Snow Canyon State Park, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Daniel King; © 2013
Eroded fragments of a dark ironstone layer contrast sharply against the pale-orange Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone at Snow Canyon State Park. In places, the iron- and manganese-rich ironstone forms a resistant cap at the top of sandstone columns or pillars called hoodoos.
Wasatch Range, Utah County, Utah
Photographer: Stevie Emerson; © 2013
Glacially carved Timpanogos Basin in the Wasatch Range, Utah County.
Wasatch Range, Utah County, Utah
Photographer: Stevie Emerson, © 2013
The Wasatch Range was once home to more than 60 glaciers. On the east slope of Mount Timpanogos, Emerald Lake occupies a glacially carved cirque in the Pennsylvanian-age Bear Canyon Member of the Oquirrh Formation.
Spiral Jetty, Great Salt Lake, Box Elder County, Utah
Photographer: Mark Milligan; © 2013
Black basalt boulders of the Spiral Jetty in Great Salt Lake, Box Elder County.
Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef National Park, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Adam Hiscock; © 2013
Mary Ellen Gulch, American Fork Canyon, Utah County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen; © 2013
Quartzite of the 900 million-year-old Big Cottonwood Formation holds up the rugged headwall of Mary Ellen Gulch. Well-preserved ripple marks and mud cracks indicate the Big Cottonwood Formation was deposited in the tidal zone of a shallow sea.
Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec; © 2013
Towering cliffs of Jurassic-age sandstone constrict lower Zion Canyon. The prominently cross-bedded Navajo Sandstone, deposited in a vast dune field comparable to that of the modern-day Sahara, forms the cliffs, including the narrow spine of Angels Landing at left.
Happy Memorial Day!
Great Salt Lake viewed from Antelope Island, Davis County, Utah
Photographer: Chris DuRoss; © 2013
Great Salt Lake occupies a large basin formed by horizontal stretching of the Earth’s crust across the region. This stretching produces movement on faults, resulting in uplift of mountain ranges adjacent to the
basins and occasional magnitude 6.5–7.5 earthquakes.
Here’s a photo to help you get back into the swing of things. We hope everyone had a great weekend!
Wendover, Box Elder County, Utah
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman; © 2013
Jurassic-age quartz monzonite at Crater Island near Wendover, Box Elder County.
Red Canyon, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Don DeBlieux; © 2013
Wingate Sandstone cliffs at Red Canyon, east of Lake Powell, San Juan County.
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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