Colorado Scientific Society – Earth Sciences since 1882
The oldest scientific society in the Rocky Mountain region
Founded in 1882, the Colorado Scientific Society promotes knowledge, the understanding of science, and its application to human needs.
We focus primarily on earth science, welcoming members with interests in all fields of science. Learn more.
Note: The Colorado Scientific Society has adopted the federal fiscal year calendar of Oct 1 – Sept 30 for our expenses and membership. The vast majority of our renewals start late in the calendar year (~Nov) and dribble into the following spring (~March) with very few received outside that window.
Check the Fiscal Year 2026 CSS Paid Membership List for your status.
Social Media accounts for Colorado Scientific Society
Instagram (@coloradoscientificsociety)
Bluesky (@coloradoscientific)
We post announcements of meetings, talks, field trips, and student opportunities on these sites.
Future Colorado Scientific Society Meetings and Field Trips
We normally hold monthly meetings from September through May.
Our meetings are normally now both in-person and virtual.
Geological Society of America
GSA Connects 2026 Annual Meeting
October 11-14, 2026
Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado
The Colorado Scientific Society will share an exhibit hall booth at the meeting with the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge.
If you will be at the GSA Meeting, please stop by. If you can volunteer at the booth, please contact us.
Several field trips on the meeting program will be led or co-led by CSS members.
The Colorado Scientific Society is cohosting a Topical Session:
Session No. 253: T173. Proterozoic Tectonics of Western Laurentia: New Perspectives on Crustal Growth, Orogenesis, Mineralization, and Intracontinental Reworking
Date and Time: Tuesday, 13 October – 10:00 AM (Mountain Time (US & Canada))
Room: Ballroom 2C
Description:
This session explores Proterozoic crustal growth, orogenesis, and intracontinental reworking across western Laurentia. We welcome contributions addressing terrane assembly, province boundaries, polyphase deformation, magmatism, structural reactivation, and connections to mineralization.
See session details at: Topical Session No. 253: T173. Proterozoic Tectonics of Western Laurentia: New Perspectives on Crustal Growth, Orogenesis, Mineralization, and Intracontinental Reworking
CSS October Meeting
Up a River with Big Paddles: a Freshwater “Sea Turtle” from the Cretaceous of Southern Utah
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Dr. Josh Lively, Curator of Paleontology
Utah State University Eastern, Prehistoric Museum
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
All are welcome – no admission charge
Join us at in-person after 6:30 pm for social time before the meeting.
Join Zoom meetings after 6:45
Meeting and Program begin at 7:00
Link to Join CSS October Meeting via Zoom
CSS invites you to Join our meeting via Zoom on Thursday, November 15th at 6:45 pm.
The details about attending the meeting in person at the Golden Calvary Church follow the details about the talk.
Up a River with Big Paddles: a Freshwater “Sea Turtle” from the Cretaceous of Southern Utah
Over three decades of work in the Upper Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation has produced a rich fossil assemblage that includes representatives of the entire ecosystem, from plants to dinosaurs. Turtle fossils are particularly abundant and diverse, with at least 16 species being discovered so far. In this presentation, Dr. Joshua Lively will discuss a new, massive turtle discovered in a tyrannosaur bonebed in the Kaiparowits Formation. Thus far, three individuals of varying sizes of this large turtle have been recovered from the site. A costal bone from the shell that is over 450 mm in width supports a total shell width of well over 1 m for the largest individual. This new species shares a number of features with Terlinguachelys from the Cretaceous of West Texas, a member of the sea turtle clade Protostegidae. Dr. Lively will present anatomical evidence and geochemical data that support this new species as a fully freshwater protostegid, making this the first freshwater “sea turtle” in the > 100 million year evolutionary history of the group.
Speaker
Dr. Josh Lively is a geoscientist and evolutionary biologist studying ecosystems of the Late Cretaceous. He uses a combination of vertebrate paleontology, phylogenetics, stratigraphy, sedimentology, and studies of modern osteology to unlock the pattern and process of evolution in the context of changing environments. His research has focused on ancient freshwater turtles and mosasaurs. He has made discoveries both in museum collections and in the badlands of the Intermountain West and beyond. He is currently Curator of Paleontology at the Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price, Utah.
