Lakeview Gusher
| Lakeview Gusher Number One | |
|---|---|
|
250px The Lakeview gusher after the flow had partially subsided and the well surrounded by a sandbag berm, 1910. | |
| Location | Kern County, California |
| Coordinates |
35°05′29″N 119°24′05″W / 35.091424°N 119.401377°WCoordinates: 35°05′29″N 119°24′05″W / 35.091424°N 119.401377°W{{#coordinates:35.091424|-119.401377|type:landmark_region:US-CA|||||| |primary |name= }} |
| Date | 14 March 1910 – September 1911 |
| Cause | |
| Cause | Wellhead blowout |
| Operator | Lakeview Oil Company |
| Spill characteristics | |
| Volume |
9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) |
| Reference #: | 485 |
Lakeview Gusher Number One was an immense out-of-control pressurized oil well in the Midway-Sunset Oil Field in Kern County, California, resulting in what is the largest single oil spill in history, lasting 18 months and releasing 9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) of crude oil. In what was one of the largest oil reserves in America, pressure built to an extreme due to the quantity of crude oil in the area. When drilling in the area began, primarily by the Lakeview Oil Company, it was expected to find natural gas and a small amount of crude oil; but there was a large blowout, resulting in an overload of storage tanks.[1]
The geyser of congealed crude oil amounted to nearly 9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) of oil, or more than 1.2 million US tons, far more than any other on land or water. The site of the Lakeview oil geyser is located about a half-mile (800 m) east of the Taft-Maricopa Highway, State Route 33, and is marked by a Caltrans guide sign and a bronze plaque, and is designated as California Historical Landmark number 485.
Background
Drilling at Lakeview Number One well was started by the Lakeview Oil Company on 1 January 1909. As the drilling continued and only natural gas was found, the Lakeview company partnered with Union Oil Company which wanted to build storage tanks on Lakeview property.[2]
While modern well-drilling techniques have advanced safety features such as blowout preventers that reduce the chances of a gusher, early twentieth-century drilling technology could not contain the high pressures encountered at Lakeview. The gusher began on 14 March 1910, as the drill bit reached 2,440 ft (740 m).[3]
The well casing is a steel pipe-liner that contains oil as it is pumped from the well. During drilling, the casing also guides the drill bit and drive shaft in a roughly straight line. Pressure blew at least part of the casing out, along with an estimated 9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) of oil, before the gusher was brought under control 18 months later in September 1911.[4]
The initial daily flow from the gusher was 18,800 barrels (2,990 m3), peaking at approximately 90,000 barrels (14,000 m3), creating a downhill running river of crude oil from the well site, while crews rushed to contain it with a system of improvised sand bag dams and dikes. During its 18-month duration, the gusher never caught fire.[5]
- Lakeview1Gusher4.jpg
River of crude in open-air sumps.
- Lakeview1Gusher5.jpg
The wooden box pulled over the gusher with heavy cables. The attempt to contain or stop the flow soon failed, and was destroyed by the high pressure
- Lakeview Gusher OilStrata1910.JPG
Stratified, congealed crude oil, in March 2008, 100 ft (30 m) from the well. Image shows an area about 10 in (250 mm) across.
- LakeviewGusherPlaque.jpg
Dedicatory plaque at the site of the Lakeview Gusher, northeast of Maricopa, California.
See also
References
- ↑ "The Lakeview Gusher". San Joaquin Geological Society. 23 September 2002. Archived from the original on 2006-10-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20061019100520/http://www.sjgs.com/lakeview.html. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
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External links
| 40x40px | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lakeview Gusher |
