Upper Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene deposits in the subsurface of the central Coastal Plain of Texas were subdivided into six operational units comprising the surface-defined Fleming, Goliad, Willis, Lissie, and Beaumont Formations.

The publication comprises 24 structural dip cross sections, spaced 15 to 20 mi apart along the Texas coast, and 4 structural strike cross sections. Dip sections extend from near the Wilcox outcrop to the coastline.

Approximately 800 sediment samples from stream beds and bay bottoms of water bodies that compose the Matagorda Bay system were collected and analyzed. Shell-sand-mud ratios and total organic carbon content were determined, and 20 trace elements were detected.

The State-owned submerged lands of Texas encompass nearly 6,000 square miles (15,540 km²) and extend from Mexico to Louisiana. The area includes the bays, estuaries, and lagoons, as well as the inner continental shelf 10.3 miles (16.6 km) seaward of the Gulf shoreline (fig. 1).

The Catahoula Formation of the Texas Gulf Coastal Plain consists of two depositional systems--the Gueydan bedload fluvial system of the Rio Grande embayment and the Chita-Corrigan mixed load fluvial system of the Houston embayment.

The Texas Coastal Zone is marked by diversity in geography, resources, climate, and industry.

The Texas Coastal Zone is marked by diversity in geography, resources, climate, and industry.

Geologic map that depicts the surface geology of Goliad, Refugio, and Calhoun Counties and parts of Karnes, De Witt, Victoria, Jackson, Matagorda, Aransas, San Patricio, Bee, and Live Oak Counties. The 4-page booklet indicates geologic formations, abbreviations, and ages.

Knowledge of the regional sand distribution and its relationship to formation temperature and pressure is a preliminary step in evaluating the geothermal resources of the Frio Formation.