Colorado contains abundant renewable and nonrenewable energy resources. The state presently generates electricity from a combination of coal, natural gas, and, increasingly, renewable sources.
Colorado has diverse geologic structures, rocks, soil types, topography, and climatic conditions that combine to create a range of dynamic natural processes.
Colorado contains an abundance of mineral resources. The state has a long history of mining that started during the 1858 Colorado Gold Rush (also known as the Pikes Peak Gold Rush) before the area was established as a territory.
Colorado’s water resources supply water not only to the state itself, but also to many surrounding states.
From the low-lying eastern plains, to the central peaks soaring more than 14,000 feet above sea level, to the western red-rock canyons: the colorful landscape of Colorado embodies some of the most varied, spectacular, and well-displayed geology in the nation.
Explore our collection of over nine hundred publications — most available for free download! Dive into topics ranging from energy, mineral, and water resources to geologic hazards, and discover the rich, diverse geology of Colorado.
Find out more about the Colorado Geological Survey, including our mission, history, and current staff members.
Colorado contains abundant renewable and nonrenewable energy resources. Renewable energy resources include wind, solar, hydroelectricity, and geothermal energy. Nonrenewable energy resources include oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium. The state presently generates electricity from a combination of coal, natural gas, and, increasingly, renewable sources. Geology plays an important part in locating appropriate sites and raw materials for many energy resources, as well as determining safe disposal sites for the waste products of energy development.
The CGS has conducted scientific studies associated with energy resources on a state-wide or location-specific basis including geologic mapping of potential oil- and gas-bearing rock formations, understanding geothermal heat flows, and the characterization of coal reserves. The CGS is not a regulatory agency, rather, it provides an important research platform to support other state agencies that regulate resource extraction in the state. We maintain a sizable archive of reports on oil and gas, oil shale, coalbed methane, uranium, and geothermal resources extending back to the 1890s. We also publish an annual report on the state of the mineral and energy industry in the state.