Any attempt to define a single fault or fracture zone near Golden, Colorado is doomed to failure. The corridor bounded on the east by North and South Table Mountains and Green Mountain near Lakewood and the west by the Dakota Ridge, and on the north by the mineral deposits near Ralston Reservoir and on the south by Bear Creek Reservoir and the Salt Ponds is littered with faults and fractures of varying ages, inclinations and types. It is an area of complex geology; some of it exposed and some quite hidden. It makes far more sense to map what fractures are there and define their characteristics than to attempt to identify them all with a single mythical "Golden Fault."

         Why should we care? While the pursuit of knowlege for its own sake is a worthy endeavor, the mapping of this geologic corridor west of Denver is critical. Evidence already exists that this area is not as quiet geologically as it may seem and yet is region of intense development and increasing population density. Hazard analysis suggests that even a moderate earthquake in the area would have serious results, including deaths, injuries and extensive property damage in Lakewood, Golden, Arvada and Denver.

         I will be uploading further discussion of this issue including maps and photographs of fault tracings in this area. I have begun one page on a strike-slip fracture zone which exists along the west side of Green Mountain.