Bakken Breakout
From the highway, Utah’s Uinta Basin has some striking similarities to oil producing areas in North Dakota – namely, there’s an abundance of new oil wells.
The evening view from a hill called Blue Bench is evidence. Lights from oil rigs and wells are scattered across an uneven topography. Once, that land seemed empty of everything but juniper tress, sage brush and sandstone.
nationalgeographic.com
I’ve never been to Mars, but I’ve been close. From my Salt Lake City home, the journey takes a relatively scant four and a half hours – through the smoggy sprawl of the valley and over lonely highways pocked here and there by small Utah farming towns before reaching the tourist-dependent outpost of Hanksville. I wonder how many people speed along the main drag, on their way to see the imposing geology of Capitol Reef National Park or make the spirit of Edward Abbey cringe by boating over Lake Powell, without ever realizing what lies up a unremarkable dirt road just a few miles outside of town.
deseretnews.com
A herd of dinosaurs are trapped in rock outside Arches National Park, and state paleontologists need a helicopter to bring it back to the lab to see what’s really inside.
State paleontologists hope to line up a helicopter in the next few weeks to bring back the extraordinary discovery near Moab.
deseretnews.com
A herd of dinosaurs are trapped in rock outside Arches National Park, and state paleontologists need a helicopter to bring it back to the lab to see what’s really inside.
State paleontologists hope to line up a helicopter in the next few weeks to bring back the extraordinary discovery near Moab.
Geophysical maps provide insight into an area’s geology by illuminating features and characteristics not apparent from a geologic map alone. Data collected from geophysical surveys are used to create maps showing the variability in physical properties of different rock types including density, thermal attributes, seismic velocity, magnetic susceptibility and other electromagnetic parameters.
fox13now.com
An Eagle Mountain family made an enormous, and ancient, discovery over the weekend when they went searching for fossils and dinosaur bones.
The Watt family was attending a family reunion near the San Rafael Desert, and when they left to look for dinosaur remains they found them.
Dr. Jim Kirkland is Utah’s state paleontologist, and he said the family’s decision to call experts before digging too deeply was the right one.
The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Several specialized programs comprise the UGS: Data Management, Energy & Minerals, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Information & Outreach, Geologic Mapping, Groundwater & Wetlands, and Paleontology.
1594 West North Temple, Suite 3110
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
801-537-3300 (phone)
801-537-3400 (fax)
Mailing Address:
PO BOX 146100
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
