Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: Stevie Emerson; © 2012
Sandstone hoodoos at Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County.
nytimes.com
About 220 million years ago, as we learn at a thoroughly entrancing new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, a fish caught a pterosaur, chewed it up and spit out the pieces. The expelled mass eventually fossilized, creating what is decorously called a “gastric pellet.” We see its cast here: a compact, egg-size mound of spindly, bent, broken and crushed sticks.
Are you earthquake ready? The Great Utah ShakeOut hopes to lend some education in the event of “the big one.” Check out the article for more info!
davisclipper.com
It’s been said “It’s not if, but when” a major earthquake will hit the Wasatch Front.
Here’s a rockin’ scenic view to jump start another weekend!
The Rimrocks, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Taylor Boden; © 2012
Spire-like formations called “toadstools” form where resistant sandstone boulders of Cretaceous-age Dakota Formation (toadstool caps) protect the underlying, softer, Jurassic-age Entrada Sandstone (toadstool stems) from erosion. Beneath their protective caps, the spires stand tall above the surrounding eroded landscape.
stgeorgeutah.com
Stroll through some of Southern Utah’s most bizarre formations along this 9.2 mile round-trip hike to the Wahweap Hoodoos in the vast Grand-Staircase Escalante area near Lake Powell. Mother nature’s erosive artistry has left several groups of divine pearly-white towers capped with brown mushroom-like tops nuzzled in several coves for off-the-beaten-path hikers.
We’re back with another round of “Spot the Rock”! Where do you think these red rocks reside?
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UPDATE: Location Revealed
We’re not sure if last week’s “Spot the Rock” was too easy or too hard since we only got one guess (though that one guess was correct…so contrats!) This is a view of part of Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area, located west of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in Daggett County.
The deep red rock layers at left in the photo belong to the 770 to 1,600 million year old Uinta Mountain Group. The ridge forming gray rocks immediately to the right are part of the roughly 330 to 354 million year old Madison Limestone (this cliff is locally called The Palisades). Separating the two units is a 450 million year unconformity and the southwest branch of the Uinta fault zone.
This road-side overlook also provides a somber view of the site of Utah’s most deadly landslide. On June 9, 1965 a debris flow swept through the former Palisade campground (bottom left of photo) destroying the campground and killing seven campers.
For more information, a geologic road guide for the area can be found here:http://www.utahgeology.org/road_logs/uga-29_first_edition/OP_guide/sheepcrk.pdf
By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne
The Klondike Bluffs 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvania Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt wells, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne
The Mollie Hogans 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt walls, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne
The Windows Section 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. A one-mile-wide zone of faults is located in the Windows Section northeast of the Moab fault. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt walls, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
Henry Mountains, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec; © 2012
Oligocene-age igneous intrusions exposed in the Henry Mountains, Garfield County.
geology.com
Red beryl is one of the world’s rarest gemstones. It is found in a few locations in the Thomas Range and the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah, it is also found in the Black Range of New Mexico. The crystals are generally small, often too small to facet. High quality rough that is large enough to facet can produce finished stones that sell for as much as $2,000 per carat.
Exciting new findings with dinosaur fossils and the organic evidence that remains millions of years later!
usustatesman.com
A leading paleontologist and USU graduate returned to her alma mater to present some of her important discoveries about dinosaurs on Friday in a speech hosted by the biology, chemistry and geology departments at USU. She detailed the research process that led her team to their surprising results.
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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