Ring in 2016 with a “gneiss” start! Take a hike through some of Utah’s finest geology on New Year’s Day. More information on each hike can be found in this great article outlining the various activities.
sltrib.com
State park staffs will help hikers ring in the new year and give guided lessons on ecology, geology and other park features.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Utah Geological Survey! We hope all of you have enjoyed a warm and safe holiday.
Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah
Photographer: James Kirkland; © 2015
The Late Triassic-age Chinle Formation, marked at its base by the light-colored, gravelly Shinarump Conglomerate Member, overlies red beds of the Early Triassic Moenkopi Formation. Late Triassic rocks record dramatic drying of Utah’s landscape, as drab gray floodplain deposits in the lower Chinle give way to more oxidized, reddish sand dune deposits of the cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone.
Have you picked up the 2016 Calendar of Utah Geology yet? Order online, or get them in our Salt Lake City store. Filled with stunning sights from all around Utah, they are a steal at $4.95 each, $4.25 when you purchase 10 or more. Give someone “The Great Outdoors” this year in one neat little package.
Order them ONLINE HERE.
Visit us in person at 1594 W North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116!
Jessen Lake, Uinta Mountains, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec; © 2015
The holidays are under way, have you found that perfect gift yet? Check out this great book from our Utah Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West.
“In Blood and Thunder, Hampton Sides gives us a magnificent history of the American conquest of the West. At the center of this sweeping tale is Kit Carson, the trapper, scout, and soldier whose adventures made him a legend. Sides shows us how this illiterate mountain man understood and respected the Western tribes better than any other American, yet willingly followed orders that would ultimate devastate the Navajo Nation. Rich in detail and spanning more than three decades, this is an essential addition to our understanding of how the West was really won.”
Order this book ONLINE HERE.
Find many other great gifts HERE.
It’s a sail boat! It’s a scooner! It’s….Morelladon beltrani! This recently discovered dinosaur was its own captain, wandering the open Spanish horizons of the Early Cretaceous period.
news.discovery.com
A distinctive new dinosaur with a “sail” on its back has just been unearthed in Spain.
Last week we posted on photographer Andre Delgalvis’ recent book “The Lost Tracks” featuring the many dinosaur tracks found around Lake Powell. Give someone the chance the walk in a dinosaurs shoes this year with this breathtaking book.
Find it ONLINE HERE.
Hoodoo you think you’re looking at, Bryce Canyon National Park?
Bryce Canyon National Park, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Kent Brown; © 2015
Overlook from Bryce Point of fiery hoodoos in the area below Liberty Castle. Bryce Canyon hoodoos are formed in the vertically fractured pink member of the Tertiary-age Claron Formation, primarily by frost wedging and summer cloudburst rainstorms.
Regarded as, “…one of the most informative and readable general histories of Utah yet written…” this is a great addition to any history buff’s library collection. Find it ONLINE HERE.
By: Dale L. Morgan
Approached as history, geography, geology, or high adventure, The Great Salt Lake is fascinating reading. From the first Americans through mountain men, religious empires, railroads, and resorts, the remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville has been a nexus for human history, uniting a haunting beauty with raw desolation, strangely removed from common experience.
smithsonianmag.com
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.
1594 West North Temple, Suite 3110
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
801-537-3300 (phone)
801-537-3400 (fax)
Mailing Address:
PO BOX 146100
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
