Colorado Geology

Colorado's rock formations range from Precambrian granites exposed in the Rocky Mountains to Quaternary deposits from the latest episodes of erosion and glaciation. The State can be generally divided into (east to west):

• High Plains
• Piedmont
• Rocky Mountains
• Plateaus of the Western Slope
• Volcanic deposits of the San Juan and Elk mountains and White River Plateau

(Fountain Valley Trail; 2011; Greg Willis, photographer.)

Geology is usually specific to a site, so make use of geographic keywords (county, quadrangle) or the names of formations in your search. Geology Top Picks lists our top geology databases. In addition, for Colorado try:

Colorado Geological Survey

Colorado Scientific Society -- for local field guides

Field Trip Guidebook, Geological Society of America Centennial Meeting, Denver, Colorado (1988). Holden, Gregory S.

Geology of Colorado and Western Ore Deposits (1893). Lakes, Arthur.

Guide to the geology of the Golden area (1938). Van Tuyl, F. M.; Johnson, J. Harlan; Waldschmidt, W. A.; Boyd, James; Parker, Ben H. Quarterly of the Colorado School of Mines 33(3) p. 5-32.

Introduction to the geology of the Golden area, Colorado (1934). Johnson, J. Harlan. Quarterly of the Colorado School of Mines 29(4) p. 7-36.

Table Mountain lavas and associated igneous rocks near Golden, Colorado (1939). Waldschmidt, W. A. Quarterly of the Colorado School of Mines 34(3) p. 3-62.