Surficial geologic investigations at Palestine, Keechi, and Oakwood salt domes have provided information necessary for evaluating these domes as nuclear waste repositories. Diapir growth uplifted sediments to form domes and created complex radial faulting. Cretaceous rocks crop out at Palestine and Keechi Domes, whereas only Eocene Claiborne sediments are exposed over Oakwood Dome. Annular drainage patterns at Oakwood and Palestine Domes reflect the domal structure.

Red beds, evaporites, and carbonates of the upper Clear Fork and Glorieta Formations (Permian) of the Texas Panhandle form an association of facies deposited in nearshore and supratidal environments along an arid coastline. Carbonates were deposited in inner-shelf depositional environments and exhibit upward-shoaling, sabkha-like successions of dolomitic mudstones containing nodular anhydrite. Landward of the shoaling carbonates was a vast salt plain, or sabkha, in which evaporites were deposited in supratidal brine pans and salt flats.

The Miocene Oakville Sandstone is a major aquifer and uranium host beneath the Texas Coastal Plain. In 1976, approximately 6,000 acre-ft of ground water were withdrawn from the Oakville for municipal use. An additional but unknown amount was used for drinking water in rural areas, for livestock, and for irrigation. Potential sustained yield is many times greater. Present and future uranium mining by either surface or in situ methods could affect the availability and quality of Oakville ground water unless the mining is designed properly.

 Geologic map that depicts the surface geology of Sutton County and parts of Terrell, Crockett, Val Verde, Edwards, Kimble, Menard, Schleicher, and Pecos Counties.