Locally within the Gulf Coast basin, the Edwards Limestone is a reservoir rock for hydrocarbons. The Balcones fault zone is where the Edwards aquifer is most prolific. There, faults have provided major avenues for directional porosity and permeability, and these conduits have been enlarged by solution so that great volumes of water flow rapidly from west to east along the escarpment. It is the purpose of this volume to present multidisciplinary information on the Balcones Escarpment. The main focus of these presentations will be on the geology and hydrology along this major break, but there are also papers that treat biological and cultural responses to the geologic features and hydrologic processes in the region.
Weather patterns affect the geomorphic and ecological setting as well.
Humans have acted in context of what has been established by these natural processes from prehistoric times to the present. This volume is aimed at recognizing the controls so that modern humans can live in harmony with the resources and processes along this borderland. These men and women have brought their expertise to bear on various facets of this important region. In doing so, we believe that a whole is created that is greater than any individual part. We especially thank Margaret Campbell for her art work used on the front cover and at various places in the text.