This 25-minute movie illustrates the geologic evolution of Colorado through time, and premiered at the Opening Ceremony of the AAPG Convention in Denver on 31 May 2015. This version has been modified slightly from the version previously shown.
The movie is one portion of a large outreach project in which scientifically accurate animations are created for outreach presentations.
Please note: we are in the process of updating this video to a forty-minute movie, tranforming it from a movie made for geoscientists to one that more accessible for general public. Specifically, we are adding explanations of key concepts in short modules: geologic time, plate tectonics and rock types, the Precambrian metamorphic history, and the Cenozoic igneous history.
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Media Credits
Live-action Footage (in order of first appearance)
“Words of Wilderness” by Vital Films
“Close to Home” by Vital Films
“Garden of the Gods” by SkyWolfMedia
“Sandy River Delta and Mt. Tabor Portland OR” by uwtb.JG
“Volcano Passion” by Kedarvideo
“DJI Feats- Eruption at Bardabunga Volcano” by NonsuchMedia
James Adson
Pax Harris
Photos / Illustrations (All images, listed in order of appearance)
Paul Weimer
Patrick Pelster
Bogdanov
Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado
Vincent Matthews
Jesse Goodier
John Fowler
Jesse Varner
Paul Weimer
André-P. Drapeau P.
Paul Weimer
Dan Chure
Paul Weimer
Footwarrior
James Adson
James Adson
Tobi 87
Alex Proimos
James Adson
Sean Davis
Jesse Varner
Paul Weimer
National Park Service
Fredlyfish4
National Park Service
National Park Service
James Adson
James Adson
James Adson
John Fowler
Carol M. Highsmith
Connor Kurtz
Marble Historical Society Collection
Tobi 87
Tim Engleman
Jesse Varner
James Adson
James Adson
Drake411
Fredlyfish4
Jesse Varner
Jesse Varner
James Adson
K.Lee
Paul Weimer
Music (in order of appearance)
“Choral Strings” by ERH
“Epic Orchestra” by edtijo
“Look Back In” by Moby courtesy of Mobygratis.com
“Willow and the Light” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Exhale” from freestockmusic.com
“Faceoff” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Our Story Begins” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Americana” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Dark Days” from freestockmusic.com
“Peaceful Now” from freestockmusic.com
“Sealed Heart” from freestockmusic.com
All media used in this film was available under Creative Commons licenses, in the public domain, or used with permission of the creator.
From about 100 million to 68 million years ago, a shallow seaway covered much of the center of North America. This animation shows the movement of shorelines through Colorado and surrounding areas from 100 million to 66 million years ago. The Sevier mountains can be seen developing to the west, and early Laramide uplifts begin to appear in Colorado and Wyoming as the seaway recedes.
Animation by Ludvig Rhodin, James Adson, and Joseph Rogers.
Geologic age: 100Ma
Late Cretaceous (72 Million Years)(Laramie Formation). Near the end of the Cretaceous, a series of mountain ranges began to be uplifted in Colorado. This scene is from near Boulder, where there was a heavily wooded coastal plain.
Plants depicted: "Artocarpus" lessigiana, Araceae, palmetto (Sabalites sp.), unknown monocot rushes, miscellaneous angiosperm trees
Animals depicted: Triceratops sp.
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.
From the painting "Triceratops Swamp" (Colorado Convention Center), and "Finally, the Rockies" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
Scene by James Adson and Joseph Rogers.
http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 72Ma
This scene is excerpted from the Colorado Geology: Devonian-Mississippian video (in progress). These trees are the Progymnosperm Archaeopteris, and the forest floor includes Racophyton. Major soils did not develop until the first trees evolved on land.
