With the advent of Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s announcement of a large discovery in Kern County, Calif., the McLure shale in the San Joaquin Basin warrants a look. Frequently misspelled as McClure instead of McLure, the shale is part of the Monterey formation known for prolific fields like Shafter North, Rose and Rio Bravo fields.
The two most active operators are EOG Resources and Vintage Petroleum. It is not easy to identify all of the producers operating in the McLure, as they may be comingling production with other formations.
Actual Monterey shale production occurs offshore the Santa Barbara Channel, where Venoco Inc. is now producing from the Monterey shale in its Sockeye Field.
For more information on the McLure shale, read the August feature of the Unconventional Natural Gas Report under the Monthly Newsletter tab, or click here.
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