Salt Lake’s oldest resident? Read more on the ancient pit home unearthed in a Salt Lake City suburb, Sandy.
smithsonianmag.com
Tuesday, October 7, 2014, 6:00 PM
Utah Department of Natural Resources Auditorium,
1594 West North Temple (enter on south side)
Joint Evening Meeting with Association of Environmental Geologists (AEG), Utah Geological Association (UGA), Utah Geological Survey (UGS)
“Geologic Remapping of the Warm Springs Fault”
presented by Adam McKean, Mapping Geologist with the UGS
The Warm Springs fault of the Wasatch fault zone is a down-to-the-west normal fault, bounding the western portion of the Salt Lake salient. Recent geologic remapping of the Salt Lake City North 7.5-minute quadrangle has provided us an opportunity to revisit the Warm Springs fault and its place within Salt Lake and Davis Counties. A draft map of the quadrangle and evidences for the Warm Springs fault location will be presented at the meeting with opportunities for open discussion, questions, and feedback. We invite the geologic and geologic engineering community and interested parties to attend the event and take part in this public comment period.
sltrib.com
When American West Center director Gregory Smoak moved to Utah in the mid-1980s, the Great Salt Lake immediately interested him.
By: Christopher B. DuRoss and Michael D. Hylland
The Salt Lake City segment (SLCS) of the Wasatch fault zone and the West Valley fault zone (WVFZ) are Holocene-active faults that have evidence of large-magnitude (M ~6-7) surface-faulting earthquakes. Paleoseismic research trenches at the Penrose Drive site on the SLCS and Baileys Lake site on the WVFZ provided data that shed light on the faulting behavior and interaction of these graben-forming fault systems. Numerical age control (22 radiocarbon samples 23 optically stimulated luminescence samples) and OxCal modeling of six or seven surface-faulting earthquakes on the SLCS and four earthquakes on the WVFZ helped refine the earthquake chronologies for these faults and allowed a comparison of the chronologies to evaluate fault interaction. The chronologies, as well as vertical displacements, support a model of coseismic fault movement.
Adam McKean, one of our Geologists here at the Utah Geological Survey, is featured as a guest author on the blog The Traveling Geologist. Check it out!
travelinggeologist.com
Urban geologic mapping may sound like a mapping geologist’s nightmare with all the private property, disturbed land, and development rapidly covering up the geology. Despite these difficulties, my experience with it has been exciting and challenging. Why map geology in and near the city? The simple answer is that urban areas need surficial geologic maps to aid in geologic-hazard identification and mitigation. Additionally, a good geologic map provides the basic geologic information needed for further geologic, groundwater, geotechnical, and engineering investigations.
deseretnews.com
Residents and agencies are racing to fight debris and water flow caused by an unusually wet “monsoon season” in Utah that has caused slides and the threat of slides from Huntington to Alpine and across the Wasatch Front.
Salt Lake City averages 0.61 inches of rain in July, according to National Weather Service readings taken at Salt Lake airport. As of July 17, readings there totaled 1.15 inches and the month has weeks to go.
KSL.com
Scientists are getting the first good look they’ve ever had at the Salt Lake City portion of the Wasatch Fault. What they’ve seen so far confirms a major earthquake is a constant threat.
In fact, geologists dug two big trenches in a vacant lot right next door to the University of Utah’s president’s mansion.
For the last two and a half weeks, they’ve had an unprecedented opportunity to look at the guts of the Wasatch Fault in this area. They’ve dug similar trenches elsewhere, but until now, the closest was in the Sandy-Draper area.
As expected, there’s evidence of at least six major earthquakes averaging about once every 1,300 years. The last one hit roughly 1,300 years ago.
IN THE MEDIA
Seven recipients will be presented with the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology during an awards ceremony Tuesday at Discovery Gateway in Salt Lake City.
The awards program, started in 1987, recognizes Utah people and companies whose career achievements or distinguished service have benefited the state in the areas of science and technology.
IN THE MEDIA
The Salt Lake Tribune
Deseret News
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.