Animation by Joseph Rogers and Leo Ascarrunz. Special thanks to Ian Miller and James Hagedorn (DMNS) for their input.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 380Ma
This is our preliminary experiment in virtual reality. The user can walk around Boulder, Colorado at three different times: 66 million years ago (end of Cretaceous), 500 years after the previous scene, and 64 mya. These scenes include, respectively: fifteen minutes before the end of the age of the dinosaurs, the initial recovery of plants after the mass extinction caused by the meteor impact, and the first modern rainforest that evolved within 2 million years. These three scenes illustrate the drastic changes in life on Earth during a short two million year interval.
This 25-minute movie illustrates the geologic evolution of Colorado through time, and premiered at the Opening Ceremony of the AAPG Convention in Denver on 31 May 2015. This version has been modified slightly from the version previously shown.
The movie is one portion of a large outreach project in which scientifically accurate animations are created for outreach presentations.
Please note: we are in the process of updating this video to a forty-minute movie, tranforming it from a movie made for geoscientists to one that more accessible for general public. Specifically, we are adding explanations of key concepts in short modules: geologic time, plate tectonics and rock types, the Precambrian metamorphic history, and the Cenozoic igneous history.
-----------------
Media Credits
Live-action Footage (in order of first appearance)
“Words of Wilderness” by Vital Films
“Close to Home” by Vital Films
“Garden of the Gods” by SkyWolfMedia
“Sandy River Delta and Mt. Tabor Portland OR” by uwtb.JG
“Volcano Passion” by Kedarvideo
“DJI Feats- Eruption at Bardabunga Volcano” by NonsuchMedia
James Adson
Pax Harris
Photos / Illustrations (All images, listed in order of appearance)
Paul Weimer
Patrick Pelster
Bogdanov
Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado
Vincent Matthews
Jesse Goodier
John Fowler
Jesse Varner
Paul Weimer
André-P. Drapeau P.
Paul Weimer
Dan Chure
Paul Weimer
Footwarrior
James Adson
James Adson
Tobi 87
Alex Proimos
James Adson
Sean Davis
Jesse Varner
Paul Weimer
National Park Service
Fredlyfish4
National Park Service
National Park Service
James Adson
James Adson
James Adson
John Fowler
Carol M. Highsmith
Connor Kurtz
Marble Historical Society Collection
Tobi 87
Tim Engleman
Jesse Varner
James Adson
James Adson
Drake411
Fredlyfish4
Jesse Varner
Jesse Varner
James Adson
K.Lee
Paul Weimer
Music (in order of appearance)
“Choral Strings” by ERH
“Epic Orchestra” by edtijo
“Look Back In” by Moby courtesy of Mobygratis.com
“Willow and the Light” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Exhale” from freestockmusic.com
“Faceoff” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Our Story Begins” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Americana” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)
“Dark Days” from freestockmusic.com
“Peaceful Now” from freestockmusic.com
“Sealed Heart” from freestockmusic.com
All media used in this film was available under Creative Commons licenses, in the public domain, or used with permission of the creator.
This video demonstrates the movement of the global plates from the Cambrian (540 million years ago) to the Present. The state of Colorado is outlined in white. The video demonstrates three concepts: (1) the movement of geologic plates through time; (2) how Colorado has moved from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere throughout time, and (3) how Colorado has been repeatedly below and above sea level during its geologic history.
Plate tectonic model and original animation provided by Christopher Scotese and PALEOMAP project (https://www.youtube.com/user/cscotese), with additional animation by James Adson.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
This video shows the geologic evolution of Colorado National Monument, near Grand Junction, CO, and has been displayed in the Visitor's Center since 2005. The video shows animations and pictures of the geologic evolution of the Monument from the Pennsylvanian (300 millions years ago) to the Present.
Animation by Ryan Crow, Paul Weimer, John Roesink, Jay Austin, William Hood, and Laurie Lamar.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
This animation shows the State of Colorado about 60 million years ago during the late Paleocene. The high mountains associated with the Laramide Orogeny are annotated, as well as the approximate locations of the known rivers.
The video demonstrates two concepts: (1) the distribution of high mountains of Colorado had some similarities to the high areas today, and (2) Colorado had a more extensive flora during the late Paleocene (60 Ma).
