Mining in Colorado Abundance of Resources Colorado has a very rich history of mineral and rock mining. Mining dates back to the early 1800’s with the early finds of gold and silver. Gold and silver have been found throughout the state. Colorado’s early history is based around the precious metal mining within the state. Although, gold and silver were just the beginning of the rich minerals and rocks that our state holds. Colorado mining includes Gold, Silver, Radium, Uranium, Aluminum, Coal, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Iron and Tungsten, Gypsum, Marble, Sandstone, Granite and even Diamonds. As we move through the history of Colorado it will be clear how mining has formed our state. Figure 1 (Colorado Geologic Survey, 2016) Mining With a state …show more content…
Much of the state was settled based on gold mining back in the 1800’s. The Pikes Peak Gold Rush was the real beginning of the “gold rush” inspired the founding of the Colorado Territory, which in turn created many of the towns currently within the state. Early settlers came to Colorado with the hopes of finding wealth and away out of …show more content…
Coal is the most widely used, cost effective source of energy in the U.S. Coal alone supplies more the 60% of Colorado’s electricity needs. There are 8 coal mine regions in the state of Colorado, running from the east to the west. There are five active long wall coal mines operating in Colorado today. Based on the 2016 Colorado Coal Report, a total 12,564,317 tons of Coal were produced in Colorado alone. The Coal was mined at the seven different underground coal mines within Colorado. This industry has 2,759 underground coal miners employed in Colorado. The Twenty-mile Mine in Routt County is the nation’s fourth largest underground coal mine. Coal is mined as deep as 2,700 feet in Colorado. (Mining Matters, 2016. P. 2) Uranium Colorado has Uranium in large quantities and the expansion of Colorado’s uranium resources has helped with growth in population, economic development, and public infrastructure. Although, the mining of Uranium also presents some concerning consequences for the local environment and public health. (Colorado Geologic Survey, 2016) Uranium deposits are normally found in granitic or volcanic rocks, hydrothermal veins, and Precambrian age placers. Primary uranium deposits in Colorado occur in hydrothermal veins, especially those on the Front Range of Colorado. (Office of Legacy Management, 2016) Uranium is considered highly valuable due to its use in nuclear power and weapons