Utah Geological Survey

Interim Geologic Map of the Cedar City 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Iron County, Utah

By: Tyler R. Knudsen

The Cedar City 7.5′ quadrangle is roughly centered on the rapidly-growing community of Cedar City in Iron County, Utah. It straddles the boundary between the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau physiographic provinces, which at the latitude of the quadrangle, is defined by the north-south-trending Hurricane fault. The eastern half of the quadrangle encroaches on the western margin of the Markagunt Plateau (Colorado Plateau). Rocks there are mostly Mesozoic in age, and have been moderately to highly deformed by Sevier-age thrusting and folding and by later basin-and-range-style normal faulting. The western half of the quadrangle lies in Cedar Valley, a typical Basin and Range basin filled with hundreds to thousands of feet of unconsolidated basin-fill sediments and basaltic lava flows.

This CD contains two plates-a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate-and a 20-page booklet, all in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.

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Utah Geological Survey

Geologic Map of The Vernon NE Quadrangle, Tooele County, Utah

By: Stefan M. Kirby

This map represents the geology of the Vernon NE quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Vernon NE quadrangle covers a part of the floor of Rush Valley northeast of the Vernon Hills in southeastern Tooele County. Unconsolidated surficial deposits of Holocene to lower Pleistocene? age cover nearly the entire quadrangle. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel sediments, and lacustrine units deposited during both the transgression and regression of Lake Bonneville. The Salt Lake Formation is exposed in the western half of the quadrangle as a series of topographically low outcrops partially overlain and surrounded by unconsolidated deposits. The exposed thickness of the Salt Lake Formation is up to 2850 feet (870m).

This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and a 6-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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Utah Geological Survey

Geologic Map of The Faust Quadrangle, Tooele County, Utah

By: Stefan M. Kirby

This map represents the geology of the Faust quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Faust quadrangle covers part of Rush Valley and includes the southeastern part of the Onaqui Mountains, the northernmost Vernon Hills and adjoining parts of the valley floor in southeastern Tooele County, Utah. Most of the Faust quadrangle is covered by unconsolidated deposits of Holocene to Pleistocene age. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel deposits, and lacustrine units deposited during the maximum transgression of Lake Bonneville. At least two prominent systems of normal faults along the flank of the Onaqui Mountains and near the Vernon Hills cut unconsolidated deposits within the quadrangle. Sedimentary rocks exposed in the quadrangle include folded Pennsylvanian bedrock of the Oquirrh Group consolidated Tertiary basin fill of the Salt Lake Formation.

This DVD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and an 8-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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Utah Geological Survey

Geologic Map of The Saint John Quadrangle, Tooele County, Utah

By: Stefan M. Kirby

This map represents the geology of the Saint John quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Saint John quadrangle, in southeastern Tooele County, Utah, covers a part of the floor of Rush Valley. Unconsolidated surficial deposits of Holocene to Pleistocene age cover nearly the entire quadrangle. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel sediments, and lacustrine units deposited during both the transgression and regression of Lake Bonneville. Normal faults cut unconsolidated deposits in the western half and northeast corner of the quadrangle. In the northeast corner of the quadrangle, conjugate normal faults form a prominent horst and a series of west-facing scarps in late Pleistocene mixed alluvial and lacustrine deposits. Bedrock includes Pennsylvanian-age Oquirrh Group sedimentary rocks exposed in the southwest corner of the quadrangle, which consists of interbedded marine limestone and sandstone. Consolidated Tertiary fine-grained lacustrine basin fill of the Salt Lake Formation is exposed just north of the community of Saint John.

This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and an 8-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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Utah Geological Survey

Regional Groundwater Flow and Water Quality in The Virgin River Basin and Surrounding Areas, Utah and Surrounding Areas, Utah and Arizona

By: Paul Inkenbrandt, Kevin Thomas, and J. Lucy Jordan

In this 46-page report, we characterized the deep aquifer system and its connections to the overlying aquifers in the area of the Hurricane fault in Washington County by examining well logs, creating regional potentiometric-surface maps, compiling groundwater quality data, conducting gravity surveys, examining remote sensing data for surface lineaments, and determining areas for potential monitoring wells. Results of the study were: (1) R and C aquifer groundwater depths are > 500 feet in the I-15 corridor area, (2) a groundwater divide likely exists south of the Utah-Arizona state line, (3) groundwater flow follows open fracture systems, (4) fracture conductivity is highest near the fault, (5) dissolution of evaporites increase groundwater TDS, and (6) a well should be drilled into the Hurricane fault near Pintura.

