Utah Geological Survey
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Which States Are Prone to Landslides — and How Can You Prepare?

nbcnews.com 

While a landslide can theoretically occur anywhere there is elevated terrain, some areas of the nation are more prone to the phenomenon than others — like Washington state, where a mudslide destroyed a community and claimed at least 14 lives on Saturday.

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Read further about landslides and Kennecott Copper Mine’s slide last year—likely the largest landslide in modern U.S. history.

wunderground.com

Weather Extremes: Worst Landslides in U.S. History

As Jeff Masters recently blogged the Oso, Washington landslide has taken the lives of at least 14 people and perhaps many more. How does this slide compare to other such events in U.S. history?

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Utah Geological Survey

POTD March 26, 2014: House Range, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah

House Range, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah
Photographer: Jim Davis; © 2012

Swasey Mountain and the House Range, Juab and Millard Counties.

Utah Geological Survey
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Washington County faces tough balance of growth, geologic hazards

sltrib.com

With geologic hazards along State Road 9 clearly mapped in a new report and a population expanding sixfold in the corridor by 2035, community leaders face tough decisions about development in their scenic, but often dangerous, landscape.

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Utah Geological Survey

POTD March 25, 2014: Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah

Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah
Photographer: Jim Davis; © 2012

Layered volcanic rocks of the Topaz Mountain Rhyolite weather into interesting shapes. The rocks, referred to as stratified tuff, formed as ash fell from the sky and flowed across the ground during the explosive eruption of a volcanic caldera around 7 million years ago.

Utah Geological Survey
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Mudslides Explained: Behind the Washington State Disaster

An informative read on mudslides and the contributing natural factors that cause incidents like the recent Washington State mudslide disaster.

news.nationalgeographic.com

A fatal mudslide in rural northwestern Washington State over the weekend underscores the dangers of this fast-moving natural hazard.

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Utah Geological Survey
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USGS Release: New Utah Maps and Road Provider

usgs.gov

Newly released US Topo maps  for Utah now feature a new commercial road data provider. The latest highway, road and street data from HERE has been added to the 1,476 revised US Topo quadrangles for the state.

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Utah Geological Survey
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March 24, 1834: Legendary American explorer John Wesley Powell is born

my.news.yahoo.com

Not only did John Wesley Powell row down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, he did it with only one arm. Before that, he had already fought through a war, walked across Wisconsin and rowed down the Mississippi, the Ohio and the Illinois Rivers. Later in his life, he would direct the US Geological Survey and the Bureau of Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution. But it was his quest to research the American West that really made him famous as one of America’s most intrepid travelers.

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Utah Geological Survey

New Plate Tectonics Model May Explain How Continents Grow

huffingtonpost.com

Continents grow like onions, with rings of younger rocks added layer by layer to the perimeter of an ancient landmass. But even though scientists know where continents get bigger, plate tectonic models have never fully explained the how.

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Utah Geological Survey

A Concise History of Geological Maps: From Outcrop to the first Map

blogs.scientificamerican.com

March 23, 1769 marks the birthday of pioneering stratigrapher William Smith, who is also credited with creating the first useful geological map, however like many other great accomplishments also Smith’s idea of depicting the distribution of rocks on a topographic map didn’t materialize out of nowhere.

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Utah Geological Survey

POTD March 24, 2014: Warner Valley, Washington County, Utah

We can’t say “no” to Monday mornings when they feature both Utah’s red-rock and grand mountains!

Warner Valley, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen; © 2012

Red hues of rippled sands and nearby Sand Mountain (Navajo Sandstone-capped cliff in middle ground) intensify in the lateafternoon sun. The snow-capped Pine Valley Mountains, the eroded remains of a massive Miocene-age igneous intrusion, rise high above the surrounding red-rock desert.