HR: 0830h
AN: H51D-1118    [PDF]
TI: Oil Seepage in the Upper Ojai Valley, CA
AU: * Duffy, M F
EM: marlene_duffy@umail.ucsb.edu
AF: University of California, Department of Geological Sciences Building 526, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
AU: Keller, E
EM: keller@geol.ucsb.edu
AF: University of California, Department of Geological Sciences Building 526, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
AB: Hydrocarbons naturally seep to the surface of the earth in hundreds of locations around the world, usually through the sea floor or on land. Although marine underwater seeps have been studied to some extent, little work has been done on land. Terrestrial hydrocarbon seeps associated with active faulting in the Upper Ojai Valley, CA present an opportunity to characterize the nature of liquid tar seepage. Geomorphic forms produced by emission of tar at the study area include emission pits, layered tar flows, tar mounds, terraces, and tar patties. We measured surface velocities on tar flows at 56 locations in the study area, ranging from 0 cm/hour to nearly 2 cm/hour .We have topographically and morphologically mapped three prominent areas of seeps to characterize: geology; morphometry and morphology of landforms produced by seepage of tar; flow pattern and rate of movement of tar; and possible relationships between size and distribution of geomorphic form and process of tar emission features to seepage rate.
DE: 1625 Geomorphology and weathering (1824, 1886)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting