San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: Taylor Boden
Boulders of Cretaceous-age Ferron Sandstone, eroded from the top of a distant butte, have come to rest on the Cretaceous-age Mancos
Shale on the west flank of the San Rafael Swell.
Tag Archive for: POTD
Slickrock Trail near Moab, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Jim Davis
Giant weathering pits or potholes like this one (about 16 feet across at the bottom) in the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone typically form along fractures and joints atop fins, knolls, and rounded domes. Potholes are created through a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes that weather and erode the rock and are home to a remarkable array of ancient aquatic organisms.
Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen
The narrow defile of Round Valley Draw exposes layers of ancient petrified dunes of the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone. This is one of numerous slot canyons in Utah’s canyon country formed by the scouring action of infrequent but powerful flood waters.
Trilobite, House Range, Millard County, Utah
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg
Cambrian-age shales from western Utah’s House Range contain millions of fossilized trilobites, such as this specimen of Elrathia kingi.
San Rafael Reef, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: Tom Chidsey
The steeply dipping east flank of the San Rafael Swell is part of a large fold that formed in Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary time.
Crystal Geyser, Green River, Grand County, Utah.
Photographer: Taylor Boden
Colorful travertine (calcium carbonate) is deposited around cold-water, carbon-dioxide-driven Crystal Geyser.
Dixie National Forest, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen
Golden aspen, blue sky, and dark basaltic lava provide dramatic contrast along the Navajo Lake Loop Trail on the Markagunt Plateau. The geologically young Quaternaryage lava erupted from a nearby cinder cone and flowed across Duck Creek, creating a natural dam that formed Navajo Lake.
Navajo Indian Reservation, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Phil Powlick
The wind has formed ripples on the surface of a dune in Monument Valley along the Utah-Arizona border.
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg
Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone forms the massive red cliffs of the often-overlooked Kolob Canyons area of Zion National Park. Hanging valleys are present where relatively small tributary streams have eroded downward at a slower rate than the larger trunk stream.
Rose Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah.
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg
Step Mountain is aptly named for several resistant Tertiary-age andesite dikes that display exceptional horizontal columnar joints.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
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.