Looking for somewhere fun to go in Utah this weekend? You don’t even have to leave home! Check out our GeoSights virtual tour page to find some of Utah’s coolest places!
phenomena.nationalgeographic.com
Dinosaurs are Mesozoic superstars. The largest literally overshadowed other forms of life during their prehistoric heyday, and even now they attract far more attention than any other group of ancient organisms. It’s easy to forget the diverse and disparate species that wove together the ecology that helped support the dinosaurs we are so enchanted by.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Danielle Lehle; © 2014
This soil might just look like some crusty dirt. However it’s the crust on the dirt that makes this soil so very important. Tread lightly through this “Glad you Asked” article on soil crusts to find out more!
smithsonianmag.com
Roughly a quarter of a billion years ago, an apocalypse struck the Earth. Known as the Great Dying, it claimed more lives than any other mass extinction known to science, including the one that did in the non-avian dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Over 90 percent of all species on the planet were wiped out, from armor-clad trilobites in the oceans to giant reptiles on land. The host of strange creatures vanished, giving way to the ancestors of modern flora and fauna.
Arches National Park, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman; © 2014
Turret Arch viewed through North Window arch in The Windows Section of Arches National Park. The arches formed as the result of erosion through weak parts of sandstone fins composed of Jurassic-age Dewey Bridge Member of the Carmel Formation and Slick Rock Member of the Entrada Sandstone.
upr.org
Inside a nine-ton sandstone block pulled from a mesa outside of Moab could be the key to knowing how the carnivorous Utahraptor lived. But before paleontologists can figure that out, State Paleontologist James Kirkland says they are going to have to find a place where they can start chipping away at the block.
Have you ever been on an outdoor adventure when you found yourself faced with some kind of geological feature, only you weren’t sure which one? ..It looks like Paul Bunyan’s Woodpile, but is this it?..
Check out our “Glad You Asked” article where you can learn more about how Geographic Names came to be officially recognized, and explore the online database of where these places are located!
Goosenecks State Park, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Marshall Robinson; © 2014
Goosenecks of the San Juan River from Goosenecks State Park, San Juan County.
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.