Wolf Creek Valley Overlook, Mineral County (September, CGS 2025 Geology Calendar). Photo credit: Nate Rogers (CGS).

Geology

2025 Colorado Geology Calendar

Back for the third year running, our popular annual calendar showcases a varied and beautiful photo tour around the state. We’re excited to share this next collection of photographs from current and former CGS staff members. Designed to keep you visually “in-the-know” on colorful Colorado geology, it reveals special locations…

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General

Cumbres & Toltec Geology Train – June 9th, 2024

Many of you know and love the Geology Train – the Colorado Geological Survey’s twice-annual partnership with the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad offering a unique experience observing spectacular geology in Colorado and New Mexico. Our next ride departs on June 9th and tickets are still available! This June,…

The north face of Mount Lincoln (14
The north face of Mount Lincoln (14

Geology

2024 Colorado Geology Calendar

Following up on last year’s popular geological photo tour around the state, we’re proud to share this next collection from current and former staff members. Designed to keep you visually in-the-know on colorful Colorado geology, it reveals special locations throughout the year! You can order your calendar on our (new)…

Detrital zircon grains of an igneous rock as seen through an incident light microscope. Photo credit: Martin Lindner. From: Költringer
Detrital zircon grains of an igneous rock as seen through an incident light microscope. Photo credit: Martin Lindner. From: Költringer

Geology

Case Study: detrital zircon

[ED: On the occasion of releasing a new dataset: ON-004-04D Data tables of detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic analyses and trace element concentrations of select Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogene rocks, Denver Basin and Northeastern Colorado (Data) – v20231110 that features data on 10 samples tested from a…

Hazards

Wildfires 101

Although the US wildfire season this year doesn’t seem quite as intense as prior ones, we thought this excellent primer on how NASA, NOAA, and new technologies are helping predict and monitor wildfires around the globe.

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…

Flooding and erosive flows following a 2004 rainstorm caused this bridge collapse in El Paso County. East Sand Creek had been
Flooding and erosive flows following a 2004 rainstorm caused this bridge collapse in El Paso County. East Sand Creek had been "channelized" upstream of this structure - possibly concentrating the flows and resulting in this damage. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey.|Bank erosion (cut bank caving) along the North Fork of the Gunnison River in Paonia

Hazards, Water

Case study: Fluvial Hazard Zone

“The Fluvial Hazard Zone (FHZ) is defined as the area a stream has occupied in recent history, may occupy, or may physically influence as it stores and transports water, sediment, and debris.” The CGS often collaborates with local, state, and federal agencies on projects concerning emergency preparedness and community…