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Colorado is home to several world-class molybdenum deposits including the alkaline felsic intrusive deposits of the Climax Mine—once the largest moly mine in the world—in Lake County, Colorado, July 2010. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.

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Avalanche debris in the runout zone taken from a helicopter on the morning after the avalanche occurred, 24 March, 2003. Photo credit: Xcel Energy.

Hazards

March 23, 2003

Case Study: Avalanche – Silver Plume

On March 23, 2003, a large avalanche occurred about one mile west of the Town of Silver Plume. The avalanche brought trees, rock, soil and snow to the valley floor, knocked down overhead utility lines, blocked the I-70 frontage road, damaged the town’s water treatment plant (WTP), and dammed Clear Creek. The dam was breached using explosives before the plant’s electric pump motors were flooded. With damage to the WTP’s chlorine contact tank and building, Silver Plume residents had to boil their tap water for over a month.