Government Canyon State Natural Area straddles the Balcones Escarpment, giving it a unique blend of terrain ranging from Texas Hill Country to Texas Coastal Plains. The State of Texas preserved Government Canyon becasue of it's importance as a water catchment and recharge zone for the Edwards Aquifer, which supplies much of the drinking water for San Antonio and surrounding towns. The primary mission of the Natural Area is to preserve this vital water catchment and recharge zone and safegaurd the quality of the water that enters Edwards Aquifer.

The word escarpment refers to the margin between landforms. In the case of the Balcones Escaprment, it is the dividing line between the Texas Hill Country and the Texas Coastal Plain. The Balcones Escaprment is formed historically as the result of both the Balcones Fault Zone and, more recently, as the result of differential erosin between the more erosion resistant limestones prevalent west of the Escarpment and the less erosion resistant sedimentary rocks (such as clay) east of the Escarpment.

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