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A minor earthquake rattled a remote area of north-central Utah’s Wasatch Mountains late Friday morning, but caused no damage to nearby communities.
Tag Archive for: Summit County
Cliff Lake, western Uinta Mountains, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Don Clark
Cliff Lake, seen above in midday light, is located adjacent to the larger Wall Lake and near the base of Mount Watson.
Mirror, mirror…on the Wall Lake! Happy Friday, geo friends!
Mount Watson, western Uinta Mountains, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Mike Hylland
Wall Lake, a glacial tarn, reflects the morning sun on the Precambrian-age sandstone of Mount Watson (11,521 feet), western Uinta Mountains, Summit County.
Northern Uinta Mountains, Summit County
Photographer: Greg McDonald
The Uinta Mountains, widely glaciated thousands of years ago, now contain many glacial features, including this kettle pond formed within a moraine depression. Permian-Pennsylvanian-age Weber Sandstone is at the head of West Fork Blacks Fork drainage.
High Uintas Wilderness, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Stefan Kirby
Sedimentary strata of the Precambrianage Uinta Mountain Group reflected in the waters of Dead Horse Lake in the upper part of the West Fork of the Blacks Fork drainage in the Uinta Mountains.
Dead Horse Lake, Uinta Mountains, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Corey Unger
Dead Horse Lake and West Fork of the Blacks Fork drainage, Uinta Mountains, Summit County, Utah
High Uintas Wilderness, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Rich Emerson
On the north slope of the Uinta Mountains, Henrys Fork Lake is a paternoster lake—one of a chain or series of lakes in a glacially eroded valley. Most of the glaciers had retreated by 14,000 years ago, leaving behind moraines, U-shaped valleys, and cirques carved into Precambrian-age Uinta Mountain Group rocks.
Near the town of Echo in northern Utah is a cluster of reddish-brown natural monuments called The Witches (also known as Witch Rocks, Witches Rocks, Witch Bluffs, or Witches Bluffs), composed of the Echo Canyon Conglomerate.
In 1858, army Captain Albert Tracy described them in his journal as “witch-like” and “so singularly like figures in kirtles [long skirts] and steeple-hats, or bonnets that they have received the appellation [Witch Rocks]”. By using your imagination (and perhaps squinting a bit), you can picture a coven of witches in long robes and witches’ hats standing on the hillside.
Nearby Echo Canyon has long been used as a main thoroughfare between southern Wyoming and northern Utah, first by Native Americans, fur trappers, and explorers, then by wagon trains on their way to Salt Lake City or other points west. Before the interstate highway, passengers on the Overland Stage and then the Union Pacific Railroad also made their way through the canyon.
At the town of Echo, the canyon opens into the Henefer Valley where most of these travelers rested and marveled at the unusual rock formations, some even drawing sketches or taking photographs of The Witches.
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.