Utah Geological Survey
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Destructive Landslide Turned into Tranquil Geologic Park

The Springhill landslide site has been turned into the new Springhill Geologic Park by the City of North Salt Lake.

In 2012, the city was awarded a matching-fund Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant to buy and demolish homes and turn the landslide site into an open-space park.

The Utah Geological Survey provided landslide activity data for the grant application including the collection of location data from 32 monitoring points on a monthly basis from May 5, 2011 until August 1, 2011, and mapping of geomorphic landslide features indicating ground deformation.

The new park was created after 12 homes were demolished and grading had leveled the lots, roadways were removed, and a drainage system was constructed to collect surface and spring water for transport to existing storm drains.

The Utah Geological Survey will continue monitoring landslide activity, but less frequently (based on landslide conditions) than in the past.

Read more about the Springhill landside HERE.

Utah Geological Survey

Geologic Map of the Panguitch Lake Quadrangle, Garfield and Iron Counties

By: Robert F. Biek, John J. Anderson, Edward G. Sable, and Peter D. Rowley

The Panguitch Lake quadrangle lies in the central part of the Markagunt Plateau in southwest Utah and includes Panguitch Lake, a popular area of summer and winter recreational use. Despite the plateau’s relatively simple structure of a gently east-tilted fault block, the quadrangle contains scenic and instructive exposures of southwest Utah’s youngest basaltic lava flows, classic examples of inverted valleys capped by older lava flows, glacial deposits in the Castle Valley area, and the southern margin of the Markagunt Megabreccia. The Megabreccia is the debris of Utah’s largest catastrophic landslide deposit, which covers 1300 square miles (3400 km²) of the northern and central Markagunt Plateau.

GET IT HERE

Utah Geological Survey

A. Scott Anderson: Quake reminder: Businesses must be prepared

Preparedness for a natural disaster does not only impact our personal lives, but our professional lives as well. Businesses can take several steps beyond emergency kits to help insure their business’ recovery, and job security for their employees. Check it out!

deseretnews.com

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. The recent California earthquake reminds us once again how important it is for businesses to be prepared for disasters so they can recover quickly and get back to business.

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Utah Geological Survey

Spinosaurus: This dinosaur’s weird body was built to swim

A strange dinosaur from the time of it’s discovery—the Spinosaurus fossils were strewn across two continents. Now that all of the parts have been reunited, scientists find that this animal may be the first known semi-aquatic dinosaur discovered. Check it out!

latimes.com

A strange dinosaur fossil dug up in the deserts of Morocco and whose parts were flung across two continents has finally been reunited – and its bizarre body parts show it may be the first known semi-aquatic dinosaur.

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Utah Geological Survey

Special presentation this Friday of Paleontological GSENM discoveries

The BLM will be hosting a special dinosaur presentation tomorrow, September 12, at the GSENM Visitor Center in Kanab, Utah, at 7pm. Read for more info, and what to expect at this special event!

sunews.net

On Friday, September 12, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host “Parasaurolophus:  New Insights Based on GSENM Discoveries,” a special presentation at the GSENM Visitor Center, located at 745 East Highway 89, in Kanab, Utah.

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Utah Geological Survey

Paleontologists resume excavation work that began 155 years ago

A historical dinosaur dig begins again after 155 years. Read more about the team, and what they’re finding!

moabtimes.com

The remains of Utah’s oldest-known dinosaur are hidden so far out of the way that it’s hard to imagine how anyone ever found them.

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Utah Geological Survey

“Spot the Rock” September 11, 2014

Time for another round of “Spot the Rock”! You might think these photos seem faded or have altered colors, but that’s actually the mineral’s appearance at this site! Can you tell us what mineral is pictured?

For those that know the answer, take the super “Spot the Rock” challenge and tell us the one place in Utah this mineral is found, or what causes the texture in some of the pieces (shown in the close-up photo).

Like us on FACEBOOK or follow us on TWITTER to participate!

UPDATE: Answer revealed!
How many of you knew what mineral was shown in last week’s “Spot the Rock”, or where the spectacular purple mineral is located? It looks like we only had one correct guess—it is fluorite! However, fluorite in this area can also be found in various shades of white, blue, green, buff, yellow, and reddish-brown, dependent upon the presence of various trace elements.The fluorite pictured is located at Bell Hill mine, at the south end of Spor Mountain, Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah.

The textures seen in the close-up picture are fossil corals.

Ore from the Bell Hill mine only contains trace amount Beryllium (0.004% to 0.002%) and no visible bertrandite (bertrandite is a beryllium bearing mineral found at the Brush Wellman mine about a mile to the west).

Utah Geological Survey
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2014 Big Water Dinosaur Festival

Good morning everyone! With another weekend on the horizon, here’s something fun you can plan for in the coming weeks—the 2014 Big Water Dinosaur Festival!

“The Big Water Dinosaur Festival is celebrating the many past and ongoing dinosaur fossil discoveries in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and other areas surrounding Big Water, UT. The festival will have arts, crafts, food, and entertainment. There will be tons of kids’ activities, including the BLM Dinosaur Murder Mystery, dinosaur drawing and coloring contests, lots of dinosaur games and activities and ‘Funtime Inflatables’ with a bounce house, giant slide, etc. There will be evening music and entertainment and a Dinosaur cake contest.”

For more information: http://www.bigwaterdinosaurfestival.com/

Utah Geological Survey

September is National Preparedness Month

heraldextra.com

The fear of not knowing what to do in the event of a disaster, how to gather and care for loved ones and how to survive until help arrives can be more traumatizing than the actual disaster.

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Utah Geological Survey

New Species Of Massive Dinosaur Discovered In Africa

 

huffingtonpost.com

It’s been a big week for ginormous dinosaurs. First, one group of scientists announced they had uncovered one of the largest dinosaurs known to man, and now another has announced the discovery of a new “titanosaur” species in Africa.

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