Colorado, USAi

Regional Level Types
Colorado	State
USA	Country

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Colorado is a state in the western United States with exceptional geographic and geological diversity, lying at the intersection of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Colorado Plateau. The eastern third of the state consists of high plains and piedmont landscapes underlain mainly by Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. Although these rocks are not especially mineralogically diverse, they have been economically important as hosts for oil and gas production. This broad, gently rolling region contrasts strongly with the mountainous interior of the state.

Running north–south through central Colorado are the Rocky Mountains, which form the core of the state’s topography and mineral wealth. These mountains expose Precambrian crystalline basement rocks, overlain in places by Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary sequences, uplifted during the Laramide orogeny. The Rockies were the focus of Colorado’s historic hard-rock mining industry, producing large quantities of gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, and associated metals. Mining became economically significant following the discovery of gold in 1858, an event that helped trigger rapid settlement and ultimately Colorado’s development as a state.

The Front Range mineral belt, extending roughly from Boulder southward past Idaho Springs, Central City, and Cripple Creek, is one of the most important metallogenic zones in Colorado. It is characterised predominantly by base-metal ores containing appreciable silver and gold. Northeast of Idaho Springs, ores were historically valued chiefly for their gold content, with the notable exception of the eastward-trending tungsten belt between Nederland and Boulder. Farther south and west within the belt, ores are dominated by base metals and silver, although parts of the Breckenridge and Tiger districts are notable for gold-rich mineralisation.

In southwestern Colorado, large volcanic calderas and extensive volcanic fields dominate the landscape, particularly in the San Juan Mountains. These Cenozoic volcanic complexes are among the largest in North America and have been major producers of precious and base metals, including gold, silver, lead, zinc, and molybdenum. The combination of caldera-related volcanism, intrusive activity, and hydrothermal systems has made this region one of the most geologically complex and mineralogically rich parts of the state.

The western portion of Colorado consists largely of plateau country underlain by sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau. Here, mineral production has historically focused on uranium and vanadium, particularly in the southwest, while potash and oil shale resources are found mainly in the northwest. Industrial minerals such as limestone, gypsum, sand, and gravel are also widespread across the state. Together, these diverse geological provinces make Colorado one of the most important states in the US for understanding the links between tectonics, volcanism, sedimentation, and mineral resources.



Within Colorado, historic land surveying is based on three principal meridians: the Ute Meridian (shown in pink), the New Mexico Meridian (green), and the 6th Principal Meridian (yellow). These meridians underpin the Public Land Survey System used throughout the state and reflect Colorado’s complex administrative and geographic history alongside its equally complex geology.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

916 valid minerals. 106 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals. 3 (FRL) - first recorded locality of unapproved mineral/variety/etc. 1 erroneous literature entry.

Rock Types Recorded

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities