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Geologic Mapping Program

The Geologic Mapping Program maps Utah’s geology at scales of 1:24,000 (7.5-minute quadrangle maps) to 1:100,000 (regional maps). These maps and accompanying materials depict and interpret the composition, age, and depositional environment of exposed and subsurface rocks; geologic structures such as faults and folds; Quaternary (surficial) cover; geologic hazards such as landslides and earthquake-producing faults; and economic and groundwater resource features. The maps are used by geologists, government officials, industry representatives, university professors and students, and the public to better understand Utah’s geology, delineate and interpret the economic value and potential of property, assess geologic hazards, and make land management decisions.

Simplified Geologic Map of Utah, 1:2,500,000-scale.
Simplified Geologic Map of Utah, 1:2,500,000-scale.
UGS geologist, Bob Biek, investigating the geology of an area in order to create a geologic map.
UGS geologist, Bob Biek, investigating the geology of an area in order to create a geologic map.
Traditional vertical geologic map view of Red Mountain in southwest Utah, partly ringed by pediment alluvium. Note landslide, near Ivins, at the southwest end of Red Mountain.
Traditional vertical geologic map view of Red Mountain in southwest Utah, partly ringed by pediment alluvium. Note landslide, near Ivins, at the southwest end of Red Mountain.

Geologic Map Uses

  • Land-Use Planning – Roads and transportation, critical facilities, civil engineering, underground storage facilities, water treatment and delivery, energy facilities, protecting sensitive ecosystems
  • Geologic Hazards Evaluation – Earthquake research, landslides, volcanic hazards, flooding, karst and clays, human-induced geohazards, human health hazards
  • Water Resources – Groundwater development and protection, water injection/withdrawl, water pollution, dam/reservoir/canal construction sites
  • Recreational Resources – Selection and siting of parks and recreational areas, preservation of unique geologic sites
  • Energy Resources – Oil and natural gas, coal, radioactive materials, renewable resources
  • Mineral Resources – Metallic minerals, chemicals and fertilizers, industrial minerals, construction materials, rare earth elements
  • Waste Disposal – Landfill facility siting, toxic and nuclear waste disposal, sewage collection and treatment, underground facilities
  • National Defense – Strategic minerals, military testing and training facilities, safe weapons repositories, underground command facilities, space port facilities, FEMA facilities siting

Projects

  • 30 x 60-Minute Quadrangles at 1:62,500 to 1:100,000 (Intermediate) Scales – The primary regional goal is to complete all 46 Utah 30 x 60-minute quadrangles at 1:62,500 to 1:100,000 (intermediate) scales and produce printed, online, and geographic information system (GIS) products that meet the needs of map users.  The maps are created from new field mapping and older quality maps.  Currently, about 75% of the state is completed.
  • 7.5-Minute Quadrangles at 1:24,000 Scale – The primary detailed goal is to map all 1512 Utah 7.5-minute quadrangles at 1:24,000 scale.  Priorities for mapping are set by a State Mapping Advisory Committee and are based on rapid urban growth, large geologic hazard potential, high geologic resource potential, and high recreational use.  The maps provide more detail and spatial accuracy than the regional maps but cover much smaller areas and take much more time to complete.   Currently, about half the state is completed to a minimal level; about 10% is completed to a maximum level.
  • Structural and Historical Geologic Mapping – The Mapping Program also researches and provides impartial expertise on Utah’s geologic features (such as landforms), rocks, geologic history, geologic nomenclature, and geologic structures.

Geologic Mapping Staff

Geologic Manager

Stefan Kirby

Phone: (801) 537-3349
Email: stefankirby@utah.gov

Stefan Kirby is the Geologic Mapping Program Manager. He is a licensed Professional Geologist with a diverse background in field geology and interpretive science. He has authored and co-authored numerous 1:24,000- and 1:100,000-scale geologic maps across Utah. His work also includes a broad range of topics such as geothermal projects, basin-scale groundwater studies and water budgets, local and regional geologic mapping in the eastern Great Basin, establishment of regional-scale groundwater level and groundwater quality monitoring networks, statistical analysis of basin-scale groundwater chemistry, aquifer testing, and drilling and completion of various types of groundwater monitoring wells. Stefan received a M.S. in geology from Utah State University in 2005 and joined the UGS 2004.

Senior Geologist

Zach Anderson

Phone: (801) 538-4779
Email: zanderson@utah.gov

Zach is a Senior Geologist with the Geologic Mapping Program. He currently focuses on geologic mapping the diverse geology of the central and northern Wasatch Range and back valleys at 1:24:000 scale. His mapping and research at the UGS has focused on a wide range of rocks and structures including Proterozoic metamorphic rocks, Paleozoic passive margin stratigraphic sequences, Cenozoic igneous systems, active landslides, and contractional to extensional orogens. He is currently collaborating on research projects related to Neoproterozoic stratigraphy and tectonics as well as synorogenic sedimentation of the Cretaceous Sevier foreland basin system. Zach earned a B.S. and M.S. in geology from Northern Arizona University, where his graduate work focused on Miocene structure, stratigraphy, and tectonics of the Lake Mead area, Nevada. Prior to joining the UGS, Zach worked with the U.S. Geological Survey’s geologic mapping program in Flagstaff, Arizona doing structural research and geologic mapping along the lower Colorado River corridor, Arizona and Nevada. Zach counts himself lucky to have also been able to participate in geologic mapping and research in central Turkey and Tibet.

