The Raton basin of south-central Colorado is a small basin of Laramide age that is analogous structurally to other Rocky Mountain basins that contain commercial basin-centered gas deposits in tight Cretaceous sandstones. Moreover, the mineralogy, depositional setting, and stratigraphic succession of Cretaceous rocks in the Raton basin generally are comparable to gas-productive basins in the Rocky Mountain region where similar thick, gas-prone, thermally mature source rocks are present. Oil, condensate, and abundant natural gas shows occur in Cretaceous and Tertiary beds throughout the Raton basin, but substantial petroleum production has not yet been established. Certain geologic features may have influenced gas accumulation, such as ground-water movement, fracturing, ign ous intrusions, CO₂ generation, mildly elevated heat flow, sandstone mineralogy, and diagenesis. Drilling density is low, particularly in the deeper parts of the basin. Prospects of developing a basin-centered gas deposit here appear favorable.

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