High Uintas Wilderness Area, Summit County
Photographer: Adam Hiscock © 2016
The late Precambrian-age Red Castle and Dead Horse Pass Formations, carved by Quaternary glaciers, form the cirque above Henrys Fork basin in the Uinta Mountains. A popular backpacking destination, Henrys Fork basin lies beneath the highest point in Utah, Kings Peak (13,528 feet; on the skyline in middle of photo).
Yant Flat, Washington County
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman © 2016
Above the Virgin River valley, evening sun strikes outcrops of the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone. Weathering patterns and alternating bands of chemically oxidized (red) and reduced (white) mineral cements combine to produce interesting patterns of texture and color.
White Rock Bay, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County
Photographer: Ken Krahulec © 2016
Bottleneck Peak, San Rafael Swell, Emery County
Photographer: Nikki Simon © 2016
San Rafael Swell near Muddy Creek, Emery County
Photographer: Scott Madsen © 2016
Colorful, rounded slopes are typical of the Brushy Basin Member of the Jurassic-age Morrison Formation. Clayey bentonite beds in the Morrison often have a distinctive “popcorn” weathering texture resulting from expansion of the clay minerals when they get wet.
View from Brian Head peak, Iron County
Photographer: Paul Inkenbrandt © 2016
Markagunt Plateau, Iron County
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen © 2016
An unnamed lake fills one of countless sinkholes formed on southern Utah’s Markagunt Plateau. Dark boulders of Quaternary-age lava have collapsed into the sinkhole that is likely rooted in limestone of the underlying Tertiary-age Claron Formation.
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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