Utah Geological Survey
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Reflecting on Earth Science Week 2015 at the Utah Geological Survey

The annual Earth Science Week celebration at the UGS this October was a success in large part due to a record number of volunteers.  Fifty-one outside volunteers, from institutions and organizations such as The University of Utah, Weber State University, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, Westminster College, NOAA, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Rockhounders Outreach for Community Knowledge, Association for Women Geoscientists, Utah Geological Association, and Utah Friends of Paleontology, joined the UGS to educate Utah’s youth through hands-on Earth science activities. We deeply appreciate the volunteer’s contributions! More than 700 elementary school students participated in this year’s Earth Science Week.

Rick Allis Earth Science Week Mineral Testing

Utah Geological Survey Director, Rick Allis, teaches students about Mineral Testing.

Utah Geological Survey

Who’s into rock hounding??

fox13now.com

Anthony and Traci Lujan, along with their son Anthony Jr. love to go rock hounding. They say Utah is a mecca when it comes to rock hounding. Two of their favorite places to go rock hounding are Topaz Mountain and the Delta area. They make and sell quite a few different pieces featuring rocks that they have found in Utah. For more information, gohere.

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Find supplies and books at our Utah Natural Resources Map & Bookstore HERE!

Utah Geological Survey
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Ornithomimus dinosaur with preserved tail feathers and skin tightens linkages between dinosaurs and birds

phys.org

An undergraduate University of Alberta paleontology student has discovered an Ornithomimus dinosaur with preserved tail feathers and soft tissue. The discovery is shedding light on the convergent evolution of these dinosaurs with ostriches and emus relating to thermoregulation and is also tightening the linkages between dinosaurs and modern birds.

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Utah Geological Survey
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Where Dinosaurs Walked: Eight of the Best Places to See Prehistoric Footprints

smithsonianmag.com

The dinosaur scanned the rocky ground and scrubby trees around for something to eat. Standing about 15 feet tall and 20 feet long from nose to tail, the powerful Jurassic-age was a predator on the prowl. If no meat could be found, the giant beast had other options—a plentiful cafeteria in the form of a valley dotted with trees, shrubs, ferns and mosses.

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Utah Geological Survey

Worst rockfalls, landslides in Zion National Park

ksl.com

A large rockfall recently closed state Route 9 in Zion National Park, prompting us to take a look back at the worst rockfalls and landslides in the park’s history.

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Utah Geological Survey
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Natural History Museum of Utah Starts Digitizing Dino Bones

The Natural History Museum of Utah is bringing dinosaur bones to life. Learn more about their new project!

dailyutahchronicle.com

Want to see a dinosaur face-to-face?

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Utah Geological Survey
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Limping With Dinosaurs

Does Cinderella’s fossilized slipper fit the Allosaurus? Read more about one argument as to who made the dino tracks at Copper Ridge near Moab.

phenomena.nationalgeographic.com

One of my favorite roadside stops is down a dirt track off Utah’s state road 191. Provided you don’t miss the turnoff around mile marker 148.7, and the soil hasn’t turned to a sucking mire by rain, the rough road will lead you through the desert scrub to a little parking lot with a Bureau of Land Management signboard at the start of a short trail. It’s not far from there. Hike up onto the tan stone and you’ll soon find yourself standing among the footsteps left more than 150 million years before.

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Utah Geological Survey
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Utah Geological Survey 2016 calendar features rarely seen vistas

Another feature on our recently released 2016 Calendar of Utah Geology. If you haven’t looked yet, check it out!

suindependent.com

The Utah Geological Survey, which provides timely scientific information about Utah’s geologic environment, resources, and hazards, released its 2016 calendar of Utah geology. The Utah Geological Survey 2016 calendar features some of Utah’s most rarely seen vistas as photographed by UGS staff as they travel the state researching and studying these geologic wonders.

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Utah Geological Survey
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Cause of Afghan Quake Is a Deep Mystery

Causes of earthquakes in remote areas remain a mystery. Read more on what scientists think is going on in Afghanistan where a 7.5 earthquake recently shook the area.

news.nationalgeographic.com

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that shook northeast Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday was a type of quake not easily understood by scientists, even though it happened in what the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) calls “one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth.”

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Utah Geological Survey

Utah’s Danger Cave Will Soon Open For a Rare Tour

smithsonianmag.com

Featuring the famed Bonneville Salt Flats and punctuated by mountains​, Utah’s stark western desert doesn’t seem like an easy place to survive without modern conveniences. But nestled in this arid landscape is a cave with evidence of human habitation dating back to more than 11,000 years. And on November 14, you have a chance to visit it.

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