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Title
Ancient Colorado; Rainforest Eruption
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Artist
Jan Vriesen and Kirk Johnson
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Location
Denver Convention Center
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Neighborhood
Central Business District
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Year
2005
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Artwork Type
Acrylic Paintings
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Material
acrylic paint
What People Are Saying
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8 people say Photogenic
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7 people say Love it
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5 people say Thought Provoking
About This Piece
Rainforest Eruption. South Table Mountain. 64 million years ago. Volcanic eruptions poured lava across Colorado’s landscape during the formation of the current Rocky Mountains, some 64 million years ago. The Front Range was mantled with tropical rainforest, and lava cut fiery swathes through the dense vegetation—much as it does on the big island of Hawaii today. The flat top of South Table Mountain near Golden, Colorado, is actually the remains of Paleocene lava flows. The lava solidified into rock that was much harder than the underlying soil, and erosion has since sculpted the landscape into the familiar shapes of rock-capped mesas.