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Utah Geological Survey

The Pony Express Basaltic Ash: A Stratigraphic Marker In Lake Bonneville

By: Charles G. Oviatt and Barbara P. Nash

The Pony Express basaltic ash is locally a useful stratigraphic marker in Lake Bonneville sediments in west-central Utah. The ash was erupted from a vent in the Sevier Desert basin soon after Lake Bonneville had transgressed high enough to flood into the basin about 24,000 years ago. The ash is found at or near the base of the Bonneville marl below altitudes of 1400m (4600 ft) in part of the Sevier Desert basin and the southernmost part of the Great Salt Lake basin. The chemical composition of the ash is similar to that of other basalts in the Sevier Desert. Possible source vents are in the Pahvant Butte area or a maar near Smelter Knolls.

This CD contains a 10-page report in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.

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Utah Geological Survey

Geologic Map of The Brian Head Quadrangle, Iron County, Utah

By: Peter D. Rowley, Robert F. Biek, Edward G. Sable, Jonathan T. Boswell, Garrett S. Vice, Stanley C. Hatfield, David J. Maxwell, and John J. Anderson

The Brian Head Quadrangle straddles the west edge of the Markagunt Plateau and is roughly centered on Brian Head Peak, at 11,307 feet (3446 m) the highest mountain in southwestern Utah. The peak, encompassing an area of great natural beauty and recreational use, is capped by volcanic rocks that erupted from calderas on the Utah-Nevada border. These volcanic rocks overlie landslide-prone local volcaniclastic strata, which in turn overlie colorful strata of the Claron Formation, centerpiece of Cedar Breaks National Monument in the southwest corner of the map area. The plateau is capped by remnants of the 20-million-year-old Markagunt Megabreccia, Utah’s largest catastrophic gravity slide.

This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and a 38-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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Utah Geological Survey

Geologic Hazards of the State Route 9 Corridor, La Verkin City to Town of Springdale, Washington County, Utah

By: Tyler R. Knudsen and William R. Lund

Historically, the communities of La Verkin, Virgin, Rockville, and Springdale have been affected by a variety of geologic hazards. Recent damaging rock falls, riverine floods, recurrent flash floods and landslides, and problems associated with collapsible soil and expansive soil and rock demonstrate that the communities are vulnerable to geologic hazards, and that public officials require reliable hazard information as they plan for future growth. The Utah Geological Survey has prepared GIS-based information on the kinds and locations of geologic hazards that may affect existing and future development in the State Route 9 Corridor Geologic-Hazard Study Area (SR-9 study area). The SR-9 study area encompasses 97 square miles, and consists of a 2- to 8-mile-wide corridor centered on SR-9, that extends from the eastern part of La Verkin City to the Town of Springdale’s eastern boundary with Zion National Park.

This 13-page report includes nine 1:24,000-scale geologic-hazard maps that cover flooding and debris flows, rock fall, landslides, surface faulting, liquefaction, collapsible soil, expansive soil and rock, gypsiferous soil and rock, soil piping, erosion, and wind-blown sand. Each geologic-hazard map provides information on the data sources and techniques used to create the map, the nature and distribution of the hazard, and possible hazard-reduction measures.

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Utah Geological Survey

Survey Notes volume 46 number 1

Current Issue Contents:

  • Microbial Carbonate Reservoirs and the Utah Geological Survey’s “Invasion” of London
  • Utah Still Supplying Gilsonite to the World After 125 Years
  • Frack Sand in Utah?
  • Energy News
  • GeoSights: St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson’s Farm, Washington County
  • Glad You Asked: How can sedimentary rocks tell you about Utah’s history?
  • Teacher’s Corner
  • Survey News
  • New Publications

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PAST ISSUES

Utah Geological Survey

Utah's Extractive Resource Industries 2012

By: Taylor Boden, Michael Vanden Berg, Ken Krahulec, and David Tabet

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