Geologic Map of the Panguitch Lake Quadrangle, Garfield and Iron Counties

By: Robert F. Biek, John J. Anderson, Edward G. Sable, and Peter D. Rowley

The Panguitch Lake quadrangle lies in the central part of the Markagunt Plateau in southwest Utah and includes Panguitch Lake, a popular area of summer and winter recreational use. Despite the plateau’s relatively simple structure of a gently east-tilted fault block, the quadrangle contains scenic and instructive exposures of southwest Utah’s youngest basaltic lava flows, classic examples of inverted valleys capped by older lava flows, glacial deposits in the Castle Valley area, and the southern margin of the Markagunt Megabreccia. The Megabreccia is the debris of Utah’s largest catastrophic landslide deposit, which covers 1300 square miles (3400 km²) of the northern and central Markagunt Plateau.

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Geology of Utah’s Far South

Edited By: John S. MacLean, Robert F. Biek, and Jacqueline E. Huntoon

This CD contains 35 geological papers and 2 road guides describing the geology of Utah’s Far South. The papers are arranged by topics: Geomorphology, Hydrogeology, Reservoir Properties, Statigraphy, Paleontology, Structural Geology & Volcanism, and Field Trip Road Guides. The publication also includes a memoriam to Dr. Lehi F. Hintze.

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Survey Notes volume 26 number 3

Current Issue Contents:

• The Uinta Mountains: A Tale of Two Geographies
• In Memoriam: Lehi F. Hintze
• Students Fill the GIS Gap
• The 2014 Crawford Award
• GeoSights: Roosevelt Hot Springs Geothermal Area, Beaver County
• New Publications
• Teacher’s Corner
• Core Center News
• Glad You Asked: What are keeper potholes & how are they formed?

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Hazus Loss Estimation Software Earthquake Model Revised Utah Fault Database

By: William R. Lund

The Utah Geological Survey has revised and updated the Utah fault database used with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazus Earthquake Model. The Hazus Earthquake Model loss estimation software is designed to produce loss estimates for use by federal, state, regional, and local governments in planning for earthquake risk mitigation, emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. The model’s loss estimates are based on a scenario earthquake on a fault in an area of interest. This revised Hazus Utah fault database provides parameters for scenario earthquakes on significant Utah Quaternary-active faults statewide and for select faults/fault sections in adjoining states. The previous Utah Hazus fault database contained 27 Quaternary faults/fault sections taken largely from fault sources on the United States National Seismic Hazard Maps. This revised database expands the Utah Hazus fault database to include all known Late Quaternary and younger faults/fault segments capable of generating a ≥M 6.75 earthquake in Utah, and includes 82 Quaternary-active faults/fault segments, and nine credible multisegment rupture scenarios.

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Preliminary Isostatic Residual Gravity Map of the Tremonton 30' x 60' Quadrangle, Box Elder & Cache Counties, Utah, and Franklin & Oneida Counties, Idaho

By: V.E. Langenheim, R.Q. Oaks, H. Willis, A.I. Hiscock, B.A. Chuchel, J. Rosario, and C.L. Hardwick

A new isostatic residual gravity map of the Tremonton 30′ x 60′ quadrangle of Utah is based on compilation of preexisting data and new data collected by the Utah and U.S. Geological Surveys. Pronounced gravity lows occur over North Bay, northwest of Brigham City, and Malad and Blue Creek Valleys, indicating significant thickness of low-density Tertiary sedimentary rocks and deposits. Gravity highs coincide with exposures of dense pre-Cenozoic rocks in the Promontory, Clarkston, and Wellsville Mountains. The highest gravity values are located in southern Curlew Valley and may be produced in part by deeper crustal density variations or crustal thinning. Steep gradients also coincide with the margins of the Promontory Mountains, Little Mountain, West Hills, and the eastern margin of the North Promontory Mountains and may define concealed basin-bounding faults.

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Evaluating Surface Faulting Chronologies of Graben-Bounding Faults in Salt Lake Valley, Utah- New Paleoseismic Data from the Salt Lake City Segment of the Wasatch Fault Zone and the West Valley Fault Zone

By: Christopher B. DuRoss and Michael D. Hylland

The Salt Lake City segment (SLCS) of the Wasatch fault zone and the West Valley fault zone (WVFZ) are Holocene-active faults that have evidence of large-magnitude (M ~6-7) surface-faulting earthquakes. Paleoseismic research trenches at the Penrose Drive site on the SLCS and Baileys Lake site on the WVFZ provided data that shed light on the faulting behavior and interaction of these graben-forming fault systems. Numerical age control (22 radiocarbon samples 23 optically stimulated luminescence samples) and OxCal modeling of six or seven surface-faulting earthquakes on the SLCS and four earthquakes on the WVFZ helped refine the earthquake chronologies for these faults and allowed a comparison of the chronologies to evaluate fault interaction. The chronologies, as well as vertical displacements, support a model of coseismic fault movement.

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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, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt wells, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.

This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.

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By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne

The Mollie Hogans 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvanian 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, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt walls, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.

This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.

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By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne

The Windows Section 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvanian 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, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. A one-mile-wide zone of faults is located in the Windows Section northeast of the Moab fault. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt walls, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.

This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.

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UGS Rockfall Investigation in the News

Here are several more articles about the UGS rockfall investigation, including our own news release with links to the published report.

UGS News Release
Deseret News article
ABC News article

The Gilbert Episode in The Great Salt Lake Basin, Utah

By: Charles G. Oviatt

This 20-page report summarizes observations of sediments and shorelines of the Gilbert episode in the Bonneville basin of northwestern Utah. Lake Bonneville dropped to altitudes similar to those of modern Great Salt Lake by 13,000 years ago, remained low for about 1400 years, then rapidly rose about 50 ft (15 m) during the Gilbert episode (about 11,600 years ago). The Gilbert lake was probably less extensive than shown by previous mapping of the Gilbert shoreline. The lake reached altitudes of 4250-4255 ft (1295-1297 m), and its shoreline, which is not well defined anywhere in the basin, was probably not deformed by residual isostatic rebound associated with removal of the Lake Bonneville water load. Holocene Great Salt Lake has not risen as high as the Gilbert-episode lake.

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

By: Tyler Knudsen, Paul Inkenbrandt, William Lund, Mike Lowe, and Steve Bowman

This 116-page report presents the results of an investigation by the Utah Geological Survey of land subsidence and earth fissures in Cedar Valley, Iron County, Utah. Basin-fill sediments of the Cedar Valley Aquifer contain a high percentage of fine-grained material susceptible to compaction upon dewatering. Groundwater discharge in excess of recharge (groundwater mining) has lowered the potentiometric surface in Cedar Valley as much as 114 feet since 1939. Groundwater mining has caused permanent compaction of fine-grained sediments of the Cedar Valley aquifer, which has caused the land surface to subside, and a minimum of 8.3 miles of earth fissures to form. Recently acquired interferometric synthetic aperture radar imagery shows that land subsidence has affected approximately 100 mi² in Cedar Valley, but a lack of accurate historical benchmark elevation data over much of the valley prevents its detailed quantification. Continued groundwater mining and resultant subsidence will likely cause existing fissures to lengthen and new fissures to form which may eventually impact developed areas in Cedar Valley. This report also includes possible aquifer management options to help mitigate subsidence and fissure formation, and recommended guidelines for conducting subsidence-related hazard investigations prior to development.

Although this product represents the work of professional scientists, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Geological Survey, makes no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding its suitability for a particular use. The Utah department of Natural Resources, Utah Geological Survey, shall not be liable under any circumstances for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages with respect to claims by users of this product.

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