Western Geophysical was a company founded in California in 1933 by Henry Salvatori for the purpose of using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum. The company prospered and was sold by Salvatori to Litton Industries in the 1960s. In 1987, Litton and Dresser Industries formed a joint venture comprising Western and Dresser Atlas. The joint venture, Western Atlas, was spun off as a public company in 1994. Western then purchased Halliburton Geophysical Services, which had been formed from Geophysical Service Incorporated and several other companies. In 1998, Western Atlas was sold to Baker Hughes. In 2000, Western became part of a joint venture between Baker Hughes and Schlumberger Limited called WesternGeco and ceased to exist as a separate entity. State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Henry Salvatori (1901 – July 7, 1997) was born in Italy and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1906. ... Reflection seismology is a branch of seismology that uses reflected seismic waves to produce images of the Earths subsurface. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths crust. ... Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dresser Industries was a multinational corporation headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which provides a wide range of technology, products, and services used for developing energy and natural resources. ... Dresser Atlas was formed in 1968 through the merger of PGAC and Lane Wells Company. ... Western Atlas was formed in 1987 through the merger of Western Geophysical (owned by Litton Industries) and Dresser Atlas. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Halliburton Energy Services (NYSE: HAL) is a multinational corporation based in Houston, Texas. ... Geophysical Service Incorporated (often abbreviated GSI) was founded by John Clarence Karcher and Eugene McDermott in 1930 for the purpose of using refraction and reflection seismology to explore for petroleum deposits. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) is the worlds third-largest oil-services company behind Schlumberger and Halliburton . ... Schlumberger Limited is the worlds largest multi-national oilfield services corporation, incorporated in the Netherland Antilles. ... WesternGeco, a joint venture of Schlumberger Limited and Baker Hughes, is the worlds largest seismic contracting company. ...

See also

• List of oilfield service companies