Colorado Geological Survey

Geoscience for Colorado

ON-010 Colorado Groundwater Atlas

Groundwater—as a critical natural resource for Colorado—is the focus of this informative and data-rich online publication from the CGS. Building on our previous award-winning Ground Water Atlas of Colorado, it features a wide range of easily accessible data from a variety of sources.

ON-010

ON-007-01 Colorado Aggregate Resources Map

This interactive map includes the digital versions of our sand, gravel, and quarry aggregate publications for most of the Front Range counties, Garfield County, and includes a statewide map of older quarry locations. Locations and resource ratings of these deposits are included to assist with land use planning and resource development in the Front Range and beyond.

ON-007-01

Quick Links

Map Portal

Learn More

Publications

Learn More

GIS Data

Learn More

Colorado Geology

Learn More

Land Use Review

Learn More

Earthquakes

Learn More

Follow Us

Who we are and what we do …

About the CGS

Points of Geologic Interest

Given the spectacular geology that graces our state, we are happy to report that our new POGI map is now live! Check it out and let us know if you have any questions or additions!

Learn More

Case in point ::

Landslide Case Study

2015 West Salt Creek

On May 25, 2014 the longest landslide in Colorado’s historical record occurred in west-central Colorado, taking the lives of three local men.

Learn More

Case in point ::

Rockfall Case Study

Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs occupies a narrow valley where Fountain Creek emerges from the foothills northeast of Pikes Peak and west of Colorado Springs. The valley slopes are composed of interbedded resistant sandstone and conglomerates (i.e., gravelly sandstone), and weaker mudstones and shale.

Learn More

Case in point ::

Land Use Case Study

Landslides in Colorado Springs

The city of Colorado Springs lies at the boundary between the Great Plains and the Front Range of the southern Rocky Mountains. Western sections of the city are underlain by weak claystones and shales that are prone to landslides.

Learn More

Newest Miscellaneous Investigation (MI-) Series

MI-98 Catastrophic Glacial Outburst Floods on the Upper Arkansas River, Colorado

This publication from Mines Geology Professor Emeritus Keenan Lee is an in-depth exploration that illustrates one facet of the dramatic sweep of Colorado’s glacial past. With their high altitude, the central Rockies of Colorado saw numerous waves of intense glaciation, giving broad form to the mountains we see today. In particular, the Sawatch Range, with its Collegiate Peaks area to the west of the Upper Arkansas River valley was the site of glaciation several times in the last 700,000 years. Glacial terrains often feature dramatic ice- and land-forms. Lesser known are the occasional catastrophic events — also known as jökulhlaups — as are detailed in this report.

MI-98

Check out the >RockTalk< blog for the latest news on the CGS and Colorado geoscience ::

• New GIS data and maps
  For those of you who are subscribers to the CGS announcement list, we want to direct your attention to a […]
• Recent STATEMAP quadrangles
  The CGS actively participates in the STATEMAP portion of the US Geological Survey’s National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP), a […]
• A few new publications
  For those of you who are recent subscribers to the CGS mailing list, we wanted to direct your attention to […]
• The Snowy Torrents
  Here in Colorado, avalanche season is not over yet, and it’s been another deadly one with 26 fatalities so far […]
• Re-introducing: Historic Metal Mining Districts
  As the reconstruction of our website continues, we recently redeployed a popular package of information that was compiled and made […]
• Seismometer installed on campus
  Mines students partner with the CGS to install seismometer on campus Colorado School of Mines geophysics students enrolled in Assistant Professor Ebru Bozdag’s […]