Cahaba Basin

The Cahaba Basin is a geologic area of central Alabama developed for coal and coalbed methane (CBM) production.

[1] Centered in eastern Bibb and southwestern Shelby Counties, the basin is significantly smaller in area and production than the larger Black Warrior Basin in Tuscaloosa and western Jefferson Counties to the northwest.

[2] The coalbed methane is produced from the Gurnee Field of the Pottsville Coal Interval.

The coal resources of the Cahaba Basin have been developed for over a century and contributed to the Birmingham area's rise as an iron and steel production center.

Several CBM developers operate within the Cahaba Basin with GeoMet, Inc. and CDX Gas being two of the largest.