April 30, 1999

The Utah Geological Survey is cooperating with Weber State University in a first-of-its-kind project aimed at training geology students to collect and interpret of ground-water data.

The school's Department of Geology, under the direction of geosciences professor Marek Matyjasik, will drill wells into a small aquifer located about 50 feet beneath the campus in Ogden, Utah. These will become the first educational wells in the state.

The UGS role in the project is to provide thorough analysis of the drill cuttings -- the bits of rock and earth recovered from the hole. By subjecting the cuttings to microscopic examination, UGS scientists will be able to provide a detailed explanation of the subterranean features penetrated by the well. That knowledge gives water managers a better understanding of aquifers.

The tests will be done at the UGS's Geological Sample Library, the only facility of its kind in the region. The library was designed to house cuttings and core from wells drilled in Utah, and makes those samples available to industry and educational institutions.