Lignite occurs in three Eocene stratigraphic units--the Wilcox Group, Yegua Formation, and Jackson Group--and in three ancient depositional systems-fluvial, deltaic, and strandplain/lagoonal.

Land and water resources have been analyzed in the Corpus Christi area--Aransas, Nueces, Refugio, and San Patricio Counties along the central Texas coast. The city and port of Corpus Christi compose the largest metropolitan center in the area.

Papers in this volume were presented at the Gulf Coast Lignite Conference held in Austin, Texas, June 1976.
Papers were edited, in some cases extensively, and subjectively grouped by discipline, paralleling that of their presentation at the Conference.