Geologic Folio Red Rock Canyon Open Space Colorado Springs, Colorado

by Ken Weissenburger, Sharon Milito, Don Ellis

Overview

Red Rock Canyon Open Space is a 2003 addition to the Colorado Springs park system. The authors draw forth threads of history and geology that follow hundreds of millions of years of Earth history as well as the settlement and industrialization of the Pikes Peak Region. Here is the backstory of the park, from dinosaurs and ancient sand dunes to gold mills and Denver Capitol Hill mansions. The book covers exploration and mapping, geology of Red Rock Canyon (and Colorado Springs), quarrying and mining, and historic buildings using Red Rock stone. Red Rock Canyon Open Space is one of the many locations in the Pikes Peak Region where geology can be seen in the field. Another feature of the book is a scattering of Adult-Kid activities, thought-provoking challenges to be shared by adults and children using the book and, especially, visiting the park. With this book, the authors help make geology more understandable and interesting to the inquisitive visitor, thereby enriching their experience with Red Rock Canyon Open Space.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734174922
Publisher:	K2geos, LLC
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Ken Weissenburger is a consulting geologist and part-time instructor in geology at Pikes Peak Community College. Professor John H. Lewis first introduced him to geology in Colorado Springs at a Colorado College National Science Foundation summer program for high school juniors. Ken majored in geology at the University of Colorado and also earned a high school teaching credential. He was a teaching assistant and Steele Fellow in applied earth sciences at Stanford University (MS, Environmental Geochemistry, PhD Ore Deposits and Exploration). He has worked on projects in engineering, mining, and oil and gas field development in the lower 48, Alaska, Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Update 2019 -- Ken has migrated to Colorado's western slope, but still maintains contacts with El Paso County. Sharon and Ken both continue their long-standing relationships as volunteers with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS). They support the work of talented scientists at DMNS and have been integral participants in the newly announced fossil discoveries at Corral Bluffs on the eastern side of Colorado Springs.

Sharon Milito is an elementary education graduate of the University of Northern Colorado and holds an MA from Colorado College in teaching integrated natural science. She is a fourth grade teacher in Colorado Springs School District 11 and a graduate of the Paleontology Certification Program at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Along with Michael Poltenovage, Sharon conducted a field survey of fossils and geologic resources within Red Rock Canyon Open Space to help with long-range planning for the park. Her Red Rock work has been presented in confidential reports to the Parks and Recreation Department, on the Paleotrails website, in an article for the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, and informally at several public education events. Update 2019 -- In 2010 the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) recognized Sharon Milito with the Award for Excellence in Teaching Earth Sciences. In 2011 the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) followed with their National Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award. Sharon is now retired from her teaching position at Patrick Henry Elementary School, but is still earning awards for education and public service. Notably, in 2019 Sharon received the Spirit of the Springs Celebration Award from the City of Colorado Springs, in large part for her volunteer efforts at Red Rock Canyon.

Don Ellis is a Westside native who literally grew up in the shadow of the Dakota hogback at Red Rock. Don majored in mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado where he came to know the Lyons Sandstone and Tuscan vernacular architecture by rock climbing on several of the university buildings. He did a year of graduate work in metallurgy at Denver University and completed his PhD in bioengineering at the University of Michigan. Don is arguably the most informed expert on both the human and geological history of Red Rock Canyon, and serves on the board of the Friends of Red Rock Canyon. He is also active in the Old Colorado City Historical Society. As a guest hiker with the AdAmAn Club in 2009 for their annual New Year's Eve climb up Pikes Peak, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first guest hike with the club as a 19-year-old Explorer Scout. Update 2019 -- We are sad to report that Don Ellis passed away in November 2018. Our friend Don was both a principal catalyst in conceiving this book and an indispensable contributor to its creation. He was a leader in conserving the Red Rock Canyon and White Acres open space areas. Although his active contributions to enhancing the quality of life in Colorado Springs now cease, Don's impact will continue to be found in the legacy of these parks and in his many writings. A lifelong Westsider, he climbed Pikes Peak more than 50 times including being the first to summit in the 21st century. He once told the Westside Pioneer that the Pikes Peak trek he enjoyed with the most relish was a non-summit climb on New Year's Eve, 1960, when he pranked the AdAmAn climbing group. Hiking in the wee hours, Don delivered a quart of milk and a fresh edition morning newspaper to an AdAMAn tent at Barr Camp before their awakening, and then stealthily returned to the Springs.

Table of Contents

1 Dedication

2 A Geologic Folio for Red Rock Canyon

6 Historical Surveys (Early 19th Century)

14 El Dorado

28 The Hayden Survey

32 Colorado College, G.I. Finlay and the Geologic Atlas of the U.S.

41 Further Background to the Geological Story

How The Rocks Get Their Names

Geologic Setting of Colorado Springs

Principal Topographic Features of Red Rock Canyon

57 The Geology of Red Rock Canyon

71 Pennsylvanian Fountain Formation

82 Permian Lyons Sandstone

155 Upper Permian-Triassic(?) Lykins Formation

164 Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation

175 Lower Cretaceous Purgatoire Formation (Lytle, Glencairn)

189 Lower Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone

216 Upper Cretaceous Benton Shale (Graneros, Greenhorn, Carlile, Codell)

229 Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Fm. (Fort Hays, Smoky Hill) and Pierre Shale

242 Quaternary Mesa Gravel(s)

246 Acknowledgments

247 References

Appendices

266 I Geologic Time

269 II Paleogeography (Plate Tectonic “Snapshots”)

273 III Estimated Global Temperature Over Geologic Time

274 IV Buildings With Red Rock Stone

279 V A Short Biography of John G. Bock

286 VI Some Other Adult-Kid Activities

288 Index

295 About the Authors