Editing Sugar Land, Texas (section)

===Geology===
Underpinning the area's land surface are unconsolidated [[clay]]s, clay [[shale]]s, and poorly cemented [[sand]]s, extending to depths of several miles. The region's [[geology]] developed from stream deposits from the erosion of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. These [[sediment]]s consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, were transformed into [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[natural gas]]. Beneath these tiers is a water-deposited layer of [[halite]], a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into dome shapes, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands.

The region is [[earthquake]]-free. While the neighboring city of Houston contains 86 mapped and historically active surface [[Fault (geology)|faults]] with an aggregate length of {{convert|149|mi|km}}, the clay below the surface in Sugar Land precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults move only very gradually in what is termed "fault creep".