The Atlas of Major Central and Eastern Gulf Coast Gas Reservoirs is the second in a series compiling geologic and engineering data on natural gas reservoirs in the major gas-producing regions of the United States. The first in the series, the Atlas of Major Texas Gas Reservoirs, was published in 1989.

This second atlas surveys 1,357 reservoirs in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, each of which had to have a cumulative production of at least 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas for inclusion. For the first time, historically diverse engineering and production data from four states have been compiled and presented in a unified format. Old reservoir data have been recast and used to organize reservoirs into 32 plays on the basis of geological attributes such as lithology, age, trap type, and depositional environment. Also for the first time, production data from Louisiana have been reported in terms of producing reservoirs; prior data were available only by well or by lease. The updated contents and revised format should allow natural gas producers to quickly identify areas of potential development.

Effective project management by the Bureau of Economic Geology staff and the enthusiastic cooperation of geologists and staff of the four central and eastern Gulf Coast state geological surveys have ensured efficient production of the atlas. The Gas Research Institute (GRI) provided the funding for compiling data and preparing the volume for publication. However, development of this atlas was a collaborative effort among GRI, the Bureau of Economic Geology, the Geological Survey of Alabama, the Arkansas Geological Commission, the Louisiana Geological Survey, and the Mississippi Office of Geology.

Natural gas will benefit the world both environmentally and economically, and these atlases provide an information base to support efficient management and expansion of this valuable resource.