Upcoming Field trips

  Field trip Archives

  Registration Form

Founded in 1882, the Colorado Scientific Society promotes knowledge, the understanding of science, and its application to human needs, focusing primarily on earth science, but welcoming members with interests in all fields of science.

Upcoming Field Trips

CSS Spring Field Trips

Family Day Field Trip, Amazonite-bearing pegmatites in the Pikes Peak Batholith, near Harris Park, Park County, CO. Leader, Pete Modreski, USGS

Saturday, June 7

We will hunt in the granite pegmatites for smoky quartz, microcline var. amazonite, and if one is fortunate, goethite, fluorite, and topaz. Pete will brief the group about the geology of the pegmatites and the minerals found in them. The area is pleasant, lightly wooded with a small stream, and is kid-friendly. The site is on mining claims maintained by the Littleton Gem and Mineral Club, and we will be there courtesy of that club. Depending on how industrious you want to be in searching for or digging for minerals (the best are found down in the undisturbed soil or bedrock, you know), bring any or all of a rock pick, trowel, chisel, sledge, a small or large shovel, and pickaxe. Safety glasses or goggles are strongly advised if splitting rocks, as well as suitable sun/rain/snow protection depending on the weather. You will also be required to bring your own lunch, drinks, and snacks. There will be no charge for this trip.

Road access should be no problem if the weather is good, but any late April-early May snows could change that; if in doubt, check with Pete, 303-202-4766 (office) or 720-205-2553 (cell), or the Colorado Scientific Society website (www.coloscisoc.org). If the road is in good condition, any vehicle may be able to reach the site, but an SUV is recommended if you have one.
No RSVP is necessary.

New Insights into the Geologic and Geomorphic Evolution of South Park Basin

Saturday, May 17

First stop Kenosha Pass: We will observe probable Quaternary normal faulting and structural relationships involving extensional faulting overprinting pre-existing Laramide contractional structures. To the southwest, we will look at the Elkhorn thrust, tight footwall folding, and syntectonic conglomerates. We will also view new geophysical and hydrological data that constrain the configuration and extent of the Elkhorn fault zone, and briefly discuss its implications for fluid flow in the South Park basin. In the afternoon, we will examine late Eocene to Miocene volcanic and sedimentary rocks in SW South Park and discuss the structural deformation that affects them. Evidence of regional and local evaporite dissolution and collapse, (salt springs, sinkholes, large topographic depressions, and synclines) will also be viewed. We will briefly describe new information on the local late Paleozoic stratigraphy and how that data have led to the discovery of major east-west-striking, Laramide-age faults. If time permits, our last stop will be in a paleovalley that was abandoned at the end of the Pleistocene or early during the Holocene. The trip is led by Cal Ruleman, Bob Bohannon, Lyndsay Ball (USGS) and Bob Kirkham (consulting geologist).

We will leave from the Cold Springs Park-n-Ride at 7:30 a.m. We will return to Cold Springs Park-n-Ride about 5:30 p.m.
Cost, including transportation (vans) and lunch will be $45.00/person. Student grants from the Pillmore Fund are available to cover expenses. Contact Karl Kellogg (kkellogg@usgs.gov; (303) 236-1305) for questions or additional information.

CSS Fall Field Trips

Fall field trip to the northern Never Summer Range volcanic field, September 6-7 – “The search for Braddock’s Caldera” 

Set your calendar for Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7 for a visit to the 29-27 Ma volcanic field of the northern Never Summer Range.  Early basaltic to dacitic flows were followed by two major ignimbrite eruptions that originated from near Mt. Richthofen, now underlain by a granodiorite stock.  These relationships led the late William Braddock to suggest that Mount Richthofen is the root of a deeply eroded Oligocene caldera.  As a sidelight, we’ll also view glacial features of the upper Poudre River Valley and examine evidence for both Laramide contraction and Neogene extension. This trip may include hikes of as much as about 3 miles.  We’ll stay overnight in Walden.  Trip leaders are Ed Larson, Mike O’Neill, Jim Cole, Karl Kellogg, and perhaps others.  The basic cost will be $90/person, double occupancy, and will include two box lunches.  Options: add $25 if you desire single occupancy.  If you’d like to stay in the charming, historic Antlers Inn (double occupancy) add $25/person.  Dinner (9/6) and breakfast (9/7) are on your own, but the Moose Creek Cookhouse and Saloon in Walden can whip up a great bbq dinner ($14.95). 

 Scholarships from the Pillmore Fund to cover all expenses are available for qualifying students.  Contact Lee Shropshire (970-352-8778; leeshrop@comcast.net) for more information.

 Camping is an option, and will reduce costs by $30.  We’ll get more information on that later.  We will leave in vans from the Cold Springs Park-and-Ride (6^th and Union, next to the Sheraton Hotel) at 7:30 a.m. September 6, and return by 6 p.m. September 7.  Please sign up by August 29 (sooner if possible).  If you know anyone who does not have email service or is not a CSS member, and might want to go on the field trip, please share this information.   Any questions?  Call or leave message for Karl Kellogg (303-236-1305 (work) or 303-499-1174 (home); email kkellogg@usgs.gov). Karl will be in the field much of this summer, but will respond as soon as possible.

Send the registration form with remittance (checks written to Colorado Scientific Society) to:

Karl Kellogg, Colorado Scientific Society, P.O. Box 150495, Lakewood, CO 80215-0495.
Deadline is August 29 (but sooner is very much appreciated).

PDF versions of these documents can be viewed and printed using free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.