Map Reveals Colorado Actually Has Eight Geological Regions—Not Just the Front Range and Western Slope
While most Colorado residents identify as being part of either the Western Slope, the Front Range, or the Rocky Mountains, geologists divide the state a little differently. From a geological standpoint, the state can be divided into eight different sections.
Colorado’s Five Main Geological Sections
The largest sections of Colorado, according to the Colorado Geological Survey, are the Great Plains, the Southern Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Plateaus, the Wyoming Basin, and the Middle Rocky Mountains.
These sections are just some of the areas that belong to the entire continent and are shared by other states.
The Great Plains section includes the entire front range and stretches from Wyoming to New Mexico. This section’s western border is essentially where the Rocky Mountains begin, with Denver and Colorado Springs lying almost directly on the boundary.
The section of Colorado that is part of the Southern Rocky Mountains also stretches from Wyoming to New Mexico, with Glenwood Springs straddling its western boundary and encompassing counties such as Eagle, Summit, and Saguache.
The Colorado Plateaus section of the state encompasses much of the Western Slope, including Grand Junction, Montrose, and Cortez.
The smaller of the main five sections, the Wyoming Basin and the Middle Rocky Mountains, are located in the northwest part of the state and include the towns of Craig and Wilson Place, respectively.
Colorado’s Geological Subprovinces
Finally, the Colorado Geological Survey divides the Great Plains into three separate subprovinces - the Colorado Piedmont Subprovince, the High Plains Subprovince, and the Raton Basin Subprovince.
The Colorado Piedmont Subprovince is the largest of these, encompassing much of the Front Range, including Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Pueblo, and Lamar.
The High Plains Subprovince encompasses the state’s entire eastern border, as well as some of its northeastern border, while the Raton Basin Subprovince encompasses some of the state’s southern region, including Trinidad.
Read More: What Are the Cultural Regions that Can Be Found in Colorado?
Check out the full map of Colorado’s geological regions here.
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