Lecture from the U.S. Geological Survey
by Jake Lowenstern, Scientist-in-Charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
WATCH IT HERE
The presentation starts at about 5:30, so jump ahead if you please!
Happy Thursday, everyone! The weekend is almost here, and with it, another round of “Spot the Rock.” Tell us below where in Utah you think this rockin’ site is found!
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UPDATE: Location Revealed
Step Mountain is a Tertiary-aged (dated at 36 million years) andesitic dike in Rose Canyon, three miles southwest of Herriman. The summit is at 6109 feet above sea level. The mountain is a fine example of columnar jointing, typically associated with basalt, but also found in andesites. Columnar jointing is found below the surface of thick lava flows, sills, and dikes, and is caused by the cooling and contracting of the lava creating long vertical joints that form slender polygonal columns, typically pentagonal or hexagonal in shape. In the case of Step Mountain dike, magma filled a crack in the pre-existing rock and the joints formed horizontal to the surface, so the columns act as “steps.” The weathering-resistant dike now has a prominent relief due to the erosion of the softer surrounding volcanic rock.
By: Stefan M. Kirby
This map represents the geology of the Saint John quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Saint John quadrangle, in southeastern Tooele County, Utah, covers a part of the floor of Rush Valley. Unconsolidated surficial deposits of Holocene to Pleistocene age cover nearly the entire quadrangle. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel sediments, and lacustrine units deposited during both the transgression and regression of Lake Bonneville. Normal faults cut unconsolidated deposits in the western half and northeast corner of the quadrangle. In the northeast corner of the quadrangle, conjugate normal faults form a prominent horst and a series of west-facing scarps in late Pleistocene mixed alluvial and lacustrine deposits. Bedrock includes Pennsylvanian-age Oquirrh Group sedimentary rocks exposed in the southwest corner of the quadrangle, which consists of interbedded marine limestone and sandstone. Consolidated Tertiary fine-grained lacustrine basin fill of the Salt Lake Formation is exposed just north of the community of Saint John.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and an 8-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Paul Inkenbrandt, Kevin Thomas, and J. Lucy Jordan
In this 46-page report, we characterized the deep aquifer system and its connections to the overlying aquifers in the area of the Hurricane fault in Washington County by examining well logs, creating regional potentiometric-surface maps, compiling groundwater quality data, conducting gravity surveys, examining remote sensing data for surface lineaments, and determining areas for potential monitoring wells. Results of the study were: (1) R and C aquifer groundwater depths are > 500 feet in the I-15 corridor area, (2) a groundwater divide likely exists south of the Utah-Arizona state line, (3) groundwater flow follows open fracture systems, (4) fracture conductivity is highest near the fault, (5) dissolution of evaporites increase groundwater TDS, and (6) a well should be drilled into the Hurricane fault near Pintura.
Congratulations to Tom Chidsey who was named the 2013 UGS Employee of the Year. Tom is a senior scientist with the Energy and Minerals Program and has worked at the UGS for 24 years. Tom always strives to make everything he does perfect. From core workshops to field trips to reports, he always goes above and beyond. Tom consistently produces a high volume of superb quality work, has impeccable character, and brings respect and praise to the UGS. His work on the petroleum geology of Utah is so well respected that he has been invited several times by many organizations to present talks on the subject. Tom is a role-model employee, carrying a heavy workload capably, cheerfully, and with high productivity and integrity. He is a deserving recipient of the UGS Employee of the Year Award.
Tom Chidsey accepts award from Utah Geological Survey Director, Rick Allis.
Hite Crossing vicinity, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Garfield and San Juan Counties, Utah
Photographer: Don DeBlieux; ©2011
Permian- and Triassic-age sedimentary rocks color the shorelines of dam-impounded Lake Powell near the confluence of the Colorado and Dirty Devil Rivers. Although the lake water has submerged numerous relicts of ancient animal (including human) and plant life, traces of prehistoric life can still be found along the lake shores and in some tributaries.
UGS’s Dr. Jim Kirkland, State Paleontologist of Utah, was the keynote speaker for the “2013 Utah Governor’s Medals for Science and Technology” awards banquet held on January 15, 2014, at The Leonardo in Salt Lake City. The annual event honors outstanding achievements in science relative to education and technical innovation. Kirkland addressed this year’s theme on dinosaurs by presenting an historical overview of Utah’s outstanding dinosaur heritage, while Dr. Randy Irmis, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, served as the master of ceremonies.
Dr. Jim Kirkland and Governor Gary Herbert
Insect fossils in core retrieved from Green River Formation, Utah
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg; © 2011
Insect fossils preserved in core retrieved from the lake-deposited Green River Formation.
Uinta Basin, Uintah County, Utah
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg
The Mahogany oil shale zone contains the highest percentage of organic material in the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Uintah County.
stgeorgeutah.com
Lowering oneself down into a dark cavern, crawling and climbing over rocks, and slinking through narrow openings and over damp, cold slippery rocks is all part of the Bloomington Cave experience. The cave sits on the eastern slope of the Beaver Dam Mountains, approximately 15 miles west of St. George, it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is open to the public to explore on a permit basis.
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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