Perhaps your pet rock has a little more life than you thought.
smithsonianmag.com
What’s the best kind of pet rock? —a “gneiss” one!
Pearsons Canyon, Box Elder County, Utah
Photographer: Adam McKean; © 2014
Folded pegmatite vein in Farmington Canyon Complex gneiss, Pearsons Canyon, Box Elder County.
Notch Peak, Millard County, Utah
Photographer: Mark Milligan; © 2014
Banded white marble and quartz augen (eyeshaped crystals) in gray argillite, Notch Peak, Millard County.
Cooler weather is on its way, so we’ve got a cool “Glad You Asked” article to compliment the changing seasons! It’s a beautiful time of the year to get out into Utah’s geology. Maybe some of you have noticed these groovy rocks out on your outdoor adventures. What are those grooves in the rocks, and how did they get that way?
Read more about Glacial Striations and Slickensides HERE!
When I was a child, my family would often go camping in the summers. I would pick up various rocks and ask my dad what they were. “They’re called Leavarite, so you leave em’ right there.” While this is no “Leavarite,” it is something a lightning strike left behind. Most people have never seen it, and those who have may have never realized what it was at the time. This remnant is called a Fulgurite. Fulgurites are natural tubes or crusts of glass formed by the fusion of silica (quartz) sand or rock from a lightning strike. Their shape mimics the path of the lightning bolt as it disperses into the ground.
Read more about fulgurites in our Glad You Asked article HERE!
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.