COALINGA OIL FIELDSBy: Carlos Plascencia

Instructor: Mark C. Lawler

Class: GEOL-3-C01/ Fall 2011

Date: 12/4/11

Site Location Coalinga Oil Fields History Geological History Rock Samples Geological Features Plant Samples References

Content

Near Coalinga, CA Took dirt road to a dirt

lot, walked up a path full of weeds and rocks, led to big hills, walked throughout the fields

Site Location

In 1865-Interest in oil inspired an oil rush The interest started die out because of shipping

problems In 1890-second oil rush happened because coal mines

had little value Coalinga was the third largest shipping point for

railroads in California-mostly all connected to oil production

(“History of Coalinga, 2011”)

Coalinga Oil Fields History

On May 2,1983 there was a earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4

This earthquake was triggered by an 0.5-meter uplift of Anticline Ridge northeast of Coalinga

Triggered rock falls and rockslides

Pumping units, storage tanks and pipelines from oil fields were destroyed

(“California Earthquake Map Collection, 2005”)

Geological History

I believe this rock is a Mudstone-made of hardened mud

The rock was found in a creek, which was made from water and mud, known as a sedimentary rock

I thought it was a claystone, but the stone was not fully made by clay

(“MUDSTONE, 1995”)

Rock Sample: Mudstone

The rock is grey, hard to break, solid, hard to scratch and is surrounded by other pieces of mudstones

This a type of sedimentary rock because it was found in a mud area along a small creek

It’s a claystone- rock made from clay, turns hard, doesn’t get soft when touched by water

(“Claystone, 2011”) I thought it was a siltstone,

but doesn’t show layers

Rock Sample: Claystone

Rock is orange with white, shows cracks, piece of outer layer is broken off, hard clay rock

Sandstone forms where sand is laid down and buried

(“Sandstone, 2011”)

The sandstone is known to be a sedimentary rock

(“Sandstone, 2011”)

The sandstone is very similar to the Quartzite stone- which is a metamorphic rock

(” Quartzite, 2011”)

Rock Sample: Sandstone

Found the stone in the dirt, the surface is covered in dirt, cracks all over the side, color pink, stone has different angles.

As you can see from the image, life is hard to find during this season

It is like a desert climate Animals don’t come

out, plants are dead or almost dead

You have to walk all over the hills to find any form of plant

Life in the Coalinga Oil Fields

The Yellow Coneflower is also known as the Ratibida Pinnata

Grows best in full sun to partial shade-medium to dry-medium soil conditions

They have stiff and rough feeling coarse leaves, yellow flowers that have droopy soft yellow rays

The cone-like green centers eventually change dark brown

Insects like butterflies and bees are attracted to this flower

(“Ratibida pinnata, 2011”)

Yellow Coneflower

Some of these flowers are half dead-exposed to too much heat, and some are alive, the stems are a mixture of brown and green

The Coneflower is called Echinacea The Echinacea is self evolutionary, it blends into its environments , several

different kinds of Echinacea Types of Echinacea

◦ After Midnight: Purple-Red, bloom July-August◦ Bright Star: Purplish-Pink, bloom July-August◦ Coconut Lime: White, bloom July-August◦ Coral Reef: Orange, bloom mid-late summer◦ Doubledecker: Pink, bloom during summer◦ Fancy Frills: Pink, bloom during summer◦ Fatal Attraction: Purplish-Pink, bloom during summer◦ Firebird: Red-Orange, bloom Mid-Late summer◦ Flame Thrower: Orange-Yellow, bloom Mid-Late summer(“Echinacea, Coneflower, 2009”)

Evolution of Yellow Coneflower

This tree is hardy and thrives in warm, wet winters and dry summers

It’s a diverse tree with more than 700 species

Grow from 30 to 200 feet They could produce white, pink,

red and yellow flowers It’s leaves produce a waxy oil that

prevents water loss in hot weather It is used to reduce inflammation

and fever

(“Eucalyptus Tree, 2011”)

Eucalyptus Tree

Some of the leaves are dying, pieces of the tree are falling off and there was a lot of bugs flying around it.

The Eucalyptus tree could be found in regions of South America, South Africa and India

(“Eucalyptus Tree, 2011”)

It is one of the oldest trees on earth that dates back to about 50 million years

(“Eucalyptus Tree, 2011”)

Evolved from rainforest precursors because of changes in landscape, soils and climate

(“About Eucalypts,2011”)

They are native to Australia(“Eucalyptus Tree, 2011”)

The essential oil can be toxic in large amount(“About Eucalypts,2011”)

Evolution of Eucalyptus Tree

Most have yellow, red or purple flowers

All have flat, fleshy pads that look like large leaves

Pads are modified branches or stems

Stems serve as water storage, flower production and photosynthesis

It is found in North America

(“Prickly Pear Cactus, 1996”)

Prickly Pear Cactus

The Cactus were small, had red flowers, were squeezed together and had long spines

Represents about a dozen species of the Opuntia (“Prickly Pear Cactus, 1996”)

There has been medical interest in this Cactus Pectin contained in the pulp lowers levels of bad cholesterol Fibrous pectin in fruit may lower diabetics’ need for insulin Both fruits and pads of this cactus are rich in slowly absorbed soluble

fibers that help keep blood sugar stable(“Prickly Pear Cactus, 1996”)

The cactus can be cooked into jams and preserved down into a syrup as a base for jelly

(“Prickly Pear Cactus,1992”)

The sap from the pads can be used in first aid similar to the Aloe Vera plant

(“Prickly Pear Cactus,1992”)

Evolution of Prickly Pear Cactus

"About Eucalypts." Australian National Botanic Gardens - Botanical Web Portal. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/Euclid/sample/html/learn.htm>.

"California Earthquake Map Collection | Geology.com." Geology.com: News and Information for Geology & Earth Science. 2005. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://geology.com/earthquake/california.shtml>.

"About Us." History of Coalinga. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://www.coalingachamber.com/about.html>."Claystone (geology) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia.

2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/120751/claystone>."Echinacea, Coneflower." Dayton Nursery & Garden Center. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.daytonnursery.com/encyclopedia/perennials/echinacea.htm>.“Eucalyptus Tree”. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://www.eucalyptustree.org>."MUDSTONE." Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery. 1995. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.galleries.com/rocks/mudstone.htm>."Prickly Pear Cactus - DesertUSA - DesertUSA." Desert Biomes by DesertUSA. 1996. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pa/du_prkpear.html>."Prickly Pear Cactus." RAIN National Public Internet. 1992. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.rain.org/greennet/docs/exoticveggies/html/pricklypear.htm>."Quartzite: Metamorphic Rock - Pictures, Definition & More." Geology.com: News and Information for

Geology & Earth Science. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://geology.com/rocks/quartzite.shtml>."Ratibida Pinnata." Www.PrairieMoon.com. Prairie Moon Nursery, Inc, 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/wildflowers-forbs/ratibida-pinnata-yellow-coneflower>."Sandstone - Sedimentary Rock Types." About Geology - The Complete Guide to Earth Science and

Geology. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://geology.about.com/od/rocks/ig/sedrockindex/rocpicsandstone.htm>.

References