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mitigation

A precarious rock above Manitou Springs started to move in 1995 after a period of wet weather. As an emergency measure, high-strength steel cables were wrapped around the rock and anchored to the surrounding ledge to arrest the movement. Photo credit Jon White for the CGS.

Hazards

June 19, 1995

Case Study: Rockfall – Manitou Springs

[ED: This report from 1995 was written by Jon White, (Senior Engineering Geologist, Emeritus). It looks at a specific rockfall situation in the central Front Range town. ] Manitou Springs occupies a narrow valley where Fountain Creek emerges from the foothills northeast of Pikes Peak and west of Colorado Springs. The valley slopes are composed of interbedded resistant sandstone and conglomerates (i.e., gravelly sandstone), and weaker mudstones and shale. The outcropping sandstone is most prevalent on the steeper slopes on the north side of the valley.