Survey Notes
Survey Notes is an informative, non-technical magazine on noteworthy and interesting geologic topics in Utah and serves as the official UGS newsletter. You can find past Survey Notes issues in the Survey Notes Archive.
Subscribe to receive a free digital or physical copy of Survey Notes.
Current Issue: May 2022 – Volume 54, Number 2
IN THIS ISSUE
The opportunity for Carbon Capture Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS)—sometimes abbreviated to CCS—depends considerably on the type of rock present in the subsurface. (A) CO2 storage can occur by injecting gas deep underground into rock strata deemed unsuitable for other purposes. Modified from imagery provided by Global CCS Institute (https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/ccs-image-library/). (B) A 4-inch-wide slabbed rock core from the Covenant oil field, Sevier County, Utah. The sandstone (buff-colored) is a good reservoir rock due to its porous and often permeable grains. The mudstone (red) is a good geological seal because it has low permeability and prohibits fluid and gas from escaping upwards. The sharp color contrast indicates the boundary between the seal and reservoir rock. The five holes in the rock core are where plugs were drilled into the rock and removed for analysis. (C) and (D) are photomicrographs of Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone (reservoir rock) from the Covenant oil field that illustrate pore space availability (blue areas) for CO2 storage between quartz grains (white areas). Images B, C, and D modified from Chidsey and others (2020) (https://doi.org/10.34191/ss-167). Note the significant difference in scale from the well (kilometers) to the core (meters) to the rock grain and pore space (millimeters).
Interbedded coal and sandstone in the Blackhawk Formation (just off SR-6, near Helper). Source : Mike Vanden Berg
A few of the species from the Jurassic Salad Bar site. A) The reproductive organs of the fern Coniopteris hymenophylloides. B) Partial leaf of the ginkgophyte Sphenobaiera sp. C) Leaf bundles of the ginkgophyte Czekanowskia turneri. D) Partial leaf of the ginkgophyte Ginkgoites sp. E) Partial frond of the fern Coniopteris hymenophylloides. F) Abdominal segments and forewing of the giant water bug-like insect Morrisonnepa jurassica (Lara and others, 2020); abbreviation se = abdominal segment. G) Conchostracans, often called clam shrimp. All scale bars = 1 cm. Photos by Tom Howells, Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum.
The Drum Mountains meteorite at the Smithsonian. Flat surface at top is where the meteorite was cut for sectioning. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drum_Mountains_meteorite_in_Museum_of_Natural_History.jpg
Large ice column in the entrance room of BBCC. February 2022.Regular columns include Glad You Asked, GeoSights, Teacher’s Corner, Energy News, Core Center News, Survey News, and New Publications.
To receive a free digital or physical copy of Survey Notes, please fill out the subscription form here or contact the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore at geostore@utah.gov or 1-888-UTAHMAP to check print issue availability.
Recent Issues of Survey Notes
January 2022
Volume 54, Number 1
September 2021
Volume 53, Number 3
May 2021
Volume 53, Number 2
Contents
The Role of Water Quality and Quantity on Future Development Near Bryce Canyon National Park
Groundwater Monitoring Well Installation at Sevenmile Canyon Near Arches National Park
Core Center News: Massive Core Donations Spurred by Low Oil Prices
Glad You Asked: Does the UGS Library House Any Remarkable Rare Books?
Geosights: Cannonball Concretions in a Treeless “Buried Forest,” Carbon County, Utah
