Utah Geological Survey

GeoSights— Utah's belly button, Upheaval Dome

Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, is a colorful circular “belly button,” unique among the broad mesas and deep canyons of the Colorado Plateau.

The rim of Upheaval Dome is 3 miles across and over 1000 feet above the core floor. The central peak in the core is 3000 feet in diameter and rises 750 feet from the floor.

Since the late 1990s, the origin of the Upheaval Dome structure has been considered to be either a pinched-off salt dome or a complex meteorite impact crater; in other words the “belly button” is either an “outie” (dome) or “innie” (crater).

Both origin hypotheses account for the overall structure of Upheaval Dome, assuming approximately a mile of overlying rock has been eroded. The main differences between the two hypotheses are the amount of time and the pressures needed to produce the structure.

READ MORE

VIEW SURVEY NOTES

Utah Geological Survey

MODEL WIND ORDINANCE

Senate Joint Resolution 1 of the 2009 Utah Legislative Session tasked the Utah State Energy Program with developing a model wind ordinance. This was accomplished by way of the Utah Wind Working Group and input from stakeholders. The Model Wind Ordinance document incorporates comments from:

private citizens,
PacifiCorp,
City of Monticello,
Utah Clean Energy,
Iron County,
Utah League of Cities and Towns,
the Utah Wind Working Group
Salt Lake City Corporation, and
the Utah Division of Wildlife.

READ MORE

RELATED LINKS

Model Wind Ordinance

Utah Geological Survey

COMMUNITY VELOCITY MODEL (CVM) AND OTHER GEOPHYSICAL DATA

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have a cooperative agreement to study earthquake-hazards in Utah with an ultimate goal of producing detailed earthquake-hazards maps, including large-scale ground-shaking maps along the densely populated Wasatch Front urban corridor.

An important component of the ground-shaking maps is developing a three-dimensional model of the subsurface, a Wasatch Front Community Velocity Model (CVM), that incorporates shallow shear-wave velocity (Vs), deep-basin structure, and other effects. To aid in producing these maps, the UGS has compiled databases of Vs and deep-basin geophysical and well logs.

READ MORE

RELATED LINKS

Community Velocity Model (CVM)
Shallow Shear-Wave-Velocity Data
Deep-Basin-Structure Data

Utah Geological Survey

MAP 242

GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ST. GEORGE AND EAST PART OF THE CLOVER MOUNTAINS 30′ x 60′ QUADRANGLES, WASHINGTON AND IRON COUNTIES, UTAH
Robert F. Biek, Peter D. Rowley, Janice M. Hayden, David B. Hacker, Grant C. Willis, Lehi F. Hintze, R. Ernest Anderson, and Kent D. Brown

A just-released map presents southwestern Utah’s geology in unprecedented detail. There is also an innovative 3-D version of the map and a virtual field trip for online viewing. The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) created all versions of the map.

The new geologic map covers 2000 square miles of southwest Utah. It stretches from Zion National Park on the east, through the St. George area, to the Beaver Dam and Bull Valley Mountains on the west, and from the Arizona border north through the Pine Valley Mountains.

READ MORE

GET IT HERE

Utah Geological Survey

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION 09-4DM

GLACIAL GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE UINTA MOUNTAINS AREA, UTAH AND WYOMING
Jeffrey S. Munroe and Benjamin J.C. Laabs

This dataset represents the first complete inventory of the glacial deposits in the Uinta Mountains since Atwood (1909) described the glacial geology of this area. It is the result of previous and continuing work by the authors and others to better understand the glacial and climatic history of this fascinating area. It depicts the distribution of glacial deposits and post-glacial sediments including mass wasting, lacustrine, and rock glacier deposits. A discussion of the glacial history and a figure showing a reconstruction of the ice extent during the local Last Glacial Maximum are also included.

This DVD contains the geologic map at 1:100,000 scale in PDF format and an ArcMap 9.3 map document. Geographic Information System (GIS) files are provided in an ESRI file geodatabase and as ESRI shapefiles. Metadata, PDF, HTML, text, and image files are included to help the user view, evaluate, and use the spatial data.

