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The north face of Mount Lincoln (14,286 ft) rises over 3,000 ft above the Middle Fork of the South Platte. It is the highest summit of the Mosquito Range, and the eleventh-highest summit in the contiguous United States. Old mine roads zigzag across a nearby slope at the top of Park County. Photo credit: Larry Scott for the CGS.

Geology

November 30, 2023

2024 Colorado Geology Calendar

Following up on last year’s popular geological photo tour around the state, we’re proud to share this next collection from…
Detrital zircon grains of an igneous rock as seen through an incident light microscope. Photo credit: Martin Lindner. From: Költringer, Chiara. “Detrital Zircons: How the Age of a Resistant Mineral Can Help to Reconstruct the Climate of the Past.” Science. EGU Blogs: Climate: Past, Present & Future (blog), May 20, 2021.

Geology

November 21, 2023

Case Study: detrital zircon

[ED: On the occasion of releasing a new dataset: ON-004-04D Data tables of detrital zircon U-Pb…
On the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Geology Train trip, there will be plenty of opportunities to debark and get close-up views of the fascinating geology along the way. Photo credit: CTSRR.

Geology

August 9, 2023

Cumbres and Toltec Geology Train

This year’s September 10th Geology Train — a very special and popular opportunity to enjoy…

Hazards

August 7, 2023

Wildfires 101

Although the US wildfire season this year doesn’t seem quite as intense as prior ones, we thought this excellent primer…
Large 700-series Caterpillar mine hauling trucks at the Holcim Portland Cement plant in Florence, Colorado. Photo credit: Larry Scott for the CGS.

Minerals

April 13, 2023

IS-85 Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities 2021-2022

The current annual Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities report for 2021-22 is now available. Following up on…
OF-22-16D Digital Compilation of Surficial and Bedrock Geology of the Montrose 30x60 Minute Quadrangle, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel Counties, Colorado (detail)

Geology

March 30, 2023

New Colorado 30×60 minute quadrangle datasets

Underwritten with special supplemental funding though the US Geological Survey (USGS) STATEMAP Program, we digitized, re-compiled, and quality-controlled several…
Limestone speleothems (var. stalactite) hang from the ceiling of Glenwood Caverns, Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.

admin

March 1, 2023

115th Annual AASG Meeting, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

The 2023 Association of American State Geologists meeting—hosted by the Colorado Geological Survey—takes place in Glenwood…
The Colorado River as it leaves the state, at the James M. Robb State Park in Fruita, Colorado, during spring high water, May 2005. Photo credit: Jeremy McCreary for the CGS.

Water

February 7, 2023

Colorado Water Plan 2023

“Water is the lifeblood of our state, and we are taking strong actions to protect Colorado’s water for generations to…
The dunes from the park entrance road in spectacular clear air after an overnight dusting of snow at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Mount Herard (13,345 ft/4068 m) is the highest peak. Photo credit: Vince Matthews.

Geology

December 16, 2022

2023 Colorado Geology Calendar

We’ve been wanting to put together a calendar for some time now, and 2023 seems to be the right…
Flooding and erosive flows following a 2004 rainstorm caused this bridge collapse in El Paso County. East Sand Creek had been

Water

November 11, 2022

Case study: Fluvial Hazard Zone

“The Fluvial Hazard Zone (FHZ) is defined as the area a stream has occupied in recent history, may occupy, or…
ON-001 Colorado Earthquake and Fault Map

Hazards

September 23, 2022

The Great Colorado ShakeOut 2022

It’s coming up in less than four weeks! The Great Colorado ShakeOut is a public earthquake drill that takes place…
Matt Morgan on a cold day in the field at Titanium Ridge, Elbert County, Colorado, February 2019. Photo credit: Mike O'Keeffe for the CGS.

admin

September 12, 2022

Introducing our new Director

Matt Morgan, Colorado Geological Survey, Director and Colorado State Geologist, Red Rocks Park, Morrison,…
MS-53 Colorado Stratigraphy Chart, from Robert Raynolds and James Hagadorn, 2017. Credit: Colorado Geological Survey and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Geology

September 7, 2022

MS-53 Colorado Stratigraphy Chart

A collaboration between the CGS and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) has…
Earthquake damage: significant cracking and displacement in adobe wall of garage, Trinidad, Colorado, August 2011. Photo credit: T.C. Wait for the CGS

Geology

August 16, 2022

The Great ShakeOut

The origins of The Great ShakeOut project lie, unsurprisingly, in Southern California, one of the more…
Excerpt drone shot from Dr. Christian Shorey's

General

July 27, 2022

Earth Explorations vlog/podcasts

Dr. Christian Shorey—Teaching Professor of Environmental Science and Climatology in the Geology and Geological Engineering Department…
Pyrite, a metallic sulfide mineral, found in the dump of the Allan Emory Mine in Summit County, Colorado. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey.