Map is based on the reconstruction of the Laramide highlands by Tweto (1980). Distribution of flora is based, in part, on the input of Kirk Johnson. A special thanks to Vince Matthews (retired State geologist) for technical input.
Animation by Joseph Rogers, James Adson, and Paul Weimer.
Geologic age: 60Ma
latest Pleistocene, 16,000 years ago. A summer day near Highlands Ranch. In the distance, Mt Evans has glaciers along its flanks.
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.
From the painting "Ice Age Summer" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
Scene is by Joseph Rogers.
http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 16ka
This video shows how much the landscape of Colorado's Front Range has changed due to erosion during the past 15 million years. This video is set in the town of Golden, just west of Denver, but conditions were fairly similar all along the Front Range. 15 million years ago, ground level was 2,000 feet higher than it is today and the area was covered with dense forests. Rivers and streams carried away sediment, which was eventually deposited in the Gulf of Mexico, and the modern landscape formed.
The cross section shows faults that developed as the Rocky Mountains were uplifted during the Laramide Orogeny some 60 million years ago. Some of the vertically-upturned rock layers can be seen as hogbacks along highway 93 in Golden.
This video shows how an angular unconformity develops. An unconformity is a geologic feature that forms when sediment deposition is interrupted and some material is eroded before deposition resumes. Interruptions in deposition can be caused by sea level changes, tectonic uplift, and other mechanisms. An angular unconformity is one type of unconformity that occurs when the lower rock layers are tilted before being partially eroded and buried by new sediment.
The angular unconformity shown in this video is located in Box Canyon, Ouray, Colorado. This video was specifically developed for and is on display at the Visitor Center at the Box Canon Park.
This animation is an excerpt from the "Colorado Geology: late Eocene to middle Miocene Igneous History" video (in progress). This animation was developed to illustrate the origins of two kinds of igneous intrusions in a cross sectional view of the Earth.
0 to 8 seconds: The scene shows igneous magma intruding vertically through the rock, and then intrudes laterally into the flat-lying rocks. The continued pooling of magma at the shallower level causes uplift on the overlying strata. The shallow igneous feature is called a laccolith. This animation specifically shows the origin of.the Spanish Peaks, southern Colorado (~ 24 to 25 million years ago).
8 to 24 seconds: The scene shows igneous magma intruding vertically through the rock, and then intruding laterally into the flat-lying rocks. The continued pooling of magma evolves as a magma chamber. The magma eventually erupts on the surface creating volcano.
24 to 31 seconds: As the magma under the volcano cools, the area begins to collapse below the surface and a caldera forms. Ancient calderas are present in several locations in southwestern Colorado (Silverton, Lake City, Creede, La Garita calderas), which all developed between 28 and 22 millions years ago.
Animation is created by James Adson, Joseph Rogers, and Eric Lobato. A special thanks to Chuck Stern and Lang Farmer for their technical input.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
This video shows the environment in which the upper sandstone layers of the Book Cliffs, north of Grand Junction, Colorado, were deposited approximately 72 million years ago. The sands were deposited in coastal plain swamps. Organic matter from these swamps became the coal deposits of western Colorado.
Geologic age: 72Ma
Latest Pleistocene, 30,000 years ago. Scene shows the extensive sand dunes near Wray Colorado.
Plants depicted: sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) and miscellaneous grasses.
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.
Scene is based on the painting "Ghost Predator" (Colorado Convention Center)(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: 30ka
Permian, 280 million years ago (Lyons Formation). A significant change in the climate led to the development large arid desert across the western US. This scene, near the town of Lyons, shows large sand dunes, similar to the modern Sahara desert. The plants grow primarily near the intermittent streams that cross the dune fields. Plants shown Tinsleya and gigantopterid plants and some of the first conifers and cycads
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 painting "Sand Planet" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit)(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: 280Ma
This scene is an excerpt from the "Colorado Geology: Devonian-Mississippian" video (in progress). Attercopus fimbriunguis (~385 million years), present in the Devonian Period, was considered one of the first spiders.
