Utah Geological Survey

Tuesday, October 1, 2013: Field Review of New Geologic Mapping, Sigurd Quadrangle, Utah

Mapped by
Hellmut H. Doelling1 and Paul A. Kuehne 2

1 Utah Geological Survey, retired
2 Utah Geological Survey, Mapping Program
A STATEMAP project supported by the Utah Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

 Trip highlights:

  • examination and discussion of the northern portion of the Marysvale volcanic pile
  • newly mapped Oligocene volcanic intrusions
  • discussion of the contested Sanpete-Sevier Valley anticline and associated structures including the surface structure over the Covenant oil field
  • contorted Middle Jurassic Arapien and Twist Gulch Formations
  • Paleogene sedimentary strata including the Flagstaff, Colton, Green River, Crazy Hollow, Aurora and Dipping Vat Formations
  • Silicified beds of the Crazy Hollow Formation?

The purpose of the review is to give the public and local government officials an opportunity to learn about new geologic research in their district, and to give geologists and others an opportunity to critique the map before it is published.

Information

  • Assemble Tuesday October 1st at 7:30 a.m. 2 miles north of Sigurd in the parking lot of the Cedar Ridge Station near the junction of Utah 24 and Utah 118.  To get there from Salina go 7 miles west on I-70 to exit 48 then head south and follow the sign to Capitol Reef.
  • Anyone is invited – please circulate this notice among your colleagues.
  • There is no charge, but for planning purposes, we ask that you RSVP to the Utah Geological Survey (email: starrsoliz@utah.gov; or call 801-537-3300).
  • A few short but strenuous hikes are planned.
  • A high-clearance 4WD vehicle is required; a limited number of spaces may be available in UGS vehicles within the fieldtrip area (not to or from Salt Lake City)
  • Please bring a sack lunch, water, boots, hat, and field clothes.
  • If severe weather threatens, please call the UGS office on day before to see if canceled.
  • This field review is in conjunction with the review of Cedar City geologic mapping on October 2 (see other notice or contact the Utah Geological Survey for more information).

Questions?
Contact Paul Kuehne at the Utah Geological Survey, 1594 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6100; Telephone (801) 537-3300, Fax (801) 537-3400, email paulkuehne@utah.gov.

Utah Geological Survey

POTD September 9, 2013: Great Salt Lake, Utah

Great Salt Lake, Utah
Photographer: Carole McCalla

Great Salt Lake is likely best known for its high salinity and large size. Yet this unique lake also supports mineral and brine-shrimp industries, provides a resting place for millions of migratory birds, and reveals varied spectacular sights. Sunsets over distant islands, white beaches, and water colors ranging from blue to pink offer inspiration for artists.

White foam, caused by wave action from windstorms, occasionally piles up along the shores of Great Salt Lake.

Utah Geological Survey

POTD September 6, 2013: Great Salt Lake, Davis County, Utah

Great Salt Lake, Davis County, Utah
Photographer: Carole McCalla

Antelope Island, approximately ten miles long and four miles wide, is the largest island in Great Salt Lake. The island, which becomes a peninsula when lake levels are low, has easily accessible outcrops of some of the oldest (Precambrian-aged) rocks in Utah. It is also home to a variety of wildlife including pronghorn, bison, bighorn sheep, and millions of waterfowl.

Utah Geological Survey

2014 Calendar of Utah Geology is Here!

The Utah Geological Survey 2014 Calendar of Utah Geology has arrived. The calendars are on sale for $4.95 each or $4.25 for orders of 10 or more at the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, 1594 West North Temple in Salt Lake City.

The photos are taken by staff members who are often on assignment in some of the most intriguing areas of the state.

Utah Geological Survey

POTD September 5, 2013: Crystal Peak, Millard County, Utah

Crystal Peak, Millard County, Utah
Photographer: Matt Affolter

Certain rock types weather into curious shapes and patterns by combinations of internal factors such as fractures and sediment grain size and external factors such as frost action and salt crystallization. Sandstone, granite, volcanic rocks, and limestone are all excellent mediums for creating bizarre rockscapes that can include smooth, rounded, and undulating forms (hoodoos or “goblins”), pinnacles, tafoni (holes and small alcoves), and honeycomb structures.

The Tunnel Spring Tuff exhibits remarkable tafoni (alcoves and pitting) covering the steep slope of Crystal Peak.

Utah Geological Survey

Damage, delays in Spanish Fork Canyon after debris flow

ksl.com

Leslee Maki says she can’t believe what happened to her property after a storm moved into the area Monday night and a debris flow shut down part of U.S. 6.
“We still don’t know where everything is,” Maki said. “Forty-five minutes is all it took.”

READ MORE

MORE INFO

OTHER NEWS
deseretnews.com

Utah Geological Survey

New Publications: OFR-613, OFR- 616, and OFR-617

Structural architecture of the Confusion Range, west-central Utah: a Sevier fold-thrust belt and frontier petroleum province

By: David C. Greene and Donna M. Herring

This report (22p., 6pl.) describes the structural geology and petroleum potential of the Confusion Range in west central Utah. Four new balanced and retrodeformable cross sections across the range and adjacent Tule Valley are presented, and support interpretation of the Confusion Range as an east-vergent, fold thrust belt formed during the Sevier Orogeny.

OFR-613 ……………………….$14.95

GET IT HERE


40Ar/39Ar Geochronology results for the Allens Ranch and Boulter Peak quadrangles, Utah

OFR-616, Web only

 Whole-rock Geochemical data for the Allens Ranch, Boulter Peak, and Goshen quadrangles, Utah, by Adam P. McKean, Eric H. Christiansen, Tara Allen, and Bart J. Kowallis, 9 p., OFR-617, Web only

 

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Utah Geological Survey

POTD September 4, 2013: Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County, Utah

Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: Keith Beisner

Certain rock types weather into curious shapes and patterns by combinations of internal factors such as fractures and sediment grain size and external factors such as frost action and salt crystallization. Sandstone, granite, volcanic rocks, and limestone are all excellent mediums for creating bizarre rockscapes that can include smooth, rounded, and undulating forms (hoodoos or “goblins”), pinnacles, tafoni (holes and small alcoves), and honeycomb structures.

Where horizontal bedding, alternating hard and soft rock layers, and vertical fractures combine, the Entrada Sandstone weathers into rounded, columnar “goblins”.

Utah Geological Survey

Survey Notes volume 45 number 3

Current Issue Contents:

  • Damaging Debris Flows Prompt Landslide Inventory Mapping for the 2012 Seely Fire, Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah
  • Rock Fall: An Increasing Hazard in Urbanizing Southwestern Utah
  • New Geologic Data Resources for Utah
  • Energy News
  • Teacher’s Corner
  • Glad You Asked: Where is the Coolest Spot in Utah?
  • GeoSights: The Goosenecks of the San Juan River, San Juan County, Utah
  • Survey News
  • New Publications

    GET IT HERE
    PAST ISSUES

Utah Geological Survey

POTD September 3, 2013: Fantasy Canyon, Uinta Basin, Uintah County, Utah

Fantasy Canyon, Uinta Basin, Uintah County, Utah
Photographer: Jim Davis

A sandstone layer within the Eocene-aged Uinta Formation forms a surreal landscape at Fantasy Canyon. Sandwiched between more easily erodible layers of claystone and mudstone, the exposed sandstone has weathered into an intricate rock garden containing over twenty named sculptures, including “Alien Head” in the foreground.