Hazards

July 21, 2022

Case Study: NARD

Are pristine mountain waters always clean and pure? Can streams unaffected by human activities and livestock influences be unfit…
Skyline Drive, a one-way road along Skyline Ridge (a hogback of Dakota sandstone) northwest of Cañon City, Colorado, features spectacular views of geological and paleontological features. Seen here, geologist Dr. Adam Jackson introduces the track impressions of a group of 30-foot-long, six-ton, armored Ankylosaurs. Photo credit: Cindy Smith.

Geology

May 19, 2022

Fremont County geologic attractions

Fremont County, two hours south of Denver, is located on the south-central Front Range of Colorado in a geological region…
North Table Mountain stands between Golden and the wider Denver metro area in the background. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.

Geology

May 10, 2022

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…
The Flatirons overlooking Boulder, Colorado are comprised of once flat-lying Permian Fountain Formation sedimentary rock that were tilted to 50 degrees by the orogenic uplift of the Rocky Mountains. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.

Geology

April 21, 2022

Unfolding the Geology of the West

Our collaborators and friends up in Boulder at the Geological Society of America (GSA) are making…
Munroe Quarry near Livermore, Colorado in Larimer County, which produces gypsum from the Permo-Triassic Lykins Formation. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey.

Geology

April 11, 2022

Case Study: Lykins Formation

Small but significant areas of Colorado are underlain by bedrock that is composed of evaporative…
An expansive view of most of Colorado looking from the south-south-west from the International Space Station (ISS). Photo credit: NASA.

Geology

April 8, 2022

NASA Earth Observatory

One of our favorite online feeds is from the NASA Earth Observatory along with their…
Helicorder trace from Trinidad seismometer station, December 2019. Photo credit: CGS.

Hazards

March 25, 2022

CGS Seismic Stations

Early History The Colorado School of Mines first acquired and installed a single three-component seismograph in the…
Interstate-70 running through Glenwood Canyon is one of the most spectacular segments of the US Interstate system. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.

Geology

March 16, 2022

The Glenwood Canyon Highway

This recent RMPBS/Colorado Experience video traces the history of transportation through Colorado’s spectacular Glenwood Canyon. It…
Pierre Shale (gray) exposed along St. Vrain Creek in Weld County, Colorado. Photo credit: Stephen Keller for the CGS.

Geology

March 15, 2022

Recent reports published

OF-20-11 Alkaline Complexes of the Wet Mountains Area, Colorado: A Geological Summary, Bibliography, and Data Compilation…
A 3610 g slice of the Bear Creek meteorite being held for scale that was formerly in the Jurgen Nauber Meteorite Collection (JNMC) in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo credit: Peter Marmet.

General

March 9, 2022

Tale of the Bear Creek Meteorite, Jefferson County, Colorado

By Matthew Morgan, Deputy Director, Colorado Geological Survey and Gary Curtiss, Lakewood geologist and meteorite collector A…
On the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Geology Train trip, there will be plenty of opportunities to debark and get close-up views of the fascinating geology along the way. Photo credit: CTSRR.

General

February 21, 2022

Cumbres and Toltec Geology Train

We just found out about this year’s Cumbres & Toltec Geology Train adventures in southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico.
Aggregate quarry near Durango, Colorado. Photo credit: Mike O'Keeffe for the CGS.

Minerals

February 3, 2022

IS-84 Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities 2020-2021 – bibliography

Every year, the CGS Minerals section prepares a comprehensive survey of the mineral and energy industries across the state. The…
Check dams along drainage ditch, Clear Creek County, Colorado. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey.

Water

January 14, 2022

Case Study: stormwater

Stormwater runoff is excess water associated with a rain or snow storm event that flows over the…
MS-51 Interpretive Geothermal Gradient Map of Colorado (detail)

Energy

November 19, 2021

Case Study: geothermal gradient

The CGS has long been involved in researching the characteristics of geothermal energy across the state,…
Tree trunk with up-stream face scoured by debris flow, Paradise Acres, Huerfano County, Colorado, September 2018. Photo credit: Jon Lovekin for the CGS.

Hazards

June 23, 2021

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…