Education: MS (2013): Univ. of Utah; PhD: Univ. of Texas at Austin (2019)
Keywords: Late Cretaceous, turtle fossils, Kaiparowits fm., Protostegidae
Flyer for Josh Lively’s Cretaceous Turtles, October CSS Talk
Meet Golden’s bacon turtle, an extinct species | CNN
Bizarre pig-nose turtle once swam the prehistoric seas of Utah – CSMonitor.com
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
All are welcome – no admission charge
6:30 pm – Social time begins at Calvary Church Golden. Enter off 14th St.
6:45 pm – Join Zoom meeting, if attending remotely
7:00 PM – Meeting starts.
Please arrive early. Church doors are locked, and no one will be at the door to let you in after 7:00 pm.
(Text or call the phone number on the door to get in.)
Calvary Church, 1320 Arapahoe St, Golden, CO 80401
Enter off 14th St., going in via the main glass doors on 14th St.
Do not enter the old church above 13th St.
Go through building following the CSS signs to the Community Rooms 1 and 2, where we meet.
The church doors must stay locked, and we will have a person to let you in at the doors off 14th St.
They want to see the presentation too, so please arrive before 7:00 pm.
There will be a phone number that you can text to be let in if you arrive late.
For details about Parking, etc. see Venue – Calvary Church, Golden
Copies of The Geology of Boulder County by Raymond Bridge (2004) will be available for $20.
CSS November Meeting
CSS Poster and Lightning Talk Night for Students and Early Career Earth Scientists
Thursday, November 19, 2026
This is a chance for student and early career earth scientists to present their research via a poster and a Lightning Talk (3 minutes) on their research.
If you presented at GSA, bring your poster.
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church, Golden
See details on attending below.
Unfortunately, a poster night does not lend itself to a Zoom meeting.
Note: Photos are from last year’s Poster and Lightning Talk meeting.
Signup for Poster and Lightning Talk Night at the Colorado Scientific Society
- Fill out the form.
- Click the SUBMIT button at the bottom.
If you encounter problems, please tell us at
ColoSciSoc.webmaster@gmail.com .
Presentations and Presenters
(Listed here as they come in)
CSS December Pot Luck Dinner and
Past President’s Address
December, 2026
Speaker: Amy Atwater, Director of Paleontology, Friends of Dinosaur Ridge
and current President of the Colorado Scientific Society
More details coming
Please pay your CSS dues for 2026!
You may pay dues online or print out a PDF of the membership form and mail it to us with a check. Continuing your membership in CSS will enable us to continue all our ongoing programs, including our field trips, virtual meetings, Student Research Grants, and more.
See Membership and Donations for the CSS membership PDF and our online membership payment form.
Regular CSS Membership is $25;
Student Membership, $5;
Life Membership, $395.
Send your membership payment, if not done through our online membership payment form, to Colorado Scientific Society P.O. Box 150495 Lakewood, CO 80215-0495.
Thank you!
New and renewal memberships in November and December are also good for the next year.
Read past Colorado Scientific Society Newsletters
Archive of Past Colorado Scientific Society Meetings
Including video recordings of most meetings
About the Colorado Scientific Society
The Colorado Scientific Society was founded in 1882 as a forum for the exchange of observations and ideas on the topics of earth science. Lecture topics largely focus on earth science, and are open to the public. In addition to our monthly lecture series, the society is also active in public service. We fund student research grants, construct and post signs that describe local geologic features, and organize and lead field trips.
The Colorado Scientific Society normally meets on the third Thursday of the month from September through May. (In the summer months of June-August, too many members are out in the field.)
6:30 – Social time at in-person meetings
6:45 – Join Zoom meetings
7:00 – Meeting and Program begin
The Colorado Scientific Society is an Associated Society of the Geological Society of America
Please send comments about the Colorado Scientific Society website to ColoSciSoc.webmaster at gmail.com
We meet at the Calvary Church in Golden and appreciate them sharing their facilities.
We have our December Business Meeting and Potluck Supper at New Terrain Brewing Company and appreciate their support.
