In a [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.matplotlib.general/1536 thread] on the matplotlib mailling list, James Boyle posted a way to load colormaps from a file. Here it is slightly modified.

'''gmtColormap.py'''
{{{#!python
def gmtColormap(fileName,GMTPath = None):
      import colorsys
      import Numeric
      N = Numeric
      if type(GMTPath) == type(None):
          filePath = "/usr/local/cmaps/"+ fileName+".cpt"
      else:
          filePath = GMTPath+"/"+ fileName +".cpt"
      try:
          f = open(filePath)
      except:
          print "file ",filePath, "not found"
          return None
 
      lines = f.readlines()
      f.close()
 
      x = []
      r = []
      g = []
      b = []
      colorModel = "RGB"
      for l in lines:
          ls = l.split()
          if l[0] == "#":
             if ls[-1] == "HSV":
                 colorModel = "HSV"
                 continue
             else:
                 continue
          if ls[0] == "B" or ls[0] == "F" or ls[0] == "N":
             pass
          else:
              x.append(float(ls[0]))
              r.append(float(ls[1]))
              g.append(float(ls[2]))
              b.append(float(ls[3]))
              xtemp = float(ls[4])
              rtemp = float(ls[5])
              gtemp = float(ls[6])
              btemp = float(ls[7])
 
      x.append(xtemp)
      r.append(rtemp)
      g.append(gtemp)
      b.append(btemp)
 
      nTable = len(r)
      x = N.array( x , N.Float)
      r = N.array( r , N.Float)
      g = N.array( g , N.Float)
      b = N.array( b , N.Float)
      if colorModel == "HSV":
         for i in range(r.shape[0]):
             rr,gg,bb = colorsys.hsv_to_rgb(r[i]/360.,g[i],b[i])
             r[i] = rr ; g[i] = gg ; b[i] = bb
      if colorModel == "HSV":
         for i in range(r.shape[0]):
             rr,gg,bb = colorsys.hsv_to_rgb(r[i]/360.,g[i],b[i])
             r[i] = rr ; g[i] = gg ; b[i] = bb
      if colorModel == "RGB":
          r = r/255.
          g = g/255.
          b = b/255.
      xNorm = (x - x[0])/(x[-1] - x[0])
 
      red = []
      blue = []
      green = []
      for i in range(len(x)):
          red.append([xNorm[i],r[i],r[i]])
          green.append([xNorm[i],g[i],g[i]])
          blue.append([xNorm[i],b[i],b[i]])
      colorDict = {"red":red, "green":green, "blue":blue}
      return (colorDict)
}}}
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CategoryCookbookMatplotlib