Utah Geological Survey
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2012 UGS Geothermal Drilling Video

Click for files available for download

Discovery of a new type of geothermal energy resource in Utah offers hope for significantly more potential across the western U.S., and a boost in geothermal power production. In 2011 and 2012, Utah Geological Survey geoscientists, in partnership with a U.S. Geological Survey research drilling crew, drilled nine temperature gradient holes in Utah’s Black Rock Desert basin south of Delta in western Utah to test a new concept that high-temperature geothermal resources might exist beneath young sedimentary basins.  Preliminary results show that near-surface temperature gradients in the basin vary from about 33⁰F/1000 feet to 55⁰F/1000 feet.  This implies temperatures of 300 to 500⁰F at 10,000 to 13,000 feet depth beneath the basin. Given the large area of this basin, the power potential is conservatively estimated to be hundreds of megawatts, and preliminary economic modeling suggests a cost of electricity of about 10c per kilowatt-hour over the life of a geothermal power project. This basin is especially attractive for geothermal development because of the existing nearby infrastructure ─ it is next to a large coal-fired power plant, a 300 MWe wind farm, and a major electrical transmission line to California.

The project findings are being presented on Monday, October 1, at the annual meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council in Reno, Nevada.

 

Utah Geological Survey
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Survey Notes volume 44 number 3

This issue contains:

Utah’s Potash Resources and Activity
Energy News: A Longer Term View of the Results of U.S. Energy Policy
UGS Uses Geophysics to Explore for New Geothermal Resources
Oil Shale vs. Shale Oil: What’s the Difference?
Glad You Asked: Sizing Up Titans—Navajo Erg vs. Sahara Ergs; Which was the larger sand box?
GeoSights: Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
Survey News
Teacher’s Corner
New Publications

 

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New Utah Dinosaur Named after Martha Hayden, Assistant to the Utah State Paleontologist

Martharaptor greenriverensis, a puzzling dinosaur lacking a complete skeleton, has been named after its co-discoverer Martha Hayden. Hayden, a dedicated advocate of paleontology, has served for more than 20 years as the assistant to several Utah state paleontologists. She has also donated numerous volunteer hours in her paleontological endeavors, and works with the Utah Geological Survey (UGS).

The dinosaur’s remains were found in the roughly 125-million-year-old rock of the Cedar Mountain Formation southeast of Green River, Utah, and collected under permit from the Bureau of Land Management and placed into the collections of the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City.

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Utah Geological Survey
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New Geologic Maps of the St. George Area

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) published two new geologic maps for the St. George area of Washington County.

The maps will be useful to government officials, land and resource managers, geological consultants, geological engineers, and other interested persons to identify and plan for geologic hazards; identify, develop, and protect geologic resources; and to aid in developing land management strategies. The maps are also a valuable resource for those wishing to better understand the colorful, fascinating landscape of southwestern Utah’s largest urban area.

The Geologic Map of the St. George 7.5’ Quadrangle covers approximately 50 square miles of land in and around the City of St. George, extending south to the Arizona border.

The Geologic Map of the White Hills Quadrangle covers 50 square miles immediately west of the St. George map and includes the suburb of Bloomington and the upper reaches of the Virgin River Gorge.

 

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Geologic Map of the White Hills Quadrangle, Washington County (M-250DM)
Geologic Map of the St. George 7.5′ Quadrangle, Washington County (M-251DM)

GET IT HERE:
Geologic Map of the White Hills Quadrangle, Washington County (M-250DM)
Geologic Map of the St. George 7.5′ Quadrangle, Washington County (M-251DM)

Utah Geological Survey
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Utah's Online Interactive Geologic Maps

Until now, Utah’s online geologic maps were difficult for the general public to find and view, lacking an online interface. With the advent of ArcGIS for Server, displaying Utah’s geologic maps in one online location is now possible: http://geology.utah.gov/apps/intgeomap/index.html

A mosaic of over 400 of Utah’s geologic maps is draped over the user’s choice of base map. Map scales range from 1:500,000 (less detail) to 1:24,000 (more detail). While zooming in with the application, maps of greater detail will begin showing up where they are available, answering the question, “What am I standing on?”. This application works on any web-browser and looks great on tablets. Utah’s expansive geologic formations are described in detail in the right pane of the application by clicking anywhere on the map. Users have the option to download GIS data (raster/vector), and each map’s corresponding report. Check back often as there will be additional maps added in the future. Feel free to provide feedback—we are looking for ways to improve the application.

