Geology April 28, 2018 Quote: Creative geologic ideas? No Geologist worth anything is permanently bound to a desk or laboratory, but the charming notion that true science can only be based on unbiased observation of nature in the raw is mythology. Creative work, in geology and anywhere else, is interaction and synthesis: half-baked ideas from a bar room,…
Geology March 24, 2018 A Brief History of Colorado Through Time (Geology of Colorado) One of the many fascinating videos from our geo-friends up the road at University of Colorado-Boulder: A Brief History of Colorado Through Time (Geology of Colorado). The Interactive Geology Project was formed in 2002 by professor Paul Weimer…
Diamonds in the rough, note the regular octahedral forms and trigons (of positive and negative relief) formed by natural chemical etching. Photo credit: Wikimedia. Minerals 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, have been sought for their extraordinary hardness (they are the hardest substance known) and their brilliance, especially in the colorless transparent gemstone variety. Ironically the other form of pure carbon…
Hazards December 30, 2017 Swelling or expansive soils Colorado has many areas susceptible to the problems that swelling soils cause. This video gives some background on the problem.
Water Resources Investigation WRI 2017-1a Geology, Water November 15, 2017 A new Water Resources Investigation: Upper Pierre Aquifer Our friends over at the Colorado Division of Water Resources (CDWR) have just released Water Resources Investigation WRI 2017-1a, The Upper Pierre Aquifer of the Cheyenne Basin, Northeastern Colorado, Geologic Cross Sections, authored by Ralf Topper, Clinton D. Meyer, Marshall Haworth, Kevin C. Donegan, Hillary Banks,…
MI-97 LiDAR-Based Map of the Cheraw Fault Scarp. Graphic credit: Colorado Geological Survey Hazards September 12, 2017 AEG Annual Meeting Members of our geoscience staff are busy this week participating in the Annual Meeting of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists taking place in Colorado Springs this year. CGS Director and State Geologist, Karen Berry, PG, is the Technical Session Moderator, the organizer of…
Dramatic landslide headscarp threatens this structure on Constellation Drive in Skyway Hazards August 14, 2017 Landslide Hazard Info for Colorado Springs Residents and Real Estate Professionals The city of Colorado Springs lies at the boundary between the Great Plains and the Front Range of the southern Rocky Mountains. Western sections of the city are underlain by weak claystones and shales that are prone to landslides. Several developed areas have experienced various degrees of damage from landslide…
The Great Colorado ShakeOut - Drop-Cover-Hold On! Hazards July 9, 2017 What to do before, during, and after an earthquake Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently, and without warning. While Colorado is not as seismically active as some places, it does have a history of earthquake activity. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake. Repairing deep…
OF-16-02 Geologic Map of the Watkins Quadrangle Geology, Publications June 27, 2017 OF-16-02 Geologic Map of the Watkins Quadrangle, Arapahoe and Adams Counties, Colorado We’ve just uploaded the next of our free STATEMAP quadrangle map products to our online store: the Geologic Map of the Watkins Quadrangle, Arapahoe and Adams Counties, Colorado. The STATEMAP series in…
West Salt Creek rock avalanche viewed from the air General, Hazards, Publications May 16, 2017 AASG 2017 John C. Frye Memorial Award for CGS publication The Association of American State Geologists announced that their annual John C. Frye Memorial Award for 2017 is granted to the CGS and the staff members who authored the report The West Salt Creek Landslide: A Catastrophic Rockslide…
OF-16-03 Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Profiles (detail)|OF-16-03 Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Profiles (detail)|OF-16-03 Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Profiles (detail)|OF-16-03 Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Profiles (detail)|OF-16-03 Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Profiles General, Geology, Publications May 15, 2017 OF-16-03 Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Profiles (NOTE: We’ are currently rolling over our physical publications sales to Amazon, and we haven’t yet gotten this great poster in stock at the Amazon fulfillment center for shipping as of yet. We hope to issue an updated version at some point in 2023!) Can you name the features…