3 rigs now. Today there are no rank wildcats, semi-exploratory, field development wells being drilled. Drilling permits are either not issued or not utilized. The “Munger OilOgram” scout report, first published in 1919; was last published on August 16, 2023, with only 4 rigs drilling. Unfortunately the owner of Munger passed away and no one has resumed the publication for obvious reasons. In California’s not-so-distant-past the rig count was consistently between 50-150 rigs. No drilling means oil production declines, we import more oil and pay more than the rest of the Nation.
So you may ask, is “Mud-Logging” needed in California. Yes, but not for oil and gas. For the last 4 years Petrolog has been primarily engaged by Southern California Gas Company, (is not an oil company). For example, at Honor Rancho, Valencia, California, SoCalGas have drilled deep gas storage replacement wells. Those wells target the “Wayside 13 sand”, a coarse sand–pebbly turbidite, encased in Modelo (Monterey Fm) siltstone-claystone. Petrolog has also logged complicated abandonments at Aliso Gas Storage Facility, near Porter Ranch. Elsewhere, drilling with mud-logging occurs in our geothermal fields, Salton Sea, Geysers in northern California and Cosos in Inyo County (not oil drilling). The newest potential drilling is CO2 gas sequestration wells. CO2 sequestration is interesting and may offset burning “fossil fuels”. There are several CO2 drilling projects in the works.
Oil is powerful! Did you know, that one gallon of gasoline is equivalent to about 31,000 calories of energy? One gallon of diesel is roughly 35,000 calories, WOW! That’s a lot of power at $75/barrel; one $4 gallon will transport you 30 miles in a 4000 pound vehicle, double WOW! Except for nuclear, oil is an unequaled on demand powerhouse. A gallon of whole milk is roughly 2400 calories.
A Last Note: A big sign of change, Chevron (Standard Oil of California) has closed its San Ramon Corporate headquarters and are moving to Houston, Texas. Chevron is the 2nd largest publicly traded oil company in the United States. Standard Oil has operated in California since 1875, when it drilled the first “commercial” oil discovery at Pico Field, in the eastern Ventura Basin.
Petrolog, Inc.
John T. Williams, CA P.G. #5899
President
805 231 3793 cell, business jtw@petrolog-geological.com , personal jtwrockoil@gmail.com
