Entries by Utah Geological Survey

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Small earthquake rattles southwestern Utah

Any of our friends in southern Utah feel the earthquake over the weekend? A minor earthquake occurred about 13 miles outside of Enterprise, UT, on Saturday afternoon. sltrib.com A small earthquake shook Washington County on Saturday afternoon. READ MORE See the official earthquake report provided by the University of Utah Seismograph Stations HERE

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Dinosaurs May Have Dug Trenches to Woo Mates

Will you have this dance? Research may point to behaviors and mating rituals of dinosaurs. smithsonianmag.com Paleontologists have a pretty good idea how many dinosaurs might have looked, but it’s very rare to find fossils that indicate how they might have interacted. Now, a group of paleontologists working in Colorado may have finally discovered how […]

The latest Survey Notes is here!

Our latest issue of Survey Notes is here! Find articles on the new Ogden 30′ x 60′ geological map, the Markagunt Gravity Slide, and more among our regular feature columns. VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE Check out past issues of Survey Notes too!

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Theropod courtship: large scale physical evidence of display arenas and avian-like scrape ceremony behaviour by Cretaceous dinosaurs

A dino article to contemplate over your lunch break—evidence of paleoenvironments and how they may have existed. nature.com Relationships between non-avian theropod dinosaurs and extant and fossil birds are a major focus of current paleobiological research. Despite extensive phylogenetic and morphological support, behavioural evidence is mostly ambiguous and does not usually fossilize. Thus, inferences that […]

Getting Down to Earth with Space Hazards

A great article from the U.S. Geological Survey this morning on magnetic storms from space, and assessing ground-level hazards on Earth. usgs.gov Magnetic storms can interfere with the operation of electric power grids and damage grid infrastructure. They can also disrupt directional drilling for oil and gas, radio communications, communication satellites and GPS systems. READ […]

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Amateur Sleuths on the Dinosaur Trail

nytimes.com On a dry, chilly morning in the Southern Colorado grasslands, Bruce Schumacher led a group of AmeriCorps volunteers across the narrow, shallow Purgatoire River to an out-of-place bump in the landscape. READ MORE

Low water in Great Salt Lake reveals ‘rocks that are alive’

Some lakes are home to legendary monsters (here’s looking at you, Bear Lake), while others are home to other organisms. Great Salt Lake’s great lows have exposed microbialites, also known as bioherms, allowing scientists and researchers an uncommon opportunity to get a closer look. thespectrum.com As Utah’s Great Salt Lake continues to drop during recent […]