Drawing of a typical oil well in California.

Drawing of a typical drilling rig in California.

Drawing of a typical offshore oil platform.

A detailed introduction to California's oil, gas, and geothermal resources. Includes petroleum geology, exploration, production history, drilling technology, refining, transportation, conservation, and environmental protection. This report is in PDF format; the file size is 11MB, which may take a long time to download if you are connected through a modem.

Comic-book style introduction to oil and gas in California, from formation and extraction to refining and distribution. For 4th-to 8th-grade level students or anyone wishing a 5-minute overview of the subject.

These photos capture an aesthetic side of the state’s drilling operations. Drilling rigs operating in urban areas are sometimes disguised to blend in with the surroundings.

For millions of years, oil and gas have seeped naturally to the surface of the earth in onshore and offshore areas. The seeps are mixtures of crude oil, asphaltum (tar), natural gas, and water.

Do you know of an oil or gas field nearby, or have you seen one near a freeway? Have you read about one in a newspaper? Here is a map of all oil and gas fields in California. This map is in PDF format; the file size is 2.25MB, which may take a long time to download if you are connected through a modem.

Check out the geothermal energy pages for kids and teachers.