Animation by Joseph Rogers, James Adson, Leo Ascarrunz, and Jay Austin.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 385Ma
This is the preliminary version of a video that demonstrates the maximum distribution of the glaciers Colorado at 20,000 years ago. The animation is a fly-around of the state showing the distribution of the ice, its presence in the high valleys, and the adjacent high peaks. Key geographic features and towns are annotated
The video demonstrates three concepts: (1) the high mountains of Colorado had extensive glaciers,and (2) glaciers are a major source of erosion in the high mountains
The distribution of the glaciers is from Jack Reed, USGS, Lakewood, Colorado. Video is created by James Adson, Joseph Rogers, Ludvig Rhodin, and Paul Weimer.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 20ka
Early Paleocene (65.5 Million years ago)(Denver Formation). This scene is 500 years after the end of the Cretaceous. A significant amount of life both marine and on-land died after the large meteorite impact in Mexico. These plants represent the earliest plants that began to evolve after the impact. This scene is along the west bank of West Bijou Creek, south of Strasburg, Colorado
Plants depicted: Paranymphaea crassifolia, misc. ferns
Animal depicted: unnamed species of alligator
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.
From the painting "After Armegeddon" (Colorado Convention Center), and "Finally, the Rockies" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit)(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: 65.5Ma
This scene is an excerpt from the "Colorado Geology: Devonian-Mississippian" video (in progress). Marine life during the Devonian is shown here including fish (Eusthenophon) crinoids, and trilobites. The Devonian is known as "the age of fishes" due to the greatest diversity of families. Eusthopheron was one of the first lobe fishes.
Animation is by Leo Ascarrunz and Jay Austin.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 380Ma
This is scene an excerpt from the "Colorado Geology: Ordovcian-Silurian" video (in progress). Marine life during the Ordovician is shown here including, crinoids, trilobites, and nautiloids.
Animation is by Leo Ascarrunz and Jay Austin.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 450Ma
This video demonstrates the distribution of the glaciers in the Gore Range in central Colorado at 20,000 years ago. The video starts with two block diagrams: (left) shows the area about 20,000 years ago when substantial glacial ice was present, and (right) how the area appears today. The animation then does a fly-around of the Gore Range showing the distribution of the ice, its presence in the high valleys, and the adjacent high peaks. The final scene shows the melting of the glaciers between 20,000 and 13,000 years.
The video demonstrates three concepts: (1) the high mountains of Colorado had extensive glaciers, (2) glaciers are a major source of erosion in the high mountains, and (3) how quickly the glaciers melted during the latest Pleistocene.
The distribution of the glaciers is from Jack Reed, USGS, Lakewood, Colorado. Video is created by James Adson, Ludvig Rhodin, Joseph Rogers, and Paul Weimer.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 20ka
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
This animation is an excerpt of the "Colorado Geology: Ordovician-Silurian" video (in progress). Cooksonia were one of the first vascular plants to evolve on land during the Middle Silurian. They were about 1 to 3 cm in height. Note that no Cooksonia fossils have been found in Colorado. The animation is used to illustrate the early evolution of plant life.
Animation by Joseph Rogers and Leo Ascarrunz. Special thanks to Ian Miller, James Hagadorn, and Kirk Johnson (all DMNS) for their technical input.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 430Ma
312 million years ago, most of North America was under water. The Ancestral Rocky Mountains rose high above the sea, and braided rivers formed narrow coastal plains. The Maroon Formation, which makes up the famous Maroon Bells, and the Fountain Formation, which makes up Boulder's Flatirons, were deposited in this coastal environment.
This animation is part of a series of "paleo-satellite" views that show what Colorado might have looked like if satellite imagery was available millions of years ago.
