Entries by Utah Geological Survey

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Shale Play Comparison: Uinta Basin vs. Williston Basin

Bakken Breakout From the highway, Utah’s Uinta Basin has some striking similarities to oil producing areas in North Dakota – namely, there’s an abundance of new oil wells. The evening view from a hill called Blue Bench is evidence. Lights from oil rigs and wells are scattered across an uneven topography. Once, that land seemed […]

Utah Master Naturalist students hike Wilson Peak

A glacial end (terminal) moraine in Pine Creek Valley, Wasatch Mountain State Park. This Saturday Utah Geological Survey geologist Jim Davis and Utah State Parks naturalist Kathy Donnell led a leisurely hike up to Wilson Peak in Wasatch Mountain State Park for Utah State University students enrolled in the course “Utah Master Naturalist.”  The Utah […]

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Dinosaurs on Mars

nationalgeographic.com I’ve never been to Mars, but I’ve been close. From my Salt Lake City home, the journey takes a relatively scant four and a half hours – through the smoggy sprawl of the valley and over lonely highways pocked here and there by small Utah farming towns before reaching the tourist-dependent outpost of Hanksville. […]

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How to prepare for fire season

ksl.com Two Thursday night fires in Utah County served as a reminder that fire season is upon the state. Wildfires may not be entirely preventable, but steps can be taken to help prevent fires and to prepare your home and family in case of evacuation. READ MORE MORE INFO

POTD June 18, 2013: Bryce Canyon National Park, Garfield County Utah

    Garfield County Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg Windows form within the Tertiary-age Claron Formation as wind and water erode the brightly colored sandstone and siltstone into fins and hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park. Thor’s Hammer, the official icon of the Utah Geological Survey, is visible in the lower-right corner.

POTD June 17, 2013: Wilson Arch, San Juan County, Utah

Sixty years of Utah Geology will leave you with A LOT of photos, so we are going to share them with you. Introducing the UGS Photo Of The Day, or POTD for short. Enjoy!   San Juan County Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg Wilson Arch is probably the most accessible natural arch in southern Utah. It […]