White Hills, Sevier County, Utah
Photographer: Rich Emerson; © 2012
Jurassic-age Arapien Shale in the White Hills, Sevier County.
Tag Archive for: UGS
Who can “Spot the Rock” this week?
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UPDATE: Location Revealed
Last week’s “Spot the Rock” was another toughie, but we did have one correct guess. Gandy Warm Springs is located half a mile from the Nevada border at the southern base of Spring Mountain (Gandy Mountain) at the western edge of Snake Valley, Utah. Multiple springs come from the sides of the mountain and cascade into a constructed pool made of Cambrian limestone cobbles and boulders. The main spring at Gandy emerges from a cave (Beware Cave) below the soaking pool, discharging an enormous quantity of geothermal water (~81˚F), at nearly 9000 gallons per minute, which flows east as Warm Creek (Gandy Creek).
Great guesses, and keep an eye out for tomorrow’s next “Spot the Rock”!
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.
We’re back with another round of “Spot the Rock”! Where do you think these red rocks reside?
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UPDATE: Location Revealed
We’re not sure if last week’s “Spot the Rock” was too easy or too hard since we only got one guess (though that one guess was correct…so contrats!) This is a view of part of Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area, located west of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in Daggett County.
The deep red rock layers at left in the photo belong to the 770 to 1,600 million year old Uinta Mountain Group. The ridge forming gray rocks immediately to the right are part of the roughly 330 to 354 million year old Madison Limestone (this cliff is locally called The Palisades). Separating the two units is a 450 million year unconformity and the southwest branch of the Uinta fault zone.
This road-side overlook also provides a somber view of the site of Utah’s most deadly landslide. On June 9, 1965 a debris flow swept through the former Palisade campground (bottom left of photo) destroying the campground and killing seven campers.
For more information, a geologic road guide for the area can be found here:http://www.utahgeology.org/road_logs/uga-29_first_edition/OP_guide/sheepcrk.pdf
By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne
The Klondike Bluffs 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvania Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt wells, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne
The Mollie Hogans 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt walls, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Hellmut H. Doelling and Paul A. Kuehne
The Windows Section 7.5′ quadrangle covers a large part of Arches National Park and encompasses colorful bedrock strata ranging in age from Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation to Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Salt diapirs are common throughout the area, and the Salt-Cache Valley Salt Structure is the most prominent structure, with several additional salt structures present, including the Salt Wash and Courthouse synclines and the Elephant Butte folds. A one-mile-wide zone of faults is located in the Windows Section northeast of the Moab fault. Scenic resources in the area showcase joints, fins, grabens above salt walls, and the highest concentration of arches in the world.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. A geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and a 31-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
Henry Mountains, Garfield County, Utah
Photographer: Ken Krahulec; © 2012
Oligocene-age igneous intrusions exposed in the Henry Mountains, Garfield County.
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.
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