Fountain Formation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fountain Formation is a conglomerate sandstone or arkose, red or reddish-gray in color, that is found in various locations in the state of Colorado in the USA, along the east side of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Especially notable examples of this formation are the Flatirons, the Garden of the Gods, and Red Rocks.
[edit] Origin of name
The Fountain Formation is named for the city of Fountain, Colorado in El Paso County, one of many places where it can be found.
[edit] Geology
Rocks of the Fountain Formation are considered to be of Pennsylvania age, between 290 and 296 million years old. They were formed by the erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains, and their color and composition reflects those of the granites and gneisses from which they were eroded.
