Ancestral Rockies: Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 312 Million Years Ago

Pennsylvanian (312 million years ago)(Fountain Formation). Two high, narrow mountain ranges were present in Colorado that trended north northwest. They were surrounded by a shallow ocean in a setting that was somewhat similar to modern Baja California. This scene shows the eastern flank of the ancestral Front Range where streams transport gravel that was eroded from the mountains.
Plants depicted: Sigillaria and Calamites in the foreground, and conifer trees in the background.

This preliminary version is part of a joint project between the Interactive Geology Project at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The nature paintings at the Colorado Convention Center and Denver Museum of Nature and Science are being animated.

Based on the paintings "Pole Forest" (CCC), and "Ancestral Rockies" (DMNS)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.

Scene by Joseph Rogers.

http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 312Ma