Denver Basin
The Denver Basin, variously referred to as the Julesburg Basin, Denver-Julesburg Basin (after
Geology
The basin consists of a large asymmetric
The basin started forming as early as 300 million years ago, during the
The present basin was within the
The basin was most likely further deepened in Paleogene time, between 66 and 45 million years ago, during the Laramide orogeny that created the modern Colorado Rockies. In particular, the uplifting of the Rockies in the Front Range caused the crust near Denver to buckle downward on the eastern side, deepening the basin. The basin later became filled with sediment eroded from the Rockies. The Front Range peaks rise approximately 22,000 ft (6600 m) from the floor of the basin under Denver.
The deep part of the basin near Denver became filled with Paleogene sandstone and conglomerate, a layer now called the Denver Formation. In the regions to the north and south of Denver, however, stream erosion removed the Paleogene layers, revealing the underlying Cretaceous Pierre Shale.
Natural resources
Petroleum
The basin itself forms a
The great majority of Denver Basin oil and gas fields produce from
The
Coal
Large
Groundwater
The Denver Basin aquifer system consists of a layered sequence of four aquifers in beds of permeable conglomerate, sandstone, and siltstone. Layers of relatively impermeable shale separate the aquifers and impede the vertical movement of ground water between the aquifers. The northern part of this aquifer system underlies the surficial aquifer of the South Platte River. Although the Denver Basin aquifer system and the surficial aquifer are hydraulically connected in part of this area, they primarily function as separate aquifer systems which serve as important sources of water supply in the region.[12][13][14] Denver and its suburbs such as the communities in Douglas County draw ground water from the aquifers in the Denver Basin. There is recharge of about 40,000 acre-feet per year from the broken land to the west of the basin and withdrawals of about 10 times as much.[15] Ground water levels have dropped in the aquifers especially near population centers which draw on the aquifers for water.[16]
Cement, construction aggregate and dimension stone
Raw materials are mined from the Niobrara Formation and Pierre Shale and made into cement at the Cemex plant near Lyons, Colorado.
Sand and gravel for construction are a major mineral resource in the Denver Basin.
The Lyons Formation provides flagstone from quarries in Boulder and Larimer counties, along the western edge of the basin.
Gold
Small amounts of
Uranium
A small amount of uranium ore has been mined from the
References
- doi:10.2113/11 – via GeoScienceWorld.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ Search and Discovery Article #20001 (1999)
- ^ "Colorado School of Mines" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2007-08-06.[dead link]
- ^ Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Retrieved 8 December 2008.
- ^ US Energy Information Administration, Top 100 oil and gas fields Archived 2009-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, PDF file, retrieved 18 February 2009.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Peggy Williams, Shallow DJ gas, Oil and Gas Investor, Mar. 2007, p.51-54.
- ^ Paul E. Soister (1978) Geologic setting of coal in the Denver Basin, in Energy Resources of the Denver Basin, Denver: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, p.153-159.
- ^ D. Keith Murray (1980) Coal in Colorado, in Colorado Geology, Denver: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, p.210-211.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-05-05. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-A Chapter SD
- ^ "GROUND WATER ATLAS of the UNITED STATES Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah HA 730-C Regional Summary". pubs.usgs.gov. USGS. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
This chapter of the Ground Water Atlas of the United States describes the aquifers in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ USGS Aquifer Basics[1]
- ^ "Colorado Geological Survey Water Atlas". Archived from the original on 2007-07-14. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ "Water Supply". douglas.co.us. Douglas County. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ "GSA program 2007 abstract". Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^ Robert J. Wright and Donald L. Everhart (1960) Uranium, in Mineral Resources of Colorado First Sequel, Denver: Colorado Mineral Resources Board, p.363.
- ^ Louis J. O'Connor and Bruce D. Smith (1978) Magnetic and electrical study of a roll-front uranium deposit in the Denver Basin, Colorado, in Energy Resources of the Denver Basin, Denver: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, p.153-159.
- Roadside Geology of Colorado, Halka Chronic, Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana (1980).
External links and further reading
- Emmons, Samuel Franklin, 1841-1911; Cross, Whitman, 1854-1949; Eldridge, George Homans, 1854-1905, Geology of the Denver basin in Colorado (1896) Washington D.C, Government Printing Office
- Kansas Geological Survey: Geological Overview of the Niobrara Chalk Natural Gas Play
- 2002 USGS Assessment of Oil and Gas Resource Potential of the Denver Basin Petroleum Province of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming
- Colorado Geological Survey: Sedimentary Rock Aquifers: Denver Basin