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About the CGS

Mission

The mission of the CGS is building vibrant economies and sustainable communities, free from geologic hazards, for people to live, work and play through good science, collaboration, and sound management of mineral, energy and water resources.

Vision

Protect public safety and enhance the economy of Colorado.

Goals

– Help reduce the impact of geologic hazards on the citizens of Colorado
– Promote responsible economic development of mineral and energy resources
– Provide geologic insight into water resources
– Provide geologic advice and information to a variety of constituencies

By providing sound information and new knowledge, the CGS contributes to economic growth and improvement in the quality of life for the citizens of the state.

One of our primary efforts is to help people live safely with the multitude of geological hazards that Colorado’s spectacular geology creates when people move into nature. We are required by statute to review geologic reports done for new developments in unincorporated parts of counties, and for all new school construction or critical facilities.

Additionally, thirteen municipalities voluntarily use our talents because they believe we offer critical input to protecting their citizens. Over 350,000 copies have been sold of our multiple-award-winning publication, SP-43 A Guide to Swelling Soils for Colorado Homebuyers and Homeowners.

Another of our statutory tasks is to promote the responsible development of Colorado’s vast mineral and energy resources. We produce reports and maps that compile information into useable formats for policy makers and the industry to use in making decisions. Our annual publication, Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activity, is filled with a variety of information on the Colorado industries that produce more than $12 billion in revenue for our economy.

We also are increasingly involved in helping to solve our state’s serious water situation. Our comprehensive online ON-010 Colorado Groundwater Atlas is an important addition to our previous award-winning groundwater publications.

And finally, we help people understand the importance of Colorado’s geology, particularly as it influences mineral and mineral fuel production, geologic hazards, and water. We do this through our popular RockTalk blog based on a prior paper publication, and through publications such as our multiple-award-winning Messages in Stone: Colorado’s Colorful Geology.

We would love to hear from you on how you think we are doing, and any ideas you might have on how we can improve. Please use the contact form below.

Case Study: Lykins Formation

Small but significant areas of Colorado are underlain by bedrock that is composed of evaporative minerals. These are salts and…

Case Study: Rockfall – Manitou Springs

[ED: This report from 1995 was written by Jon White, (Senior Engineering Geologist, Emeritus). It looks at a specific rockfall situation…

Case Study: Roaring Fork sinkhole

[ED: This report from January 17, 2005 was written by Jon White, (Senior Engineering Geologist, Emeritus). Lightly edited for dated…

Case Study: stormwater

Stormwater runoff is excess water associated with a rain or snow storm event that flows over the land surface and is…

Case Study: The Big One

It has been 140 years since “The Big One”: Colorado’s largest historic earthquake: November 7, 1882 – Magnitude 6.6. On…

CGS seismometer array

The CGS recently installed the first of five new seismic recording stations that will collect information on seismic events around…

HAZ-2021-01 Post-wildfire Hazards

Noting that we were getting hundreds of search hits on a previous version of an info-brochure that we originally published…

Golden Rocks: The Geology and Mining History of Golden, Colorado

We’ve received the go ahead to help distribute this marvelous (and FREE!) 100+ page digital publication from the talented and…