Senior Scientist

Don Clark

Phone: (801) 537-3344
Email: donclark@utah.gov

Don Clark is a Senior Scientist with the Utah Geological Survey’s Geologic Mapping Program. He conducted mapping initially as a student and later as a contract and in-house mapper at the UGS. Projects involved preparation of intermediate- and detailed-scale quadrangle maps and associated data reports in the eastern Basin and Range Province of northwestern and central Utah. Don has collaborated with scientists at the UGS, the U.S. Geological Survey, universities, and private entities.

GIS Analyst

Josh Dustin

Email: jdustin@utah.gov

Josh is a GIS Analyst with the Geologic Mapping Program and joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2023. He earned a B.I.S. degree and GIS certificate from Southern Utah University, which laid the foundation for his journey in geospatial technology. Currently, he is pursuing a M.S. degree in geographic information systems and technology at the University of Wyoming, eager to expand his knowledge and skills in this ever-evolving field. In the Geologic Mapping Program, Josh assists in tasks involving data analysis, map creation, and project coordination.

GIS Manager

Rosemary Fasselin

Phone: (801) 537-3302
Email: rfasselin@utah.gov

Rosemary is the Utah Geological Survey’s GIS Manager and a Senior GIS Analyst/Cartographer in the Geologic Mapping and Paleontology Programs. She spends her days working on several geologic mapping and paleontology projects and supporting the over 80 GIS users at the Survey. Combining her love for science and the humanities, Rosemary excels at communicating complex ideas simply and with clarity. In addition to extensive map-making, her GIS experience includes spatial analysis, database management, field and web app development, project management, training development, and GIS program coordination. Rosemary earned her M.S. in Natural Resources and a Graduate GIS Certificate from Oregon State University, as well as B.A. in English and an Undergraduate GIS Certificate from the University of Utah. She joined the UGS in 2019.

Geologist

Keilee Higgs

Email: keileeann@utah.gov

Keilee Higgs is a geologist with the Geologic Mapping Program and currently leads the archiving processes for the map bibliography data preservation program (MapBib). She earned a B.S. degree in geology in 2020 and a geospatial analysis certificate in 2021 from Weber State University. Along with her data preservation work, Keilee helps out wherever she is needed in the mapping program, including working on converting UGS maps to qualify for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geologic Map Schema (GeMS), digitizing maps for use in the field and for publication, and georeferencing and standardizing of map data.

GIS Analyst

Austin Jensen

Email: ajjensen@utah.gov

Austin joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2021 as a geological technician with the Geologic Mapping Program. Austin received a B.S. in geology and earned a certificate in GIS from Weber State University. Austin assists senior geologists with various projects and research, ranging from core recovery and data management, to carbon sequestration and GIS work.

Project Geologist

Emily Kleber

Phone: (801) 537-3380
Email: ekleber@utah.gov

Emily Kleber is a project geologist with the Geologic Mapping Program at the Utah Geological Survey. She has a B.S. in geology with a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of California, Davis, and a M.S. in geology from Arizona State University. Prior to working with UGS, Emily worked as a geologist and soil scientist with the Bureau of Land Management, and as a lidar data manager for OpenTopography. She joined the Geologic Hazards Program at UGS in 2016 and focused on fault- and earthquake-related research before moving to the mapping program in 2023.

Project Geologist

Matthew Morriss

Email: mmorriss@utah.gov
Phone: (801) 537-3354

Matthew Morriss is a Project Geologist with the Utah Geological Survey’s Geologic Mapping Program. He joined the UGS after two-and-a-half years with the U.S. Geological Survey. Matthew has worked on extensive and diverse geologic projects, ranging from mapping Quaternary-age river terraces in the Pacific Northwest to fault trenching in Thailand and Myanmar to dating glacial moraines in Mongolia. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 2020, studying the incision of North America’s deepest canyon—Hells Canyon—on the Oregon-Idaho border. This work brought together mapping, remote sensing, and numerical modeling of river processes. Matthew’s also been involved in structural studies of dike swarms associated with the Columbia River Basalts in Oregon and Washington. He is excited to bring his diverse skills and interest to the mapping group at the UGS, with an eye toward mapping on the Colorado Plateau and continuing a diverse portfolio of research interests. Matthew earned a M.Sc. from North Carolina State in 2015 and a B.A. from Whitman College in 2013.

Project Geologist

Lauren Reeher

Phone: (801) 537-3355
Email: lreeher@utah.gov

Lauren joined the UGS in 2023 as a Project Geologist with the Geologic Mapping Program. She received her Ph.D. in geological sciences from the University of Arizona in 2023. As a structural geologist, her Ph.D. research focused on integrating structural modeling techniques with field-based analysis to better understand Laramide-style tectonics and structural evolution in the western U.S. Lauren received a B.S. in geology from the University of Pittsburgh and earned a M.S. in geology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

GIS Analyst

Subigya Shah

Email: subigyas@utah.gov