OSHR 1899 - Colorado’s Economic Geology

This course is offered through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Colorado State University. You must be a member of Osher to enroll in this course.

Colorado is rich in mineral and energy resources that society has found to be useful and valuable. These resources include oil, natural gas, coal, coal bed methane, metal deposits (gold, silver, molybdenum, rare earth elements - just to name a few), industrial minerals and construction materials, gemstones, and water (surface and groundwater). The total value of production of these resources in 2007 is estimated at about $12 billion.

In this course we will examine Colorado’s rich history of exploration and mining, types of resources available, and their geographic distribution and geologic origin.

This is a natural follow-up course to the Geology and Geologic History of Colorado or a stand-alone course for those with an interest in our mineral and energy resources.

Readings: Matthews, Vincent, 2009. Messages in Stone, Colorado’s Colorful Geology, Second Edition, revised by Vincent Matthews, Colorado Geological Survey, Denver, CO, ISBN 978-1-884216¬08-4.

Noncredit courses do not produce academic credit nor appear on a Colorado State University academic transcript.

Instructors

Frank Ethridge
Frank.Ethridge@colostate.edu

Frank G. Ethridge, professor emeritus at Colorado State University, worked as a geologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas Highway Commission and Chevron Oil Co. He taught geology at Southern Illinois University and Colorado State University for a total of 35 years. During this time Frank also conducted geology courses and led field trips for geological societies and petroleum companies. He and his graduate students also conducted research on sedimentary rocks. Frank has a long-term interest in the economic geology of Colorado and has taught lectures on this subject for Colorado State University and for Osher.