sltrib.com
Billions of dollars in destruction. Hundreds dead.
Such carnage is what seismologists predict will happen when the big earthquake destined to hit Utah strikes.
Essentially, the area between the Wasatch and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges is stretching like a rubber band. It will eventually break along a fault line running along the Wasatch foothills length.
www.sciencecodex.com
Salt Lake Valley, home to the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone and the West Valley fault zone, has been the site of repeated surface-faulting earthquakes (of about magnitude 6.5 to 7). New research trenches in the area are helping geologists and seismologists untangle how this complex fault system ruptures and will aid in forecasting future earthquakes in the area.
UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GIS ANALYST
(BUSINESS ANALYST) This is a full-time, career service position, located in Salt lake City, Utah. CLOSES: 5/05/2013
The incumbent in this position is responsible for Geographic Information System (GIS) map and database products for the Utah Geological Survey Geologic Mapping Program. The incumbent will scan, vectorize and prepare GIS databases and various explanatory files of geologic maps; produce derivative maps and databases; design and prepare maps and related materials for public release; and assist geologists in completing new or revised geologic maps.
To be considered for this position, you must complete and submit an application through the State of Utah jobs website at http://statejobspostings.utah.
sltrib.com
The Salt Lake segment of the Wasatch fault zone has produced eight large earthquakes in the last 12,000 years. As a whole, this network of faults generates a biggie every 900 to 1,300 years.
According to the geological record, the last temblor that exceeded magnitude 6.5, or the kind that can turn unreinforced masonry homes into piles of rubble, ripped Salt Lake 1,400 years ago.
“We’re due. Enough energy has accumulated on the Salt Lake segment that a large earthquake can happen at any time,” said Christopher DuRoss, of the Utah Geological Survey, who will co-lead a town hall meeting 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on Utah’s seismic hazards. The event in Salt Lake City is part of the Seismological Society of America’s conference and the Great Utah ShakeOut, the state’s annual earthquake preparedness exercises.
www.stgeorgeutah.com
A portion of the Santa Clara Heights near Truman Drive has grappled with the danger of sliding land for over 30 years and despite numerous efforts by the City of Santa Clara to stop it, there is still no solution in sight.
Geologic history and cause
The Santa Clara Heights is built upon the Santa Clara Bench, a natural plateau bordered by the Santa Clara River Valley to the southwest and a small tributary stream to the northeast. Like most of Southern Utah, the soil of the Santa Clara Bench is mainly composed of petrified forest member, commonly called “blue clay,” along with sediment from the Santa Clara River. Petrified forest member is a weak rock that swells quickly and moves easily when wet.
exploreutahscience.org
In the arid high desert of western Utah, on the border between Utah and Nevada, water is a valuable commodity.
Water, in our language means healer of everything, says Rupert Steele. “For the American Indians, not only the Confederated Tribe of the Goshutes, but other Indians across the nation, water has always been worth more than gold and oil.”
ksl.com
After a 12-by-9-foot boulder crashed into a home and injured a woman, the city is looking at their development approval process.
About 3 a.m. on Jan. 19, Wanda Denhalter, 63, was sleeping alone in her home at 1681 E. 50 North Circle in St. George when she was awoken by a boulder crashing into her home. The woman was injured badly by the boulder, which crashed into the side of her king-sized bed.
kutv.com
A series of more than a dozen small earthquakes near Cedar City, Utah didn’t cause any damage but caught the attention of residents and scientists.
“Almost like a sonic boom,” is how Enoch resident J.D. Price described one of the quakes.
The 13 tremblers ranged from just under a magnitude 1.0 on the Richter scale to 3.7 for the largest quake with epicenters located about 9 miles northwest of Cedar City near the town of Enoch.
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.
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