Notch Peak, House Range, Millard County, Utah
Photographer: Taylor Boden
Notch Peak quartz monzonite near Painter Springs, House Range, Millard County.
Devil’s Playground, Grouse Creek Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah
Photographer: Don Clark
After a storm, evening light washes over granitic rocks of Devils Playground in the southern Grouse Creek Mountains. The granitic rocks of the Emigrant Pass pluton were emplaced in phases from 41 to 34 million years ago and intrude metamorphosed sedimentary rocks.
The hypothetical family that a group of Highland men allegedly was trying to protect when they destroyed a rock structure was more likely to die on the drive to Goblin Valley State Park than to be crushed by a falling rock.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec
Wall of Windows, Bryce Canyon National Park,Garfield County.
sltrib.com
For paleontologists Randall Irmis and Andrew Milner, the tiny stuff matters, especially when you’re exploring the dawn of big reptiles. Microscopic fossilized pollen, two-inch fishes, even the color of the rock that bones are embedded in say a lot about the landscapes dinosaurs roamed, the climate, what they ate and what their prey ate.
foxnews.com
A dinosaur skeleton discovered by an eagle-eyed high-school student turns out to be the smallest, youngest and most complete duck-billed dinosaur of its kind ever found. This Cretaceous-era herbivore, Parasaurolophus, walked the Earth some 75 million years ago. The dinosaurs in this genus are best known for their impressive tube-shaped head crests, which may have been used for display or perhaps to amplify the animals’ calls. The little specimen, dubbed “Joe,” was so young that its crest was a mere bump on its head.
www.mnn.com
All it takes is a flash. Lightning strikes the ground, creating temperatures of more than 3,000 degrees. The sand around the lightning strike fuses together, and fulgurite is formed. What are fulgurites? The word – based on the Latin world for thunderbolt – refers to a hollow glass tube formed when lightning strikes soil, silica, sand or even rock. These amazing structures – sometimes referred to as “petrified lightning” or “lightning stones” – don’t look like the transparent glass in your windows or kitchen cabinets. Instead they are complex structures that resemble a cross between a vegetable root and some of the more crystalline minerals such as mica. They vary in shape and size – most are only a few inches long – and they tend to form around the path of the dispersing electric charge of the lightning.
Straight Cliffs Formation, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Jim Kirkland
Hoodoos in the Calico sandstone of the Cretaceous-age Straight Cliffs Formation, Garfield County, Utah
Canyonlands National Park, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Chris DuRoss
“Zeus,” a 250-foot sandstone pinnacle, Canyonlands
National Park, San Juan County, Utah.
Snow Canyon State Park, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Ben Everitt
As our follower Ben Everitt pointed out, we tend to post a lot of big scenery photos. We love getting feedback from our users, and so you may have noticed the last few days of photos have been more than our usual photos of our amazing geology.
Today’s photo shows geology in action. In today’s photo, submitted by Ben Everitt, wind is slowly moving the dunes at Snow Canyon State Park. The park, which consists of lava flows and large sandstone cliffs, is located inside the 62,000 acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The federally mandated reserve was established to protect the threatened desert tortoise and its habitat. Snow Canyon Park is a reminder that beauty and life can be found in some of the harshest places on earth! Thanks for the submission!
Remember, you can always submit your photos to us on Facebook, Twitter, or at ugssmedia@gmail.com. We love to hear from you.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Several specialized programs comprise the UGS: Data Management, Energy & Minerals, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Information & Outreach, Geologic Mapping, Groundwater & Wetlands, and Paleontology.
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