Geology of Boulder, Colorado, United States of America

Research Article| August 01, 1987 Geology of Boulder, Colorado, United States of America SALLY W. BILODEAU; SALLY W. BILODEAU Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., 12600 West Colfax Avenue, Suite A300, Lakewood, CO 80215 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar DONALD VAN BUSKIRK; DONALD VAN BUSKIRK Sergent, Hauskins & Beckwith, 4700 Lincoln Road NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar WILLIAM L. BILODEAU WILLIAM L. BILODEAU Department of Geology, University of Colorado at Denver, 1100 Fourteenth St., Denver, CO 80202 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Environmental and Engineering Geoscience (1987) xxiv (3): 289–332. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.xxiv.3.289 Article history first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation SALLY W. BILODEAU, DONALD VAN BUSKIRK, WILLIAM L. BILODEAU; Geology of Boulder, Colorado, United States of America. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience 1987;; xxiv (3): 289–332. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.xxiv.3.289 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental and Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract Boulder, Colorado is situated in one of the most scenic areas along the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The city is located on the western edge of the Denver Basin and is surrounded by the economic mineral deposits that first brought development to the area: gold and silver to the west, coal, oil and gas to the south, east and north. Sand and gravel deposits have been identified and a county wide master plan has been developed for their extraction. In spite of the city's and county's far-sighted and informed leadership, some problems relating to geologic and hydrologic processes have occurred. Marshall Landfill, a solid waste disposal facility, has so seriously contaminated surface and ground water with hazardous waste that it is on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Cleanup list. The first phase of remedial action taken at this site cost nearly a half million dollars. Much of the city is built within flood plains and significant property damage is expected in the event of a 100-yr or larger flood. Expansive and collapsible soils cause a significant amount of property damage each year although design solutions are well known and effective if constructed properly. Numerous landslides and debris flows have occurred within the city causing damage and are likely to cause more damage in the future. South of the city there are numerous abandoned underground coal mines. Subsidence over these mines has become a problem as housing development moves into the area. Boulder is addressing these geologic and hydrogeologic hazards through city, county, and state programs aimed at identifying and quantifying the hazard and implementing governmental regulation designed to discourage irresponsible land use. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this article.