General
January 10, 2020
Welcome to the final CGS/RockTalk web iteration
If you want to find out what's happening with the new CGS site, read here! Apologies for the incompleteness, it will improve on a daily basis, we promise!
rocktalk
Energy
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…
Hazards
July 12, 2018
Collapsible Soils
By Jonathan White, Senior Engineering Geologist (emeritus staff) At the end of the 19th and beginning…
General
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,…
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.
Hazards
June 19, 1995
Case Study: Rockfall – Manitou Springs
by Jon White 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.