Geologic Column

Donated to the City of Colorado Springs in 1907, this rock wall was commissioned by General William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs, as an educational tool for citizens. Creation of the wall is credited to Edmund Van Diest.

The piece demonstrates the relative age and thickness of successive layers of rock formations that lie beneath the city. Those approximately 20 layers are primarily comprised of granite, quartz, and sandstone. The successive layers pitch to the east, creating a diagonal formation within a cove on the north side of Monument Valley Park. The colors range from reds and terracottas to off-whites and shades of beige.