Large 700-series Caterpillar mine hauling trucks at the Holcim Portland Cement plant in Florence
Large 700-series Caterpillar mine hauling trucks at the Holcim Portland Cement plant in Florence

Energy, General, Minerals, Publications

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…

North Table Mountain stands between Golden and the wider Denver metro area in the background. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.
North Table Mountain stands between Golden and the wider Denver metro area in the background. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS.

Geology, Publications

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 insightful Donna Anderson and Paul Haseman. Their passion for geology and for communicating the fascinating and often surprising facts about Golden and its geologic history show through every page…

Munroe Quarry near Livermore
Munroe Quarry near Livermore

Geology, Hazards

Case Study: Lykins Formation

Small but significant areas of Colorado are underlain by bedrock that is composed of evaporative minerals. These are salts and sulfates that precipitate out of salt-concentrated surface waters. In the geologic past these minerals were deposited in shallow seas within closed or restricted basins where…

Mining town
Mining town, Eureka, San Juan County, Colorado, circa 1900. Photo credit: William Henry Jackson. CGS media archive.

Geology, Minerals, Publications

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
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

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…