Geologic characterization of evaporite deposits as potential host rocks for burial of radioactive waste must include hydrogeologic investigations at both local and regional scales. The Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins of Texas contain candidate salt deposits that are underlain by shelf carbonates and fan-delta sandstones. These basins are ancient intracratonic elements exhibiting regional eastward flow in the deep brine aquifers.

Three areas in the Texas Gulf Coastal Plain were studied using electric logs and seismic reflection data to interpret their depositional and structural history and to compare their potential as geopressured-geothermal reservoirs. The Cuero study area, on the lower Wilcox (upper Paleocene) growth-fault trend, is characterized by closely and evenly spaced, subparallel, down-to-the-basin growth faults, relatively small expansion ratios, and minor block rotation.

Official estimates of United States coal resources published during the past 15 years vary from less than 1.5 to 3.5 trillion metric tons (1.7 to 3.9 trillion short tons). These differences imply that a high degree of uncertainty exists in resource assessment. This report identifies sources of uncertainty in coal resource estimation. Our report focuses on the comparison of variability in coal resource estimates in areas of different ancient depositional environments.

The State-owned submerged lands of Texas encompass almost 6,000 mi2 (15,540 km2). They lie below waters of the bay-estuary-lagoon system and the Gulf of Mexico and extend 10.3 mi (16.6 km) seaward from the Gulf shoreline (fig. 1). The importance of these lands and their resources to resident flora and fauna as well as to people is well known and documented; more than one-third of the state's population is concentrated within an area of the Coastal Zone that is only about one-sixteenth of the state's land area.

Continuity of sandstone reservoirs is controlled by various factors, including faults, sand-body geometry, and the distribution of framework grains, matrices, and interstices within the sand body. Except for faults, these factors are largely inherited from the depositional environment and modified during sandstone compaction and cementation.