Suggested Colors for Geologic Maps

Quaternary
Yellow, no color

0000

00A0

0010

0020

0030

0040

0050

0060

0070

00X0

0AX0

Techniques and Methods 11B1

Plate 1
[This color chart shows suggested colors for different geologic ages, as well as colors for volcanic and igneous rocks. Numbers below each color box are CMYK color codes, as
follows: A = 8%, 1 = 13%, 2 = 20%, 3 = 30%, 4 = 40%, 5 = 50%, 6 = 60%, 7 = 70%, X = 100%. Colors on this chart were chosen on the basis of how they look as printed on
an offset printing press. As printed on an offset printing press, the colors conform to USGS geologic age color standards. However, if the digital file of this chart is printed on a
computer-driven ink-jet plotter, some of the colors will not conform to the USGS geologic age colors. Users should be aware of this limitation and choose colors accordingly. Note
that some of the dark combination colors (composed of high percentages of the two CM inks or the three CMY inks) are generally too dark to use for most purposes, because they
can obscure topographic base features and geologic map data. On some computer-driven plotters, some of the darkest colors on this chart will print dark gray to black.]

Tertiary

Orange, yellowish-orange,
tan, brown

0A20

A130

0A30

0130

0230

0A50

0150

0250

0350

0A70

0A40

0140

0240

0A60

0160

0260

0360

A030

1030

2030

A060

1060

2060

3060

A040

1040

2040

A070

1070

2070

3070

4070

A050

1050

2050

A0X0

10X0

20X0

30X0

40X0

A0A0

10A0

3030

4060

A010

1010

3040

4040

5040

6040

A020

1020

2020

3050

4050

5050

6050

20A0

30A0

40A0

50A0

3020

4020

5020

6020

2010

3010

4010

5010

4030

5030

6030

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

X000

A000

1000

60A0

70A0

X0A0

3A00

3100

3200

6300

6400

5200

4100

4200

7300

7400

7500

AA00

1A00

1100

4300

4400

4500

6500

6600

2A00

2100

2200

3300

5400

5500

5600

7600

7700

X700

22A0

32A0

43A0

34A0

35A0

33A0

44A0

5420

5520

6420

6520

3320

2210

3210

4310

3410

3510

3310

4410

A100

A200

A300

A400

A500

1200

1300

1400

1500

2300

2400

2500

2600

2700

2X00

0460

0560

A230

A330

A360

A570

A670

A260

1260

1360

1240

1250

2350

0170

0270

0370

0470

0570

0670

A240

A340

A370

A470

A270

1270

1370

1350

0660

01X0

02X0

03X0

04X0

05X0

06X0

A250

A350

A3X0

A4X0 A5X0 A6X0 A2X0

12X0

13X0

14X0

15X0

16X0

17X0

AA30

1A30

AA60 A160

1A60

1160

2A60

2160

2260

3A40

3140

3240

3A60

3160

3260

4A60

4160

4260

4240

3A50

3150

3250

3A70

3170

3270

4A70

4170

4270

4250

3AX0

31X0

32X0

4AX0

41X0

42X0

6270

XA70

X170

X270

X370

XAX0 X1X0

X2X0

X3X0

2360

2370

2470

23X0

24X0

25X0

5A70

5170

5270

5370

6360

7350

5AX0

51X0

52X0

53X0

6370

7360

73X0

64X0

61X0

62X0

63X0

7370

74X0

Cretaceous
Yellow green or
olive green

AA40

A140

1A40

1140

AA70

A170

1A70

1170

2A40

2140

2A70

2170

2270

50X0

AA50

A150

1A50

1150

AAX0 A1X0 1AX0

11X0

2A50

2150

2AX0

21X0

22X0

5060

6060

7060

X060

3A30

5A40

5140

5240

6A50

6150

6250

7A50

7150

7250

5070

6070

7070

X070

4A40

4140

5A50

5150

5250

6A60

6160

6260

7A60

7160

7260

60X0

70X0

X0X0

4A50

4150

4A60

5160

5260

6A70

6170

7020

X020

7040

X040

4A20

4120

5A20

5120

7030

X030

7050

X050

4A30

4130

4230

5A30

5130

4A00

5A00

5100

7A00

7100

7200

Jurassic
Green

7A70

7170

7270

7AX0

71X0

72X0

7220

6A40

6140

X4X0

X5X0

Triassic
Blue green

6A20

6120

7A20

6A30

6130

6230

X400

4AA0 41A0 5AA0

51A0

6AA0

61A0

62A0

6220

7AA0

6A10

6110

6210

7320

5230

7120

6240

7A30

7130

7230

XA30

X130

X230

X330

XA50

X150

X250

X350

7A40

7140

7240

7340

XA40

X140

X240

X340

XA60

X160

X260

X360

71A0

72A0 XAA0 X1A0

