Entries by Utah Geological Survey

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A look back on the Bingham Canyon Mine Landslide

earthsky.org This date in science: Landslide at Bingham Canyon Mine April 10, 2013. On this date – a year ago today – a towering wall of dirt and rocks gave way and crashed down the side of Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah. The landslide was to be one of the largest non-volcanic landslides in the […]

POTD April 11, 2014: The Rimrocks, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah

Here’s a rockin’ scenic view to jump start another weekend! The Rimrocks, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah Photographer: Taylor Boden; © 2012 Spire-like formations called “toadstools” form where resistant sandstone boulders of Cretaceous-age Dakota Formation (toadstool caps) protect the underlying, softer, Jurassic-age Entrada Sandstone (toadstool stems) from erosion. Beneath their protective caps, the […]

Explore: A fairyland of phantasmic formations, Wahweap Hoodoos

stgeorgeutah.com Stroll through some of Southern Utah’s most bizarre formations along this 9.2 mile round-trip hike to the Wahweap Hoodoos in the vast Grand-Staircase Escalante area near Lake Powell. Mother nature’s erosive artistry has left several groups of divine pearly-white towers capped with brown mushroom-like tops nuzzled in several coves for off-the-beaten-path hikers. READ MORE

"Spot the Rock" April 10, 2014

We’re back with another round of “Spot the Rock”! Where do you think these red rocks reside? Like us on FACEBOOK or follow us on TWITTER to participate! UPDATE: Location Revealed We’re not sure if last week’s “Spot the Rock” was too easy or too hard since we only got one guess (though that one […]

Geologic Maps of the Klondike Bluffs, Mollie Hogans, and the Windows Section 7.5' Quadrangles, Grand County, Utah

By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne The Klondike Bluffs 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvania Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, […]

Utah Gemstones and Gemstone Mining

geology.com Red beryl is one of the world’s rarest gemstones. It is found in a few locations in the Thomas Range and the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah, it is also found in the Black Range of New Mexico. The crystals are generally small, often too small to facet. High quality rough that is large […]