Abstract A synthesis of low-temperature thermochronologic results throughout the Laramide foreland illustrates that samples from wellbores in Laramide basins record either (1) detrital Laramide or older cooling ages in the upper ~1 km (0.62 mi) of the wellbore, with younger ages at greater depths as temperatures increase; or (2) Neogene cooling ages. Surface samples from Laramide ranges typically record either Laramide or older cooling ages. It is apparent that for any particular area the complexity of the cooling history, and hence the tectonic history interpreted from the cooling history, increases as the number of studies or the area covered by a study increases. Most Laramide ranges probably experienced a complex tectono-thermal evolution. Deriving a regional timing sequence for the evolution of the Laramide basins and ranges is still elusive, although a compilation of low-temperature thermochronology data from ranges in the Laramide foreland suggests a younging of the ranges to the south and southwest. Studies of subsurface samples from Laramide basins have, in some cases, been integrated with and used to constrain results from basin burial-history modeling. Current exploration for unconventional shale-oil or shale-gas plays in the Rocky Mountains has renewed interest in thermal and burial history modeling as an aid in evaluating thermal maturity and understanding petroleum systems.This paper suggests that low-temperature thermochronometers are underutilized tools that can provide additional constraints to burial-history modeling and source rock evaluation in the Rocky Mountain region.

Abstract Digital photography is an important tool to depict geologic features at all scales. Roxborough State Park offers an excellent laboratory to practice the skills and art of geo-photography. Three regionally significant Paleozoic through Early Cretaceous sedimentary formations (Fountain Formation, Lyons Formation, and Dakota Sandstone) offer important textural details, outcrop patterns, and structural relationships that provide photographic challenges and opportunities. In photographing these features, basic principles of composition apply, including the rule of thirds and the use of leading lines, foreground, and depth of field. To engage these, geo-photographers need to use important in-camera tools that include aperture, shutter speed and appropriate ISO (an adopted standard from the International Standardization Organization), as well as a tripod, and suitable lens focal length. Choice of file format (RAW or jpg) has important consequences for final image quality. Post-processing is essential to ensure that images accurately depict the features intended, and may include adjustment of levels, color temperature, and sharpening. GigaPan images offer an additional tool for examining geologic features at multiple scales using up to several hundred stitched images. Photographs are an important venue for communicating geologic information to both professionals and the general public, and the more the compelling the images, the more effective the communication will be.