Large 700-series Caterpillar mine hauling trucks at the Holcim Portland Cement plant in Florence Energy, General, Minerals, Publications 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 the 2020-21 report, this report is based on 2021 production data with additional reported news from 2022. It provides a comprehensive snapshot of Colorado’s mineral resource…
Aggregate quarry near Durango Energy, Minerals, Publications February 4, 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 2020-2021 report isn’t finished quite yet, but the comprehensive bibliographic list that it is based on is. This list includes state, local and federal government sources, as well as private…
Detail from one of over 600 Denver Basin geophysical and lithological logs included in the ON-OF-78-08M digitization project. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey. Geology, Minerals, Publications June 3, 2021 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 handful of new maps and recently digitized analog data sets that we haven’t otherwise publicized. These include several important online GIS maps and downloadable data packages:…
Surface operations at the Climax molybdenum mine Energy, Geology, Minerals, Publications April 15, 2021 A few new publications For those of you who are recent subscribers to the CGS mailing list, we wanted to direct your attention to a handful of new publications that we haven’t otherwise publicized. We’ve been adding more in the last months, so stay tuned for another introductory posting: IS-82…
Mining town, Eureka, San Juan County, Colorado, circa 1900. Photo credit: William Henry Jackson. CGS media archive. Geology, Minerals, Publications November 24, 2020 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 available by former CGS Senior Minerals Geologist, Mr. James Burnell, during the 2010s. Referencing a variety of sources, Burnell researched most of the major districts around the state. Each district…
A uranium-rich zone in a sandstone of the Morrison Formation, Carnation Mine, San Miguel County, CO, January 2007. Photo credit: Chris Carroll (CGS). Energy, Minerals February 19, 2020 Colorado’s Uranium Deposits [Ed: this document, written in 2011 by Jim Burnell, Ph.D., P.G. (former Senior Minerals Geologist, Colorado Geological Survey), provides an excellent narrative on the sources of uranium deposits on the Western Slope of Colorado. However, it’s not the whole story—there is fascinating new science research implicating biological/organismic activity underground that…
Downtown Creede in 2010. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS. Geology, Minerals October 16, 2019 Creede: The Last Boom Town This RMPBS/Colorado Experience video explores the vibrant mining history of Creede, Colorado. In so many ways, the story of Colorado is the story of mining. The town of Creede in the south-central Rockies of Colorado stands as one of the last mining…
Uranium roll front hosted in Dakota Sandstone Energy, Minerals August 14, 2018 Geology of Uranium Deposits in Colorado Uranium is a widespread and ubiquitous element. It has a crustal abundance of 2.8 parts per million, slightly more than tin. Primary deposits of uranium tend to concentrate in granitic or alkalic volcanic rocks, hydrothermal veins, marine black shales, and early Precambrian age placer deposits. Secondary (or epigenetic) deposits of…
Diamonds in the rough, note the regular octahedral forms and trigons (of positive and negative relief) formed by natural chemical etching. Photo credit: Wikimedia. Minerals February 19, 2018 What are diamonds? Diamonds are formed from pure carbon, one of the most abundant elements on planet Earth. Diamonds, even from ancient times, have been sought for their extraordinary hardness (they are the hardest substance known) and their brilliance, especially in the colorless transparent gemstone variety. Ironically the other form of pure carbon…
IS-79 Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities 2015-2016 Energy, Minerals, Publications February 18, 2017 IS-79 Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities 2015-16 The current annual Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities report 2015-16 is now available. Following up on the 2014 report, this report, based on 2015 production data, sketches a comprehensive overview of Colorado’s mineral resource production. Of note is the fact that total value of…
Historical postcard "Prospecting in Leadville" General, Minerals March 11, 1909 Mines and Minerals: the early Survey While a number of brilliant men have in past years held the office of Colorado State Geologist, it is no disparagement to them to say that their work produced few tangible or lasting results. The fault was the state’s and her legislatures’ previous to that of 1907. Limited by niggardly…