Geologic age: 312Ma
Late Eocene (36 million years ago)(Florissant Formation). This scene shows the trees that are preserved at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Florissant, Colorado. A volcanic eruption damned the rivers in the area creating a large lake in which the trees were preserved as fossils.
Plants depicted: palmetto (Sabalites sp.), Rosa hilliae, Sequoia, unnamed fern
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 painting "Redwoods and Roses" (Colorado Convention Center)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
Scene is by Joseph Rogers and James Adson.
http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 36Ma
Late Triassic, 225 million years ago (Dolores Formation). This scene shows the plants developed on a broad coastal plain in western Colorado near Placerville.
Plants depicted: Neocalamites, Sanmiguelia
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.
Scene is based on the painting "Triassic Thickets" (Colorado Convention Center)(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: 225Ma
Early Cretaceous (100 Million years ago). An interior seaway had invaded Colorado, extending from Texas to northern Alaska. This scene shows a beach near Denver, looking similar to the east coast of the US today.
Rivers flowed from mountains far to the west in Utah and brought sand and gravel to the coast. Along the shoreline is a dank coastal forest.
Plants depicted: ferns (Astralopteris and Matodinium), broad-leafed trees (Sapindopsis, Liriophyllym, and Protophyllum), and strange conifers.
From the painting "East Coast Colorado" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input. Scene is by James Adson and Joseph Rogers.
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.
Geologic age: 100Ma
This animation, titled "The View From Our Window", shows the geologic history of Golden, Colorado as seen through a large picture window in the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum. The video was developed for the visitors to museum to illustrate how the geology of the Golden area changed through geologic time when looking north from the window. Version 1 was displayed in the museum in early 2006; this version was significantly upgraded with version 2 (shown here) in November 2013. The video is designed to introduce and complement the Geology Walking Trail on campus.
Video illustrates: (1) the formation of Precambrian metamorphic rocks (1.8 Ga); (2) latest Cretaceous delta plain and forest (68 Ma); (3) eruption of Table Mountain basalt (64 Ma); (4) erosion of the Golden area (14 Ma to present), (5) White Ash Coal Mine, and (6) the walking geology trail through the Upper Cretaceous outcrops in the clay pits.
Video by James Adson, Joseph Rogers, Eric Lobato, Jay Austin, Paul Weimer, and Paul Bartos. A special thanks to Ian Miller, James Hagadorn, Kirk Johnson (all DMNS), and Bob Weimer for their technical input.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Late Cretaceous (85 Million Years ago) (Pierre Formation) Colorado sat beneath a shallow seaway that was several hundreds of meters deep. The nearest shoreline was in central Utah 300 km to the west. The scene is near Pueblo, Colorado
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.
From the painting "Maritime Colorado" (Colorado Convention Center), and "Submarine Colorado" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
Scene is by Joseph Rogers.
http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 85Ma
This animation is an excerpt from the "Colorado Geology: late Eocene to middle Miocene igneous history" video (in progress). This animation was developed to illustrate the morphology and evolution of the Spanish Peaks, southern Colorado.
0 to 15 seconds: The fly-around illustrates the general 3-D morphology of the Spanish Peaks.
15 to 32 seconds: This close-up view is near the base of the Peaks and shows a prominent ridge (light color) that is vertical dyke that emanates from the Peaks.
32 to 41 seconds: Aerial view showing several of these radial dykes.
41 to 44 seconds 3D aerial view of the Peaks and the radial dykes.
44 to 48 seconds: the surficial cover is removed to illustrate the interpreted distribution of the igneous bodies below the two Spanish Peaks; the mesh shows the surface topography.
48 to 57 seconds: The formation of the radial dykes is shown.
57 seconds to 1.04: 3D view of the radial dykes and the Peaks in the background.
Animation is by James Adson, Joseph Rogers, and Eric Lobato. A special thanks to Chuck Stern and Lang Farmer for their technical input.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
225 million years ago, Colorado had a temperate climate and was covered with forests unlike anything found on earth today.
