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Quarrying and shipping Colorado sandstone is part of Lyons' history. Lyons is almost surrounded by large red sandstone mountains. Its sandstone is considered the hardest in the world, and it has a unique red or salmon color.
About 300 million years ago, wind-blown sand piled up near Lyons, and it solidified into the Lyons Formation. Assembled by wind, rather than water, Lyons sandstone has attractive colors, and it splits nicely into blocks. The buildings at the University of Colorado are faced with Lyons sandstone.
Lyons Sandstone was deposited as beach and sandbar along the edge of a sea that was to the east of Lyons. The sand deposits were buried, compacted, and eventually resurfaced along the east edge of the Rockies.
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