X2A0

X3A0 X4A0

X5A0

XA20

X120

X220

X320

X430

X530

7A10

7110

7210

XA10

X110

X210

X310

X410

X510

X420

X520

X440

X540

Permian
Blue

6010

7010

X010

6A00

6100

6200

XA00

X100

X200

X300

4A10

4110

5A10

5110

X500

X600

52A0

53A0

63A0

73A0

74A0

75A0

7420

7520

X6A0 X7A0

X620

X720

5210

5310

6310

7310

7410

7510

X610

X710

X630

X730

X640

X740

5620

64A0

65A0

66A0

67A0

6620

6720

76A0

77A0

7620

7720

XX20

XX40

6410

6510

6610

6710

6630

6730

7610

7710

7630

7730

XX30

XX50

XX60

Pennsylvanian
Blue with red

5300

Mississippian
Bluish purple

XXA0 54A0

55A0

56A0

XX00

XX10

5410

5510

5610

4320

4420

5530

5630

6640

3420

3520

4630

Devonian
Grayish purple

6530

6740

7740

Silurian

Reddish purple

3400

3500

3600

3700

3X00

4600

4700

4X00

5700

5X00

6700

36A0

37A0

45A0

46A0

47A0 4XA0

57A0

5XA0

5720

5X20

6XA0

7XA0

4X30

5X40

6X30

7X30

4730

5740

5X60

6X50

7X50

6X00

3610

3710

4510

4610

4710

4X10

5710

5X10

5730

5X30

6X10

7X10

4X40

5X50

6X40

7X40

4740

5750

5X70

6X60

7X60

7X00

3620

3720

4520

4620

4720

4X20

6X20

7X20

4X60

3530

3630

3730

3560

3660

3760

2570

3670

3770

Ordovician
Subdued red

03A0

04A0

05A0

06A0

07A0

12A0

13A0

14A0

15A0

16A0

17A0 A3A0 A4A0 A5A0 A6A0 A7A0

23A0

24A0

25A0

26A0

27A0

A630

A730

0310

0410

0510

0610

0710

A2A0

1310

1410

1510

1610

1710

A310

A410

A510

A610

A710

2310

2410

2510

2610

2710

1630

1730

0420

0520

0620

0720

A210

1320

1420

1520

1620

1720

A320

A420

A520

A620

A720

2320

2420

2520

2620

2720

0AA0

01A0

02A0

0330

0430

0530

0630

0730

A430

A530

2330

2430

2530

0A10

0110

0210

0340

0440

0540

0640

0740

1330

1430

1530

2340

2440

2540

0120

0220

0320

0450

0550

0650

0750

1340

1440

1540

1AA0 AAA0 A1A0

11A0

1A10 AA10

A110

1110

1A20

1120

1220

1130

1230

2630

2730

2740

1740

Cambrian
Reddish brown

3430

2640

3440

1640

A440

A540

A640

A740

1450

1550

1650

1750

2450

2550

2650

2750

2460

2560

2660

2760

3540

3640

3740

A450

A550

A650

A750

1460

1560

1660

1760

3550

3650

3750

A460

A560

A660

A760

1470

1570

1670

1770

7430

7530

7440

7540

7640

37X0

Precambrian

(Includes Proterozoic
and Archean)
Olive brown, olive, gray,
olive blue, reddish olive

pe

2130

Igneous and
volcanic rocks

1210

2AA0 21A0

3AA0 31A0

42A0

2A10

2110

3A10

3110

4210

2A20

2120

2220

3A20

3120

AA20

A120

A220

4A30

4130

4230

4330

4430

4530

3130

3230

4340

4440

4540

4640

3330

4350

4450

4550

4650

4360

4460

4560

4370

4470

2230

3340

2240

3350

3460

2250

3350

3460

3370

3470

3570

33X0

34X0

35X0

36X0

43X0

1X10

3220

4220

5220

5320

6320

5330

6330

5430

7330

6430

5340

5440

5540

5640

6340

6440

6540

4750

5350

5450

5550

5650

6350

6450

6550

6650

6750

7450

7550

7650

7750

X450

X550

X650

X750

4660

4760

5360

5460

5560

5660

5760

6460

6560

6660

6760

7460

7560

7660

7760

X460

X560

X660

X760

4570

4670

4770

4X70

5470

5570

5670

5770

6470

6570

6670

6770

6X70

7470

7570

7670

7770

7X70

X470

X570

X670

X770

44X0

45X0

46X0

47X0

4XX0

54X0

55X0

56X0

57X0

64X0

65X0

66X0

67X0

6XX0

5XX0

75X0

76X0

77X0

7XX0

X6X0

X7X0 XXX0

1X50

0200

0500

0X00

AX00

1X00

1XA0

1X20

1X30

1X40

1X60

1X70

1XX0

0X60

0X70

0XX0

2XA0

2X10

2X20

2X30

2X40

2X50

2X60

2X70

2XX0

0100

0400

0700

A700

1700

AXA0 AX10 AX20

AX30

AX40 AX50 AX60

AX70

AXX0

0760

0770

07X0

3XA0

3X10

3X20

3X30

3X40

3X50

3X60

3X70

3XX0

0A00

0300

0600

A600

1600

0XA0

0X30

0X40

A770

A7X0

Red, pink, bright orange

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

0X10

0X20

0X50

XX70

2670

2770

26X0

27X0