The Fluvial Beauty of Boulder

Boulders Fluvial landscape includes that of Boulder Creek and its tributaries as well as Four Mile Creek that have flourish for many years. Both Boulder Creek and Four Mile have Perennial flows, with large amounts of dissolved loads. In the wet seasons with the most runoff they receive suspended loads as well. With both there main sources being that of snow melt and reservoir runoff the water flow can be massive. These rivers since running for hundreds of years have left V-shaped valleys that formed by the fluvial erosion. After Boulder experienced their 100-year flood in 1894 Barker Dam was built to prevent further flooding but has yet to stop some of the smaller floods experienced from overwhelming snow melting. 

*100-year flood in Boulder, on 7th street downtown

This semi-arid region contains vast amounts of Evergreens located primarily in the foothills and along the flatirons, not as present in the plains. Though the Pine Beetle is killing off a great amount of the population in the Rockies. Deciduous trees thrive in this climate because of the mild weather that we experience and their ability to store all their nutrients in their bark with little disturbance by the cold weather in the winters.

*Diciduous Trees in the midst of winer; Boulder, CO

We all need water, even Boulderites!

The Boulder area is very dependant on its water sources and annual precipitation, though the amount that they receive varies greatly every year. Most of Boulders water supply comes from run-offs from various lakes located in the Rocky Mountains primarily Silver Lake. Boulder Creek runs all the way through town to the furthest point in Boulder County located in South Boulder.

*South Boulder Creek

Because of Boulders Subtropical highland climate, they have very well preserved wetlands, wet meadows, and vast grasslands these are mostly located along the Creek. Boulder also has a water source located on in central Boulder called Baseline Lake, though this reservoir contains most of the drinking water for towns located around the Boulder area.

*Boulder Creek Source Water Map 

Boulders well known Flatirons are a prime example of erosion. They consist of conglomerate sandstone of the fountain formation. Since the Flatirons have formed between 35 and 80 million years ago they have experienced a great amount of physical and chemical weathering. Lots of pressure release has occurred leaving large slabs of sandstone at the bottom of the 5 larger rock formations. There are also many large joints throughout the sandstone that has made the physical weathering greatly visible.

*An example of the erosion of the sandstone, slabs being layered one in front of the other

Why is Boulder so Beautiful?

Boulder is the hotspot for great weather in Colorado. With a humid subtropical climate, bordering on a subtropical highland climate we receive over 300 days of sunshine a year! Our weather consists of a high of 65*degrees and a low of 36*degrees year round. 

There is also a unique Orographic lift in the mountains that causes the air coming from the west to dry out, this will cause a shield over the city from precipitation in the winter. This lift leaves Boulder with an average precipitation of about 19.93" and 84.7" of average snowfall every year. 

The snow that falls in Boulder also remains very shallow due to the high elevation. Also the Warm Front we receive called the Chinook Winds brings rapid warm-ups to the city. These are also known as the Pacific Northwest Winds they bring wet and warm coastal air.

Tornado of 1997, located in East Boulder

Though Colorado receives a fair amount of Tornado touchdowns a year Boulder see's very few of them. Since 1953 Colorado has seen 826 Tornadoes, only 10 were located in Boulder County. None of these exceeded an F2 magnitude. The last one on record was in 1997 in East Boulder and that was only an F0 magnitude.

What is so cool about the Flatirons?

Boulder, a Geological point of interest all over the world, its where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains. Located in a wide basin beneath Flagstaff Mountain it is directly on the 40^th parallel. With a total area of only 25.4 sq. miles, Boulder is home to one of the greatest examples of a Fountain Formation in North America.   

*This picture shows a great example of the difference in the Mountains located behind the Flatirons (the Rockies) and the Flatirons, as well as how the plains come to meet the Mountains so abruptly

As far as other rocks settled in Boulder, they are dated all the way back to the Precambrian period. These rocks consist of Granite and Metamorphic rock. Though the most prominent rocks in the area is Schist, Gneiss, and Quartzite.

The Flatirons Mountain Range is part of the Rocky Mountains formerly known as the Ancestral Rockies which were formed during the Pennsylvanian Period, about 300 million years ago.  This unique mountain range was created when the subduction of tectonic plates created the Rockies and it pushed all the Precambrian Rock upwards. This movement eroded them and allowed the rocks to weather. The debris that came from the rocks later formed into a type of sandstone called Akrose. This is known as the Red stone that makes up the Boulder Flatirons, during a process called Fountain Formation.

*Example of the Sandstone, Akrose

Introduction

Hello, welcome to my blog. My name is Abby Paladino, I am now a Sophomore at CU majoring in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Painting. I chose to write my blog about a place I hold very close to my heart, Boulder, Colorado. Not only is this where I have grown up, but it is also a Geographic wonder. Boulder is home to the Flatiron Mountain Range, many natural lakes, canyons, and a wide variety of plant life. Even though I have spent almost my entire life in the midst of it all I still know next to nothing about it. I am excited to finally have a better understanding and appreciation of this beautiful place I call home.