Coalbed methane is playing an increasingly important role in meeting the energy needs of the United States. According to one estimate, this unconventional gas may supply 4-5% of the domestic natural gas in 1994. In the San Juan Basin, Fruitland Formation coal beds contain an estimated 43 to 49 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of methane.

ow-permeability ("tight") reservoir sandstones of the lower Missourian Cleveland formation produced more than 435 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas through December 1990, mostly from Ochiltree and Lipscomb Counties in the northeastern Texas Panhandle.

This cross section set traverses four Cenozoic depositional sub-provinces: the Rio Grande Embayment, San Marcos Arch, Houston Embayment, and Sabine Arch.