Stratigraphic Chart

This living digital chart has been built directly from a chart of Colorado Stratigraphy assembled by Richard H. Pearl published by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists in Special Publication 2 in 1977. The chart has been reproduced in various ways for field guides and handouts. We have recast it against the International Commission on Stratigraphy’s  Chronostratigraphic Chart v. 2015/01 and slightly modified the organization and layout. Thanks to Larry Scott for drafting the stratigraphic chart. It is designed, like Colorado, to evolve with time.

Paleogeographic Maps

These maps are the work of Ron Blakey, published in:
Blakey, R. and Ranney, W., 2008, Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau; Grand Canyon Association, 156  pp., together with maps from a CD obtained from Ron featuring additional maps of the Western Interior.  For additional details please see Ron’s publications and www2.nau.edu/rcb7

Paleogeologic Maps

Bob compiled these from the literature. They form a part of a research project at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to examine Colorado’s evolving river systems.

Ancient Paintings

These come from the book:  Ancient Denvers: Scenes from the past 300 million years of the Colorado Front Range by Kirk Johnson and Bob Raynolds, published by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, with artwork by Jan Vriesen, Donna Braginetz, and Gary Staab. Ten images, painted by Jan Vriesen, from the Colorado Convention Center have been added courtesy of the artist, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and the City of Denver.

Fossil Photos

We are adding photos of representative Colorado fossils, using images from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the University of Colorado.

Strata Photos

We are collecting a series of beautiful photos of rocks in Colorado. We have used photos form Jeremy McCreary’s web site at www.cliffshade.com and other resources as indicated. We also include Herb Saperstone's annotated 360° photographs of special geologic places: www.kulla.com.

Resources (Coal, Oil, Gas)

This page illustrates resources extracted in Colorado. The data have been derived from the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Colorado Geological Survey and the Energy Information Administration by Kathy Robinson. The size of the circles are proportional to the resource volume extracted. For more detail, see the metadata download on the individual resource pages.

Coal Production Sources:

• 1864-2002: Colorado Geologic Survey, Historic Coal Mines of Colorado, 2002, CD.
• 2003-2017: EIA, Detailed data from the EIA-7A and the U.S. MineSafety and Health Administration by Year, http://www.eia.gov/coal/data.cfm#production
• Coal production is reported in short tons, we converted to million short tons (MMSt)

Oil and Gas Production Sources:

• Historical-1996: Colorado Geological Survey, 1999, IS-50, Oil and Gas Fields of Colorado: Statistical Summary Through 1996, Allison Lawson and H. Thomas Hemborg
• 1997-1998: Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, custom data by request.
• 1999-2018: Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Production Summaries by Year, http://cogcc.state.co.us/data2.html#/downloads
• Historic field locations from EIA Oil and Gas Field Code Master List 2000: http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/virtual_disk_library/index.cgi/4265704/FID3754/pdf/Oil/03702000.pdf , county code reference here: https://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/fieldcode/
• Oil production is reported in barrels(bbl), we converted to million barrels (MMbbl)
• Gas production is reported in thousand cubic feet (MCF), we converted to billion cubic feet (BCF)

Log Cross Sections

These come from the 1977 Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Special Publication 2 edited by Dennis Irwin, Chair of the RMAG Research Committee. Committee members include: Lou Bortz, Lionel Brenneman, John Chronic, William Clark, Harold Dunn, Thomas Fisher, Lyle Hale, Dennis Irwin, Roger Matuszczak, Daniel McClure, Cornelius (K) Molenaar, David Moore, Duane Mordock, Richard Pearl, Soli Shapurji, Robert Wellborn, William Whiteley, and John Wilson.

Structural Cross Sections

These come from a compilation by William Nesse, published by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists.

Measured Sections

These sections come from a volume published by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, A Symposium Edited by Edwin D. McKee, 1957.

Stratigraphic Panels (Under Construction)

Bob is compiling panels of stratigraphic information along the Colorado Front Range tied directly to measured sections as indicated. The stratigraphic panel along the Uinta Piceance and Eagle basins comes from the U.S. Geological Survey Map I-2184-A by S. Jackson and R. Johnson 1990.

Paleogeography Videos

These videos were made by concatenating Ron Blakey’s paleogeographic maps.

Interactive Geology Project Videos

These videos are provided courtesy of Paul Weimer and his team at University of Colorado, Boulder.  For more videos and additional information, see igp.colorado.edu

Road Logs (Under Construction)

These were compiled by Bob Raynolds over a period of many years. They are currently under construction. Any input is welcome and appreciated.

‍