Utah Geological Survey
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UGS scientist Hellmut Doelling honored in naming of Utah’s newest raptor dinosaur; Yurgovuchia doellingi

Utah Geological Survey (UGS) paleontologists have uncovered three new dromaeosaur (“raptor”) dinosaurs near the base of Utah’s Cretaceous fossil record (130-120 million years ago) in eastern Utah on Bureau of Land Management lands near Arches National Park.

The paper describing these new dinosaurs — New dromaeosaurids (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Utah and the evolution of the dromaeosaurid tail — was published today in PLos One (Public Library of Science) as part of a collaboration between UGS paleontologists and Phil Senter, an expert on dromaeosaurs from Fayetteville University in North Carolina.

Dromaeosauridae is a diverse family of predatory (carnivorous) dinosaurs with a plethora of species that have been discovered within the last two decades and a few that were known previously. The three newly discovered species were found at two nearby dinosaur sites: Doelling’s Bowl Bone Bed and Andrew’s Site.

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Utah Geological Survey

SURVEY NOTES volume 44 number 2

This Issue contains:

Evaluating the seismic relation between the West Valley fault zone and Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone
Another large landslide closes highway near Cedar City, Utah
2011 Landslides in Utah
Energy News: Hydraulic fracturing and shale gas
GeoSights: Comb Ridge, San Juan County, Utah
Glad You Asked: Are those animal tracks in the sidewalk?
Teacher’s Corner
Survey News
New Publications

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Utah Geological Survey Receives National Award for Earthquake Research

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) received a 2012 National Award in Excellence for Research at the National Earthquake Conference. The award recognizes the significant contributions to earthquake research and risk reduction made by three Utah Earthquake Working Groups convened under the auspices of the UGS in cooperation with the Utah Seismic Safety Commission and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Utah’s Earthquake Working Groups program was initiated in 2003 to bring together a broad spectrum of technical experts from state and federal agencies, universities, and the private sector to prioritize and coordinate earthquake-hazard research in Utah.

The three groups, which meet annually, focus on (1) active faulting, (2) earthquake ground shaking, and (3) liquefaction. The groups have been highly successful in expanding various targeted areas of research (in part by obtaining funding and developing partnerships), which has advanced earthquake-related knowledge in Utah.

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Utah Geological Survey

Utah Geological Association's Utah Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award

The Utah Geological Association (UGA) is soliciting nominations for the Utah Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award to:

(1) recognize and support an outstanding Utah teacher of natural resources in earth sciences for grades K–12, and

(2) provide a Utah candidate for the regional competition sponsored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologist’s (AAPG) Rocky Mountain Section.

Ultimately, the UGA candidate could qualify for the annual AAPG competition and be selected as The National Teacher of the Year for Excellence in the Teaching of Natural Resources in the Earth Sciences. Application deadline is June 1, 2012.

More information at Utah Geological Association.

Utah Geological Survey

GeoSights—The Honeycombs, Juab County, Utah

Far out in Utah’s west desert, 25 miles from the Nevada border, is a solitary cluster of hills called The Honeycombs, also known as the Honeycomb Hills. Rising just a few hundred feet above the surrounding landscape, the humble Honeycombs are overshadowed by neighboring Great Basin mountain ranges.

The hills barely draw notice, until examined up close. Their rough and craggy rocks—mostly gray but also red, orange, lavender, and pink—are permeated with hollows ranging from pea-sized pits to alcoves large enough to shelter a horse and rider. The pattern of the hollows and the thin walls that separate them resemble the hexagonal cellular structures of beehives that give The Honeycombs their name.

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