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<br />"'.. <br /> <br />eel.r!etl <br /> <br />Structurally the Great Plains is a large basin with part of <br /> <br />Colorado being situated on its western edge. .~.~ ",gntioned pre',;oll~lv. <br /> <br />the Great Plains area of Colorado is subdivided into three parts. <br /> <br />The Colorado piedmont which butts against the mountains is elevated <br /> <br />and dissected, the South Platte and the Arkansas Rivers being the <br /> <br />main drainages, These rivers and some of their tributaries have <br />0'0 Iu. T!o'" <br />been the primary agents in the -eva+ucrhon of this large elevated <br /> <br />area Into a thinly mantled plain of shale and occasional limestones <br /> <br />and sandstones. <br /> <br />The High Plains, occurring at the eastern I imlt of Colorado~ <br /> <br />consists of erosional remnants of fluvial plains tormed hy OI,n!3S~ <br /> <br />from the Rockies, The material forming these fluvial deposits is <br /> <br />largely silt with varying amounts of sand and gravel, The material <br /> <br />Is generally unconsol idated but local lime cementation Is common. <br /> <br />The Raton section, occurring at the southern edge of Colorado, <br /> <br />Is underlain by the same sedimentaries as the Colorado piedmont. <br /> <br />However, the high mesas that are characteristic of this section are <br />'/. <br />usually capped with eolcanic flows, <br /> <br />~'f'l:...- <br />Three of ,i-t:S six subdivision~.\ extend <br /> <br />, "' , !! <br />~r :..( I"Gor..~"(";. ~ F. :J.' (.L~l <br />into southwestern <br /> <br />Colorado. <br /> <br />The <br /> <br />main distinguishing features of this province are horizontal lying <br />the h'gh elevation of the entire plateau, and numer- <br />sedimentary strata, ~ <br /> <br />, <br />I <br /> <br />ous deep canyons. <br /> <br />0358 <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />The Uinta Basin subdivision lies just south of the Uinta Mountains and <br /> <br />this is an area of deeply dissected plateaus and badland topography. <br />