Happy Earth Day, everyone!
Sandstone Mountain, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen; © 2012
Shifting sands partially bury an unusually large (about 1 foot in diameter) spherical hematite concretion that has eroded from the nearby Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone. The concretion’s dark concentric bands formed when iron-oxide minerals precipitated out of groundwater that flowed through the sandstone.
White Hills, Sevier County, Utah
Photographer: Rich Emerson; © 2012
Jurassic-age Arapien Shale in the White Hills, Sevier County.
Dixie National Forest, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Robert F. Biek; © 2012
Colorful volcanic sandstone and mudstone of the Brian Head Formation record initiation of volcanic activity in southwest Utah about 36 million years ago. Here, Eocene-age Brian Head deposits form rugged badlands at the south end of the Sevier Plateau.
Moab, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Corey Unger; © 2012
Wingate Sandstone cliffs at Kane Springs Canyon near Moab, Grand County.
Canyonlands National Park, San Juan and Wayne Counties, Utah
Photographer: Rich Emerson; © 2012
Uplift of the Colorado Plateau has caused the Green River to entrench its meandering path into the relatively soft rocks of the Permian-age Organ Rock Shale. At Soda Springs Basin, vertical cliffs of the more-resistant White Rim Sandstone cap the Organ Rock Shale 400 feet above the river.
Goblin Valley State Park, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: Stevie Emerson; © 2012
Sandstone hoodoos at Goblin Valley State Park, Emery 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.
Henry Mountains, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec; © 2012
Oligocene-age igneous intrusions exposed in the Henry Mountains, Garfield County.
The Cockscomb, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Stevie Emerson; © 2012
The Cockscomb formed along the steeply tilted sedimentary layers of a geologic feature known as the East Kaibab monocline. Faulting and erosion have shaped the tilted Jurassic and Cretaceous-age rocks into the spectacular “rooster’s comb” features seen today along Cottonwood Canyon Road.
Who’s ready to get back out into that beautiful Utah Spring scenery?
Scudder Lake, Uinta Mountains, Duchesne County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec; © 2012
Scudder Lake in the glaciated Uinta Mountains, Duchesne 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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