Related Guides
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.)
Top Picks
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 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.
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Roadside Geology of Colorado by Call Number: QE91 .W55 2014ISBN: 9780878426096Publication Date: 2014 -
Geology of Colorado Illustrated by Call Number: QE91 .F68 1994ISBN: 096405230XPublication Date: 1994-01-01 -
Guide to the Petroleum Geology and Laramide Orogeny, Denver Basin and Front Range, Colorado by Call Number: QE91 .A4 no. 51ISBN: 1884216560Publication Date: 1996-01-01 -
On Golden and Jefferson County
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.
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Surficial and Bedrock Geologic Map of the Golden Quadrangle, Jefferson County, Colorado. by Call Number: I-761-APublication Date: 1072USGS MIsc. Geological Investigations Map
