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<br />r <br /> <br />! <br />r <br />I <br />r <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />jX.] <br /> <br />SECTION IX <br />RESOURCES <br /> <br />The alluvial deposits of the South Platte River drefrrnn5to30feett hick <br />with illlld>dmurn in excess of 50 feet. The Denver Formation outcrops in the <br />riverbed at a number of locations through the study reach. <br /> <br />The South Platte River corridor is 101'11 endowed with natural resources. <br />The Mtural resources help create jobs, they provide the Metro drea with <br />amenities and convenience, and the resources make available opportunities <br />forecoflOfflicandculturalgrowth1nthefuture. <br /> <br />Thesurflcial deposits in theAd.lrlls County reach of the studyare<l include <br />the following. <br /> <br />MINERAL RESOURCES <br />Gravel operations exist for sf:'veralmiles immediately downstream frorn Ch at. <br />field Reservoir, in Englewood, in DeflYer and most extensively in Adams <br />County. <br /> <br />VerdosGr,J.Vels <br />The Verdosgravels are the oldest surficial deposits. TheVerdosdeposits <br />occupy the uppermost surfaces on a line of hills lying west of the South <br />Platte River valley, and are also found near Barr lake. <br /> <br />The mineral resources have a dired effect upon many aspects of the pre- <br />liminarydesign for the South Platte River corridor. Given enough time, <br />unre<julated gravel rnirdng in Acj,yos COiJl"lty WIluld result in additional ero- <br />sion dnd/or heddcuttingrnoving upstream. This would be first noticed by <br />bridqepiersbeing undermined and degradation belowdiversiond mlS. Gravel <br />pitSCdnproviderecreational opportunities on a region_Vlide ba s15. <br /> <br />Slocum Gravels <br />Thin deposits of grdvelsmixed Vlith fine grained materials areoccas jonally <br />exposed at elevations beloVl the Verdos surface Vlestofthe South Platte <br />River valley. The deposits are thin, <]enerallybeing onlyt...:> to four feet <br />thick. <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />The South Platte River historically flowed in a valley cut Into the land- <br />scape during Pleistocene times. The valley floor is mostly reVlOrked gravel <br />overlain by a few feet of rich sandy silt. The valley floor is from 1/2 to <br />2 miles wid!' in thf'Oenver area. The dveragf'width;; approximately 3/4 <br />mile. IJpstreamfrom6thAvenueinOenver,thereareafeVloutcropsofWis- <br />consinstagegravel fi1lsintheval1eyfloor. Ol1e isat the Overland ParK <br />Municipal Golf Course. These gravels are chiefly granltic pebblesmo'itly <br />less than 1 inch i~ ~i ameter, well-bedded and well-sorted. <br /> <br />Older Eolian Sand and Si1t <br />The upland surfaces vtest of the South Platte valley are extensively mantled <br />hyEo1ianfinesandands!1tandsorneclaydeposits. <br /> <br />llroadway-Louv1ersAlluvium <br />Olithin the Brighton quadrangle a sinqle large terrace, in places over one <br />mile wide, lies 30-35 feet above the river along the east sideoft he South <br />Platte valley. <br /> <br />The Denver formation underl ies the alluvium and oranitic gravel s. The Den~ <br />v..r and underlyil1g Arapahoe Formations consIst of nearly flat_lying shale <br />and sandstone. <br /> <br />Piney Creek Alluvium <br />Deposits of humic sand, silt and clay Vlith some smaller graveh form ter- <br />races and strdths alonq hoth sides of the South Platteval1ey. <br /> <br />I <br />l <br />