ABOUT UGS

Adam McKean

Phone: (801) 537-3386
Email: adammckean@utah.gov

Adam McKean is the Geologic Hazards Program Manager with the Utah Geological Survey (UGS). Adam joined the UGS in 2010, and since 2011 he has been a geologic mapper for the Geologic Hazards Program. His work focuses on mapping the geology of the greater Wasatch Front urban area. In addition to geologic mapping, Adam has also been involved in Lake Bonneville and Great Salt Lake research, lidar mapping of the Wasatch fault zone, geologic hazard emergency response and monitoring, paleoseismic trenching, and geologic map and geologic data archiving. Adam has a B.S. and M.S. degree in geology from Brigham Young University.

Rachel Adam

Email: radam@utah.gov

Rachel joined the Utah Geological Survey in May 2024 and works in the Geologic Hazards Program. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in geological sciences from Arizona State University. Her current focus is on active fault mapping, with the goal of updating the faults in the UGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database.

Sofia Agopian

Email: sagopian@utah.gov

Sofia Agopian joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2023 and is a Project Geologist with the Geologic Hazards Program. She earned a B.S. degree in geosciences from the University of Southern Maine in 2009, her home state. Prior to working with the UGS, Sofia worked for a consulting firm identifying and evaluating the impacts of surface fault ruptures, debris flows, rockfalls, and landslides on primarily new development. She has also worked with local city governments in helping identify geologic hazards within city limits. As a Project Geologist with the UGS, Sofia maps geologic hazards and monitors landslides throughout the state.

Steve Bowman

Phone: (801) 537-3304
Email: stevebowman@utah.gov

Steve Bowman joined the UGS in 2008 and has 23 years of experience as a geological engineer/engineering geologist, nine of those years were on projects throughout the western United States for geotechnical consulting firms.  He has a Ph.D. in geoengineering from the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno; a M.S. in geological engineering; and a B.S. in geology.  Steve is a Licensed Professional Geologist and Engineer in Utah, a Professional Geological Engineer in Nevada, certified as a LEED Accredited Professional, and serves on the Utah Seismic Safety Commission and the Utah Professional Geologists Licensing Board.  He was co-editor of the 2016 UGS Circular 122 on geologic hazard investigation and report guidelines and the current efforts for the second edition, co-led the acquisition of over 20,000 square miles of lidar elevation data in Utah, and leads the geologic data preservation activities at the UGS.

Jessica Castleton

Phone: (385) 266-2992
Email: jessicacastleton@utah.gov

Jessica Castleton is a Senior Geologist with the Geologic Hazards Program. She earned a B.S. degree in applied environmental geoscience from Weber State University in 2005 and a M.S. degree in engineering geology from the University of Utah in 2015. In addition to mapping hazards, Jessica responds to debris flows, floods, and other geologic hazard events, and provides outreach for communities to inform about local geologic hazards.

Torri Duncan

Phone: (801) 537-3320
Email: torriduncan@utah.gov

Torri Duncan is a geological technician in the Geologic Hazards Program and joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2021. She graduated with a B.S. in geology and international development, specializing in earthquake and tsunami hazards. She has participated in tsunami research in Indonesia and was a ski instructor prior to joining the UGS. In her spare time you’ll find Torri hiking, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, crafting, or baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Stormie Elmer

Phone: (801) 537-3304
Email: stormiee@utah.gov

Stormie joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2022 first as an intern and then as a full-time employee after receiving a B.S. in geology from Weber State University. As a senior geological technician in the Geologic Hazards Program her work primarily focuses on data preservation and managing the student internship partnerships with local universities. She has also assisted the hazards project geologists with landslide and groundwater monitoring along the Wasatch Front and ground deformation monitoring at the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) near Milford, Utah.

