The Los Angeles basin is an old and prolific petroleum-producing area, which should produce another 2 billion bbl of oil in the next 20 years. Estimates of ultimate recoverable oil range from 8 to 10 billion bbl, and 1-2 billion bbl of this oil is still undiscovered.

Exploration and production operations are difficult to initiate because of continually increasing governmental restrictions. Oil and gas potential is still geologically good. Three areas are unexplored: the center of the basin, the southeastern end, and the San Gabriel Valley.

Upper Miocene and lower Pliocene rocks are the most prospective for future discoveries and particularly the Soquel sandstones of the Miocene. New accumulations should be expected from both structural and stratigraphic traps.

The most important tool for finding new reserves is good data. We could improve the data situation by a general release of well information and the publication of more measured stratigraphic sections. Because geophysical work is severely restricted, we must use all available tools and investigate all new tools.

End_of_Article - Last_Page 437------------