Hear now, hear now!
Jim Kirkland, our Utah State Paleontologist, is interviewed on the KPCW Park City NPR radio science show, Cool Science Radio. Check it out! His interview begins in the second half of the interview at 27 minutes, but give the whole thing a listen. Enjoy!
www.4utah.com
The rock slide in Rockville, Utah that killed two people has many wondering how did it happen and could it happen again.
sltrib.com
An armored dinosaur found in a Spanish open-pit coal mine suggests that North America and Europe were connected for millions of years longer than previously thought.
nps.gov
Utah is recognized for having the longest and most diverse dinosaur record in the nation. Yet, the Cambrian rocks in Utah’s West Desert contain one of our nation’s best records of the early evolution of life on Earth. View a slideshow of rocks and fossils from the West Desert here. During the Cambrian Period, North America straddled the Equator and the continent was oriented nearly 90 degrees clockwise of its present position. The Cambrian coastline extended north-south across Utah shifting southward (our east) with rising sea level. This resulted in a nearly complete sequence of Cambrian rocks preserved in Utah’s West Desert on what was the northern coastline of early North America. When Tertiary extension forces formed the Basin and Range Geological Province throughout the last 20 million years, these Cambrian rocks became well-exposed across western and central Utah, revealing the extraordinary fossil record within. Nowhere is this geology better exposed than in Millard County, Utah. Refer to Hintze and Davis (2003) (17 MB PDF) for a detailed discussion of the county’s geology. The Cambrian is best known for the “Cambrian Explosion” (or “Cambrian Radiation”) , when a great diversity of multicellular animals first appears. The first scientific report on these fossils was a description of Elrathia kingii in 1860, probably the world’s most well-known trilobite species.
deseretnews.com
Have a hankering to see a hoodoo? Do you find argillite alluring? Savor scallops, and not the seafood kind?
Those vastly unique geologic features showcased in landscapes across Utah are captured in the photography displayed by the 2014 Utah Geology Calendar, an annual tradition that reflects the work and expertise of geologists with the Utah Geological Survey.
The hypothetical family that a group of Highland men allegedly was trying to protect when they destroyed a rock structure was more likely to die on the drive to Goblin Valley State Park than to be crushed by a falling rock.
Dinosaurs were significant tourists, back in the day. Some enjoyed the area so much, they decided to stay. A few of them were even known to throw their weight around! The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) has provided a treasure trove of dinosaur discoveries. Of the 39 new dinosaur discoveries worldwide, nine have come from the GSENM!
Utahns can once again bring the natural wonders of the state to their walls and desks. The new calendar from the Utah Geological Survey goes on sale Monday.
Utah Geological Survey started publishing the calendar eight years ago.
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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