upr.org
Morning recess at St. Augustine Catholic School in Culver City, Calif., is like recess in many other schools. Children run and play in the afternoon sun. But nearby, away from the basketball hoops and the games of tag, the staff is preparing.
High Uintas Wilderness, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Rich Emerson
On the north slope of the Uinta Mountains, Henrys Fork Lake is a paternoster lake—one of a chain or series of lakes in a glacially eroded valley. Most of the glaciers had retreated by 14,000 years ago, leaving behind moraines, U-shaped valleys, and cirques carved into Precambrian-age Uinta Mountain Group rocks.
Since October 1998, the American Geological Institute (AGI) has fostered this national and international event to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. Efforts to highlight the role of Earth sciences have increased dramatically on local, national and international levels. This year’s Earth Science Week at the Utah Geological Survey was celebrated from October 7th to 10th at the Utah Core Research Center.
Activities include panning for “gold,” learning about rocks and the rock cycle, identifying minerals, observing stream erosion and deposition, and seeing how fossils are prepared in the lab. To see photos from previous years, visit the UGS website at http://geology.utah.gov/teacher/esweek.htm
This year we had 863 students participate in Earth Science Week (ESW), along with about 60 parents and 35 teachers consisting of seven public schools, one private school, and six home schools. In addition to Utah Geological Survey staff, many volunteers contributed to the success of ESW including personnel from the Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining and the Division of Water Resources; Utah’s Office of Energy Development; the organizations R.O.C.K. (Rockhounder’s Outreach for Community Knowledge), A.W.G. (Association of Women Geoscientists, Utah Chapter), and the U.G.A. (Utah Geological Association); and from the private sector, Professional Service Industries, Inc., and North American Exploration, Inc. Additionally, minerals were provided by Utah Kennecott Copper, CML Metals Co., and U.S. Magnesium.
After reviewing critiques from teachers and students, we think that ESW 2013 was a success. Here’s some of the kudos:
Teacher Quotes
“The students loved it, the parents with us enjoyed it, and the other 4th grade teachers thought it was great” Oakwood Elementary
“The teaching was exceptional. The rotations were just so interesting . . . the adult parents were all marveling how much great training their kids got . . .” Sunrise Elementary
“It’s the best thing out there” Sharon Walkington, Governor’s Medal Recipient for Volunteerism
Student Quotes
“It was so fun when I got home I told my mom everything about the trip”
“It is the best place ever you guys rock”
“I liked when we did the sand dams and what would happen if you lived on top of one”
“We had a blast!!!!”
“I am planning on coming back with my whole family.”
It was a VERY and I mean very cool trip, in fact I want to go again.”
“I just wanted to tell you guys that was the best field trip I had ever gone on.”
“The best part I think was panning for rocks and minerals. Of course though, lots of kids liked that. When I got home, I tricked my little brother into thinking it was real gold! No wonder they call it fool’s gold”
Lone Peak, Salt Lake and Utah Counties, Utah
Photographer: J. Lucy Jordan
Differential weathering creates unusual patterns on the Little Cottonwood quartz monzonite, Lone Peak, Salt Lake and Utah Counties.
Notch Peak, House Range, Millard County, Utah
Photographer: Taylor Boden
Notch Peak quartz monzonite near Painter Springs, House Range, Millard County.
Devil’s Playground, Grouse Creek Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah
Photographer: Don Clark
After a storm, evening light washes over granitic rocks of Devils Playground in the southern Grouse Creek Mountains. The granitic rocks of the Emigrant Pass pluton were emplaced in phases from 41 to 34 million years ago and intrude metamorphosed sedimentary rocks.
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.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec
Wall of Windows, Bryce Canyon National Park,Garfield County.
sltrib.com
For paleontologists Randall Irmis and Andrew Milner, the tiny stuff matters, especially when you’re exploring the dawn of big reptiles. Microscopic fossilized pollen, two-inch fishes, even the color of the rock that bones are embedded in say a lot about the landscapes dinosaurs roamed, the climate, what they ate and what their prey ate.
foxnews.com
A dinosaur skeleton discovered by an eagle-eyed high-school student turns out to be the smallest, youngest and most complete duck-billed dinosaur of its kind ever found. This Cretaceous-era herbivore, Parasaurolophus, walked the Earth some 75 million years ago. The dinosaurs in this genus are best known for their impressive tube-shaped head crests, which may have been used for display or perhaps to amplify the animals’ calls. The little specimen, dubbed “Joe,” was so young that its crest was a mere bump on its head.
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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