Utah Geological Survey
,

What Caused the Chilean Earthquake? Faults Explained

Good Monday morning to all of our geo friends! We hope you had a fun and safe weekend. Here’s a read for this morning. Some of you may have questions about what caused Chile’s recent and devastating earthquake. This article tries to answer some of those questions.

news.nationalgeographic.com

Even planet Earth has its faults. Movement along those fault lines causes earthquakes, big and small, to rattle the globe every day, most recently making news this week with a powerful quake, and tsunami, striking Chile.

READ MORE

Utah Geological Survey
,

Minute Out In It: Rumor Control (Video from Yellowstone National Park)

Check out this YouTube video from Yellowstone National Park that addresses some rumors and concerns that have come up as a result of their recent 4.8 earthquake. It clears up a lot of questions! Find other videos that they’ve made HERE.

Here’s another article that answers questions about the risk of an eruption from Yellowstone’s supervolcano.

Quake expert predicts no big band in Y’stone

jhnewsandguide.com

The 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Yellowstone National Park this weekend was unremarkable besides the fact it happens around every decade or so, a University of Utah professor says.

READ MORE

 

Utah Geological Survey
,

UGS presents new report to water district

ironcountytoday.com

Cracks in the earth and settling of the ground in areas of the Cedar Valley, both believed to be caused by over-pumping of the underground aquifer, were the focus of a special Central Iron County Water Conservancy District work meeting March 27.

To find the publication, visit the Utah Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, or find it online HERE.
Utah Geological Survey
,

Report: Ground sinking around Cedar City (Interview)

Watch these interviews featuring one of our geologists, Tyler Knudsen, talk about the ground fissures and their causes.

fox13now.com

Giant cracks running through an Iron County subdivision are the result of drawing too much water from the ground, according to a new state report.

WATCH HERE

Report: Cedar Valley Ground Slowly Sinking

kutv.com

A new report from the Utah Geological Survey shows that the ground in Iron County’s Cedar Valley is slowly sinking due to groundwater pumping.

WATCH HERE

Utah Geological Survey
,

Groundwater depletion sinks portions of Cedar Valley

deseretnews.com

Over-pumping of groundwater from a deep aquifer in Cedar Valley for the past three decades has caused the ground to sink and crack, inflicting damage on a would-be subdivision and putting future development at risk.

READ MORE

Read further in this article from KCSG Television

Land Subsidence and Earth Fissures in Cedar Valley, Iron County, Utah

kcsg.com

A just-released report from the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) shows the ground has been sinking in some areas around Cedar City for decades. The comprehensive 116-page report presents the results of an investigation of land subsidence and earth fissures in Cedar Valley, Iron County, Utah, primarily due to groundwater pumping. “The sediments in the Cedar Valley that form the groundwater aquifer contain a significant amount of fine-grained silt and clay sediments. Those sediments become compacted when water is removed and the ground begins to sink,” said Tyler Knudsen, UGS project geologist.

Utah Geological Survey
,

Washington Tragedy Heightens Mudslide Concerns Across Country

One of our geologists, Rich Giraud, talks about the landslide dangers in Utah in this brief article. Check it out!

kutv.com

In Utah talk of mudslides dredges up memories of the thistle slide that wiped out the small Utah town in 1983.The historic Utah slide unlike the one in Washington did not see a loss of life, no one was even hurt.

READ MORE

Utah Geological Survey
,

Mudslides: Could it happen here

heraldextra.com

A week after a hillside collapse swept away homes in the small town of Oso, Washington, it now appears the death toll could rise into the dozens.

READ MORE

And another article that further explains the landslide risk in Utah—

Experts discuss landslide danger in Utah

fox13now.com

With the recent deadly landslide in Washington, and the recent wet weather in Utah, FOX 13 News asked local geology experts about a similar landslide risk in northern Utah, a region prone to landslides in the past.

READ MORE

Utah Geological Survey
, ,

50th Anniversary of the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake

The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake happened 50 years ago today. It was the largest quake in U.S. history. Watch this interesting video by the U.S. Geological Survey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE2j10xyOgI

Utah Geological Survey

How Common Are Landslides? As Washington Mudslide Death Toll Rises, 3 Things You Should Know

Good information to know, as Utah is also prone to landslides.

bustle.com

The death toll from last weekend’s mudslide in Washington state rose to 16 Wednesday, with at least 176 others still unaccounted for. The rescue operation is ongoing, but prospects appear grim: No survivors have been found since Saturday, when the landslide occurred, and rain is expected to further inhibit the search. But how common are landslides like this one? Where and when do they occur? And how can you possibly avoid them?

READ MORE

Can mudslides be predicted? Washington site’s history highlights challenge. (+video)

csmonitor.com

The mile-long mudslide that buried homes along a bend in the Stillaguamish River near Oso, Wash., some 55 miles north of Seattle, leaving at least 14 dead and more than 100 missing, occurred at a site that was known to be landslide-prone.

READ MORE

Utah Geological Survey

What can we learn from the giant volcano under Yellowstone National Park?

mnn.com

I the massive supervolcano underneath Yellowstone National Park ever erupted, it could spew ash over most of the United States. Of course, the Yellowstone Caldera (as it is formally known) hasn’t erupted in about 70,000 years — and it only seems to erupt around every 700,000 years — so it seems unlikely that it will happen again anytime soon. All the same, researchers constantly study the underground volcano looking to understand its behavior. You know, just in case.

READ MORE