South of Colorado Springs, between Fort Carson and the NORAD installation in Cheyenne Mountain, Mesozoic rocks are faulted against the mountain front. Paleozoic rocks are deeply covered by as much as 3000 feet of Mesozoic sediments. They come to the surface about 10 miles further south.
RAMPART RANGE Garden of the Gods Ute Pass [Fault] MANITOU SPRINGS PIKES PEAK [MASSIF] CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN COLORADO SPRINGS CROSS SECTION Ute Pass Fault Rampart Fault Tertiary Mesozoic Paleozoic Precambrian
West of Boulder, several intersecting sets of [joints] pattern the Precambrian rocks above Boulder Creek. (John Chronic photo)
The west margin of the Front Range is not as sharply defined as the eastern margin. Prominent [faults] edge North, Middle, and South Parks, however. The northern end of the range merges with the Medicine Bow Mountains, where [dips] of sedimentary rocks seldom exceed 30 to 40 degrees. At its southern end, the Front Range plunges into the plains, although a southwest-trending ridge connects it with the Wet Mountains.
Within the Precambrian core of the Front Range, many economic mineral deposits have been found. These are discussed in [Chapter III]. Glacial features of the Front Range are discussed in Chapter II in the section on the [Quaternary Period].
Wet Mountains
The Wet Mountains are the easternmost range of the Rockies south of Canon City. Their crest has a distinct northwest-southeast trend, with the north end offset about 25 miles westward from the south end of the Front Range. The Canon City Embayment lies at the junction between the ranges.
Though smaller and lower than the Front Range, the Wet Mountains include many pleasant and easily accessible recreation areas and a number of attractive streams and reservoirs. Greenhorn Peak, the summit of the range, is 12,334 feet high. It is formed of Precambrian [granite], as is most of the crest of the range.