Ben Erickson

Phone: (801) 537-3379
Email: benerickson@utah.gov

Ben Erickson is a Senior Geologist in the Geologic Hazards Program at the Utah Geological Survey. He has a M.S. degree in geological engineering from the University of Utah and a B.S. degree in Earth science from Utah Valley University. Ben joined the UGS in 2011. He maps geologic hazards and responds to emergency events such as landslides, rockfalls, earthquakes, and other impactful geologic hazards within the state of Utah. He also works with municipalities and local governments by raising geologic hazard awareness. Ben is available to respond to public questions or concerns about geologic hazards.

Jamie McLaughlin

Email: jsmclaughlin@utah.gov

Jamie McLaughlin is a Geological Technician with the Geologic Hazards Program at the Utah Geological Survey. She has a B.S. in geology from Brigham Young University. Prior to joining the UGS in 2024, Jamie worked as a geologist in a diverse range of fields, from exploration and project management in the geothermal and renewable energy sector, to underground mapping in mining operations, to data management in the oil and gas sector. During her undergraduate studies she focused on earthquake hazards while completing an internship with the Southern California Earthquake Center. Her focus at the UGS is on data preservation and management.

Adam Hiscock

Phone: (801) 537-3388
Email: adamhiscock@utah.gov

Adam Hiscock is a Project Geologist in the Geologic Hazards Program at the Utah Geological Survey. He earned a B.S. degree in geology from the University of Utah. He joined the UGS in May 2011 and received a Professional Geologist license in 2016. Adam specializes in paleoseismology and active fault mapping, has co-led multiple UGS paleoseismic research projects on the Wasatch fault zone, and re-mapped many active faults in Utah. He serves as staff to the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, providing outreach and education on Utah’s earthquake hazards. A southern Utah native, he enjoys biking, whitewater rafting, and spending time outdoors as much as possible!

Michael Hohmeier

Email: mhohmeier@utah.gov

Tyler Knudsen

Phone: (435) 865-9036
Email: tylerknudsen@utah.gov

Tyler Knudsen is a Senior Geologist with the Utah Geological Survey’s Geologic Hazards Program in Cedar City. He holds a B.S. degree in geology from the University of Utah, a M.S. degree in geology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and joined the UGS in 2006. Tyler has authored or co-authored several studies and maps on the geologic hazards of the St. George basin, Zion National Park, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Other contributions include: paleoseismic investigations on the active Sevier and Washington faults, ground subsidence and earth fissure mapping in southwestern Utah, and emergency response to damaging rockfalls in Rockville and Zion National Park. Recent projects include Quaternary geologic mapping of the Mineral Mountains West and Opal Mound fault zones at the Utah FORGE site near Milford and comprehensive geologic-hazard mapping of the Cedar City-Enoch area.

Greg McDonald

Phone: (801) 537-3383
Email: gregmcdonald@utah.gov

Greg McDonald has been a geologist with the Hazards Program since joining the Utah Geological Survey in 1998, and has worked on a variety of projects including several paleoseismic studies, surficial-geologic and geologic-hazard mapping including a multi-year landslide mapping project in the Manti-La Sal Forest on the Wasatch Plateau, many debris-flow, landslide, and rock-fall investigations, and earthquake ground-shaking-related studies.

Kristi Rasmussen

Phone: (801) 538-4770
Email: kristir@utah.gov

Kristi joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2022 as a Geological Technician with the Geologic Hazards Program while completing her B.S. in geology from Weber State University. She is currently pursuing a Geospatial Analysis certification from Weber State University and works as a GIS Analyst for the survey. Her work focuses on GIS analysis of hazard mapping and portals. She also assists the project and senior geologists with landslide monitoring.

Tara Shreve

Email: tshreve@utah.gov

Tara Shreve is an Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Specialist who joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2024. She has a B.S. in mathematics and graduated with a Ph.D. in geophysics from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris in 2020, with a focus on InSAR geodesy. She has applied InSAR to identify, interpret and model ground deformation at remote volcanoes in Alaska, Vanuatu, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Galápagos. Her work with the UGS is to monitor different geologic processes that drive ground displacement throughout Utah, such as land subsidence, landslides, and earthquakes.