Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau is a huge time scale of when the Earth started to form and when life first started on its surface. The Plateau was created by layers of rock, or rock strata, that each date back to a specific period of time; directly correlated with the existence and death of organisms and plants. In relation to the geologic history, important natural resources are derived and extracted from specific rock layers in the Colorado Plateau; which provides the US with an energy source. Both natural gas and enriched oil are found in many of the rock layers of the Plateau; more specifically within the Green River Formation and the Mesaverde Formation. Many of these geologic formations also contain groundwater critical for human and environmental use. This makes understanding the geology and the hydrology of the Colorado Plateau critical for moving forward with safe and effective natural gas hydraulic fracturing.
Rock Strata Time Scale
The rock strata of the Colorado Plateau composes of various rock types; the majority of which are sandstone, mudstone and shale. However, due to the many layers that make up the Plateau, we decided to list the important layers in which oil and gas companies look into for their valuable resources and minerals. Below are the top three important layers in regards to Hydraulic Fracturing:
Resources of the Colorado Plateau
As mentioned above, the Colorado Plateau contains many resources; pertaining mostly to enriched oil shale and Natural Gas. However, there is one other resource that is both man-made and naturally occurring: Green Coke. Green Coke, or Raw Coke, is solidified carbon created "from a high boiling point of 1160 °F" (Lee J.M, Baker J.J, Rolle. J.G, Llerena R, pp. 272) that is usually found in the Green River Fm shale beds. These products are the main reason for the Hydraulic Fracturing of the Colorado Plateau. Depending on the region of the Plateau, there have been notable traces of Uranium and Vanadium particles found in the rock strata containing Carnotite; a very valuable sedimentary rock. All but one of these resources can be mined from the Piceance Basin in huge quantities due to resource scarcity.