Colorado River, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Adam Hiscock; © 2014
Late-winter ice still clings to the Colorado River near Big Bend, north of Moab. Boulders of Jurassic-age Wingate Sandstone and Triassic-age Chinle Formation line the banks of the river, eroded from the cliffs and ledges cut by the river as it has incised its channel over millions of years.
Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen; © 2014
One of numerous slot canyons carved into Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone in Zion National Park, Bear Trap Canyon is particularly dark and narrow. With little sunlight penetrating to the canyon floor, snow and ice often linger well into spring.
San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: Robert Ressetar; © 2013
Window Blind Peak rises to an elevation of 7,030 feet in the interior of the San Rafael Swell. The resistant Triassic to Jurassic-age Wingate and Navajo Sandstones form, respectively, the massive lower cliffs and the upper pinnacle.
Silver Island Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman; © 2013
Chemical weathering produces pits and holes in the surface of Jurassic-age quartz monzonite at Crater Island, in the northeast part of the Basin and Range Province. The “island” of rock rises from the barren, salt-covered plains of the Great Salt Lake Desert east of the distant Pilot Range.
We can’t get enough of that jaw-dropping Utah geology—here’s another gorgeous photo to help kick off your Wednesday.
Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen; © 2013
Fall foliage adorns the already colorful walls of Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone in the Zion Narrows. The North Fork of the Virgin River has cut the 1000-foot-deep Narrows in a relatively short span of geologic time (about 1 to 2 million years).
Arches National Park, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Don DeBlieux; © 2013
Dissolution of subsurface salt caused the collapse of the Salt Valley anticline, forming vertical fractures in the Jurassic-age Entrada Sandstone. Weathering along the fractures has produced the spectacular fins, towers, and arches in the Devils Garden section of Arches National Park.
Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Don DeBlieux; © 2012
Sculpted hills of iron-stained Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone form the Red Mountains north of St. George. In the distance, Paleozoic strata of Square Top Mountain and Jackson Peak have been transported up and over younger Mesozoic strata along the Square Top Mountain thrust fault.
White Hills, Sevier County, Utah
Photographer: Rich Emerson; © 2012
Jurassic-age Arapien Shale in the White Hills, Sevier County.
Here’s a rockin’ scenic view to jump start another weekend!
The Rimrocks, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Taylor Boden; © 2012
Spire-like formations called “toadstools” form where resistant sandstone boulders of Cretaceous-age Dakota Formation (toadstool caps) protect the underlying, softer, Jurassic-age Entrada Sandstone (toadstool stems) from erosion. Beneath their protective caps, the spires stand tall above the surrounding eroded landscape.
With Spring here, we can’t wait to get back out to some of our favorite places. Here’s a bright photo for the season!
Butler Wash, San Juan River, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg; © 2011
Petroglyph panel on Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone, Butler Wash, San Juan River, 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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