Detrital zircon grains of an igneous rock as seen through an incident light microscope. Photo credit: Martin Lindner. From: Költringer Geology November 21, 2023 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 August 7, 2023 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.
Excerpt drone shot from Dr. Christian Shorey's "Earth Explorations" vlog. General, Geology July 27, 2022 Earth Explorations vlog/podcasts Dr. Christian Shorey—Teaching Professor of Environmental Science and Climatology in the Geology and Geological Engineering Department at Mines—jumped into a social media experiment with the Earth and Environmental Systems Podcast in 2008. After producing more that 60 audio episodes he segued to the…
Interstate-70 running through Glenwood Canyon is one of the most spectacular segments of the US Interstate system. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS. Geology March 16, 2022 The Glenwood Canyon Highway This recent RMPBS/Colorado Experience video traces the history of transportation through Colorado’s spectacular Glenwood Canyon. It focuses on the complex construction process of Interstate-70 that sought to harmonize with the geology and the landscape. Initially fraught with controversy and opposition, the Glenwood Canyon Highway is one…
Downtown Creede in 2010. Photo credit: Vince Matthews for the CGS. Geology, Minerals October 16, 2019 Creede: The Last Boom Town This RMPBS/Colorado Experience video explores the vibrant mining history of Creede, Colorado. In so many ways, the story of Colorado is the story of mining. The town of Creede in the south-central Rockies of Colorado stands as one of the last mining…
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…
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.
Hazards March 4, 2015 Land subsidence, a growing problem Deltares, an independent institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface, hosted fifteen international subsidence experts to discuss subsidence problems worldwide at the annual meeting of UNESCO Land Subsidence working group. The video below features Gilles Erkens, subsidence expert…
Hazards March 13, 2013 The Science of Sinkholes This video, from the U.S. Geological Survey, explores the geological factors behind sinkholes and the related science. Narrated by Randall Orndorff, the Director of the USGS Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center.
Hazards June 16, 2011 Mine Subsidence Hazards in Colorado This video, produced by the CGS in 2011, examines the significant geo-hazards related to the long history of underground coal mining in Colorado.
Hazards February 10, 2011 Hazardous Soils in Colorado This educational video, produced in 2011, explores the various problems that arise from hazardous soil conditions — expansive, collapsible/compressible, hydrocompactive, dispersive, swelling/expansible — across the state. These geologic hazards combined cause more infrastructure damage in Colorado than any others. The video also covers the types of damage, methods for prevention…