This animation is part of a series of "paleo-satellite" views that show what Colorado might have looked like if satellite imagery was available millions of years ago.
Geologic age: 225Ma
The Yule marble is the state rock of Colorado. This animation shows a block diagram of the Paleozoic strata that were intruded by the Treasure Mountain Dome ~20 million years ago (i.e. an igneous body). The Mississippian Leadville Limestone was metamorphosed by the heat from the intrusion, and was transformed into marble. During the last 10 million years, the area was eroded, and the marble was exposed on the surface.
Animation by Leo Ascarrunz, Joseph Rogers, Jay Austin, and Paul Weimer.
Interactive Geology Project, University of Colorado-Boulder. igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 20Ma
This is an excerpt from a film about the geologic history of Colorado. The full movie is planned for release in summer 2015.
This clip shows how the petrified redwood tree stumps at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Florissant, Colorado, were preserved as a result of volcanic activity in the area 34 million years ago.
Geologic age: 34Ma
Early Paleocene (64 Million years ago)(Denver Formation). The Front Range has been elevated and is covered by a tropical rainforest. It has been 1.5 million years since the meteorite struck the Yucatan area in Mexico, causing the mass extinction of plants and animals, including the dinosaurs. This scene shows the diverse plants that have evolved since the extinction.
Plants depicted: angiosperm rainforest trees in kipukas
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.
From the painting "The First Rainforest" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit) (courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
Scene is by Joseph Rogers and James Adson.
http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 64Ma
150 million years ago, during the late Jurassic, Colorado was a flat and arid region. The Ancestral Rocky Mountains had been eroded flat, and large river systems existed in some areas. The fossil-rich Morrison Formation formed from sediments deposited during this time.
This animation is part of a series of "paleo-satellite" views that show what Colorado might have looked like if satellite imagery was available millions of years ago.
Geologic age: 150Ma
Late Jurassic, 145 million years ago (Morrison Formation). The Stegosaurus, the state fossil of Colorado, is eating the plants in the area of Dinosaur National Monument in northwestern Colorado and Northeastern Utah. No grass or flowering plants existed at this time, and many plants of the Jurassic plants will be extinct by the end of the age of dinosaurs (Cretaceous).
Plants depicted: Bennettite bushes (Zamites arcticus), Tree ferns (Cladophlebis sp.)
Animal depicted: Stegosaurus stenops
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.
Scene is based on the painting "Stegosaurus Snacks" (Colorado Convention Center)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
Scene is by Joseph Rogers and James Adson.
http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 145Ma
Early Triassic, 250 million years ago (Lykins Formation). The Permian ended with the largest mass extinction in geologic history of 90% of marine life and much life on land. This scene shows the tropical shoreline that developed about one million years later in an arid shoreline setting at Red Rocks Park near Denver. The mounded features are called stromatolites, and consist of cyanobacteria and algae. These features only grow in a few places today, generally shallow, salty areas.
Organisms depicted: cyanobacteria and algae in stromatolitic mounds
Based on the paintings "Slimy Shoreline" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit, and Colorado Convention Center)(courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.
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
Scene by James Adson and Joseph Rogers.
http://igp.colorado.
Geologic age: 250Ma
280 million years ago, during the Permian, Colorado sat in the middle of a vast desert. The Ancestral Rocky Mountains formed highlands, and the low-lying areas were filled with fields of sand dunes. In the Front Range area, these dunes became the Lyons Formation.
This animation is part of a series of "paleo-satellite" views that show what Colorado might have looked like if satellite imagery was available millions of years ago.
Geologic age: 280Ma
200 million years ago, Colorado was a barren desert. The Ancestral Rocky Mountains were still present, but erosion had greatly reduced their topographic relief.
This animation is part of a series of "paleo-satellite" views that show what Colorado might have looked like if satellite imagery was available millions of years ago.
Geologic age: 200Ma