Important Events in Garden of the Gods Geology The timeline
below gives an overview of the geological periods evident in the
Garden of the Gods, starting from the present and working
backwards through time. M.Y.B.P. stands for "Millions of Years
Before the Present." Need a detailed description of all these
big words? Click on the Glossary at left.
|Holocene||present-.01||Shaping of modern Garden of the Gods red
rock landscape by the forces of erosion. Human Presence.|
|Pleistocene||.01-2||Climatic fluctuations including 3 major
periods of glaciation. Mesa gravels deposited.
|Pliocene||2-12||Mountain streams rejuvenated and begin canyon
cutting.| |Miocene||12-23||A third mountain-building pulse.
(Rocky III) | Extensive erosion in Rockies, intermontane basins
fill. |Oligocene||25-38||Volcanism in the region near today's
Florissant Colorado.| |Eocene||38-55||Rockies are above sea
level.| |Paleocene||60-70||Front Range is uplifted and
intermontane parks form.| Sedimentary formations of the Garden
of the Gods are