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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. I vX--{'.--J <br /> <br />")/_'5 <br /> <br />Denver Museum of Natural History <br /> <br />Denver Basin Research Project <br /> <br />This is a three-year multidisciplinary research project being coordinated by the Denver Museum of <br />Natural History. The Museum plans to share the excitement of ongoing scientific research with its <br />Denver and regional audiences through a variety of lectures, courses, publications, educational <br />outreach programs, and exhibits. <br /> <br />Project Goals: <br /> <br />. To study the geologic history of the Denver Basin and the adjacent Front Range <br /> <br />. To evaluate the bedrock aquifers in the center of the Denver Basin <br /> <br />. To provide public education about Denver's geological history and hydrological future <br /> <br />The Elbert County Research Well <br /> <br />The single largest effort of this research project is the drilling of a 2,200 foot -deep cored well at the <br />Elbert County Fairgrounds in Kiowa, Colorado. The well is located near the center of the Denver <br />Basin and will penetrate all of its major bedrock aquifers. The 3.5-inch-diameter core retrieved from <br />the well will provide much needed data about aquifer characteristics. Hydrological research on the <br />core will be coordinated by the U. S. Geological Survey, Division of Water Resources. It will also <br />provide geological and paleontological data for the time between 50 and 70 million years ago. This <br />time span saw the retreat of the sea that covered Colorado, the uplift of the Front Range, the <br />extinction of the dinosaurs, and the spread of tropical rain forests across Colorado. <br /> <br />Drilling and coring will begin on March 1, 1999 and should last about a month. <br />Daily drilling updates will be posted on the web at www.dmnh.org <br />The core will be archived in the core storage facility at the U.S. Geological Survey in Lakewood. <br /> <br />Cooperating Organizations (funding sources*) <br />Denver r-..Iuseum of Natural Hisrory* <br />National Science Fonndation* <br />U. S. Geological Survey, Division of Water Resources* <br />U. S. Geological Survey, Geologic Division <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board* <br />Colorado State Engineer* <br />Colorado Geological Survey <br />Colorado Division of\Vater Resources <br />Colorado State University* <br /> <br />University of Colorado at Boulder <br />Scripps Institution of Oceanography <br />New 1Iexico Tech <br />Lunar and Planetary Institute <br />Colorado State University Extension Office in Kiowa <br />Elbert County Water Advisory Board <br />Elbert County Commissioners* <br />Prima Energy* <br />Town of Kiowa, Colorado <br /> <br />If you have further questions, you may contact: <br />Kirk Johnson, Curator of Paleontology, Denver Museum of Natural History <br />fax: 303-331-6492 or email: kjohnson@dmnh.org <br />