DVD (1 pl., scale 1:100,000 [contains GIS data])

MP-09-4DM (DVD)……….$24.95
MP-09-4DM (plot)……….$19.95

READ MORE

GET IT HERE

Utah Geological Survey
,

A CLOSE CALL IN ROCKVILLE

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) was notified of a large rock fall in Rockville, Utah Wednesday morning that damaged several buildings.  Geologists say it could have been much worse and are worried about the possibility of second boulder breaking loose.

Around 7:30 a.m., a boulder estimated to be 35-feet by 30-feet by 30-feet broke loose and rolled down a hill toward the home that Tamara Burton was renting.

Tyler Knudsen and Bob Blackett, UGS geologists, were asked by Rockville Mayor Alan Brown to investigate what happened.  According to air photos, the boulder had been there for at least four years after detaching from a ledge and sliding about 20 feet and coming to a rest on a 45-degree slope above Burton’s home.

READ MORE

IN THE MEDIA

Salt Lake Tribune
KSL.com
Deseret News
ABC4.com
Local8news.com
The Spectrum
Los Angeles Times
Atlantic Journal Constitution

Utah Geological Survey

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY PROVES POWERFUL

Universe

In a new publication from the Utah Geological Survey, Utah’s numerous energy sources are outlined and explained. Geothermal energy is an up and coming energy source gaining more national attention.

Utah is one of six states that have begun harnessing the power of vast geothermal energy reserves for benefit, according to the UGS’s Utah Energy Landscape portfolio. Raser Technologies has three geothermal energy projects in the works for southern Utah, and more companies are looking into building plants.

Though the plants are producing significant amounts of energy, Utah is not abandoning its other sources for energy.

“I don’t really think it’s a switch. It’s more of a mix,” said geologist for the state of Utah, Michael Vanden Berg.

READ MORE

Utah’s Energy Landscape

Utah Geological Survey

LANDSLIDE STATUS STIRS DEBATE

The Spectrum

Hours of debate regarding the Green Hollow Landslide and the proposed Capo Di Monte subdivision on Cedar Mountain took place at the Iron County Planning Commission meeting Thursday, with no decisions made as of press time.

At the meeting the commission heard the recommendation of Utah Geological Survey Geologist Bill Lund.

Lund recommended that further study by expert engineers take place before further development be allowed to continue on one of the largest landslides in the state. The study will determine whether more development and water saturation in the area could cause the landslide to reactivate.

Lund also told the planning commission that several smaller landslides on the mountain had been activated since the Cedar Highlands subdivision was completed. Conclusions were based on the original studies in 1981, which stated that the landslide was inactive.

READ MORE

Utah Geological Survey

PUNY FOSSIL FIND IS BIG TO SCIENCE

Salt Lake Tribune

Jeff and Denise Roberts love to roam the hills south of Richfield, sleuthing for fossils and ancient artifacts. During one of those trips several years ago, the couple found fossilized jaw bones so small they can sit on a penny.
The significance of those puny jaws outweighs their size: Paleontologists say they shed light on an era in Utah 8 million years ago that has produced few fossils, unlike the huge dinosaur bones from earlier periods that have made the state a paleontology treasure trove.
The Roberts reported their find to state experts, who determined the fossils came from two heretofore unknown species of rodents related to modern deer and pocket mice. In their honor, the species related to the deer mouse was named Basirepomys robertsi , while the other species was named Metaliomys sevierensis for the formation in Sevier County where the fossils were found.

READ MORE

IN THE MEDIA

Local News8
Star Telegram
KSL.com
Standard Examiner
Discovery On
UPI.com

Utah Geological Survey

Glad You Asked—What should you do if you find a fossil? Can you keep it? Should you report it?

Carole McCalla and Sandy Eldredge

Fossils – remains, traces, or imprints of past plant and animal life – are widely found throughout Utah. Depending on land ownership, some fossils can be collected for personal non-commercial use.

However, vertebrate fossils (see description below) may not be collected on any federal or state lands.

Whether you can keep a fossil or not depends on
1. the type of fossil, and
2. who owns or manages the land where the fossil was found.

READ MORE

RELATED LINKS

PI-23