Entries by Utah Geological Survey

POTD June 06, 2017: Gandy Salt Marsh, Millard County

Gandy Salt Marsh, Millard County Photographer: Rich Emerson © 2017 With the Deep Creek Mountains on the horizon, lush vegetation thrives in spring-fed wetlands that create an oasis in the middle of arid Snake Valley. Hundreds of springs and seeps in the valley provide habitat for many unique species of plants and animals.

POTD May 30, 2017: Caineville Badlands, Wayne County

Caineville Badlands, Wayne County Photographer: Gregg Beukelman © 2017 The view from North Caineville Mesa reveals convoluted patterns eroded into the Blue Gate Member of the Cretaceous-age Mancos Shale. The reddish deposits are remnants of a landslide sourced from the Emery Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale.

POTD May 25, 2017: Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park Photographer: Grant Willis © 2017 Bryce Canyon National Park is actually a plateau-edge escarpment carved into the Claron Formation, estimated to be eroding back at the phenomenal rate of as much as 4 feet per century. The orange colors are due to varying amounts of iron oxide minerals that stain calcareous […]

POTD May 16, 2017: Little Cottonwood Canyon, Wasatch Range

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Wasatch Range Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg © 2017 Alpine wildflowers color the slopes of Albion Basin at the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon. The 11,000-foot-high peaks of the central Wasatch Range owe their height to vertical movement on the Wasatch fault over the past 15 million years.  

The Gothic Shale of the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation, Greater Aneth Field (Aneth Unit), Southeastern Utah: Seal for Hydrocarbons and Carbon Dioxide

NEW PUBLICATION The Gothic Shale of the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation, Greater Aneth Field (Aneth Unit), Southeastern Utah: Seal for Hydrocarbons and Carbon Dioxide By: Jason E. Heath, Thomas A. Dewers, Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr., Stephanie M. Carney, and S. Robert Bereskin Greater Aneth oil field, Utah’s largest oil producer, has produced over 483 million barrels […]

The latest issue of Survey Notes is here!

Our latest issue of Survey Notes is here! Find articles on the Tooele 30’x 60′ quadrangle geologic map and practical uses of geologic maps, along with our regular featured columns. View the latest issue here: Check out past issues here: 

Holocene Surface-Faulting Earthquakes at the Spring Lake and North Creek Sites on the Wasatch Fault Zone: Evidence for Complex rupture of the Nephi Segment

Holocene Surface-Faulting Earthquakes at the Spring Lake and North Creek Sites on the Wasatch Fault Zone: Evidence for Complex rupture of the Nephi Segment By: Christopher B. DuRoss, Michael D. Hylland, Adam I. Hiscock, Stephen F. Personius, Richard W. Briggs, Ryan D. Gold, Gregg S. Beukelman, Greg N. McDonald, Ben A. Erickson, Adam P. McKean, […]