Hey everyone! We’ve got two field reviews of new geologic mapping are coming your way. One trip will cover the Willard Quadrangle, the other will cover the Salt Lake City North and Baileys Lake Quadrangles. Please see the images for more information.
The mornings are becoming a little crisper, and night comes a little quicker. It won’t belong before we see this scene!
Zion National Park, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Adam Hiscock; © 2015
Snow highlights cross-bedding on the sides of buttes and mesas along the Clear Creek drainage on the east side of Zion National Park. Cross-beds in the nearly 2,000-foot-thick Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone formed in ancient sand dunes and reflect changing wind directions as the sand was being deposited.
Earth Science Week is in full swing at the Utah Geological Survey this week. Who else has Earth Science Week plans??
Fall is upon us and October is just around the corner. If there were a Pumpkin Spice Geology, maybe it would look a little like this photo. What do you think? We’re in the Fall spirit here at the UGS!
Chocolate Drops, Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, Wayne County, Utah
Photographer: Tyler Knudsen; © 2015
If you missed it a couple of weeks ago, here is an article outlining the paleoseismic study some of our UGS geologists helped with on a trench.
nextcity.org
Not far from I-215 in Salt Lake City, near the airport, a deep trench cuts through the earth. Though it looks like a sewer repair project, there’s nothing down here but dirt. And dirt, to the trained eye, can reveal quite a bit about a city’s future.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman; © 2015
Alpenglow illuminates the glacially sculpted Stansbury Mountains as seen from the shores of Great Salt Lake. Deseret Peak (11,031 feet), the leftmost high summit, is the range’s highest peak and is underlain by Cambrian-age Prospect Mountain Quartzite.
eastern Uinta Basin, Uintah County, Utah
Photographer: Michael Vanden Berg; © 2014
Algal stromatolites from the Green River Formation, eastern Uinta Basin, Uintah County.
Here are a few more great articles highlighting the work some of our geologists have done towards recent earthquake research in the Salt Lake Valley:
kutv.com
Utah’s seismic scientists are sounding a warning about impending earthquakes in Utah. They say Utah is not prepared for a major earthquake even though science tells us it is when, not if, one will hit the Wasatch front.
fox13now.com
Experts say the state of Utah is not prepared for a big earthquake, and seismologists at the Earthquake Research Institute predict if a 7.0-magnitude quake hit the Wasatch Fault Line it would cost the state about $33 billion in economic losses.
good4utah.com
A new study says Utah is not ready for a major earthquake.
Take a quick minute today on your afternoon break to think about earthquake preparedness. What have you done around your home to help relieve potential damage from a large earthquake? Have you talked to your family and friends, do you have an action plan if an earthquake occurs?
A team of geologists, including some of our very own Utah Geological Survey geologists, have been studying the Taylorsville-West Valley City fault over the last couple of weeks. They hope to gain a better understanding of the fault’s ability to produce large earthquakes, and if that fault tends to rupture with or without the Wasatch Fault. Below are a couple of articles outlining all of their hard work and findings!
deseretnews.com
A team of geologists has dug a 150-foot trench by the Salt Lake City International Airport to study the Taylorsville-West Valley City fault, and its rock samples will help scientists forecast when the next major earthquake could erupt along the Wasatch fault.
ksl.com
A team of geologists has dug a 150-foot trench by the Salt Lake City International Airport to study the Taylorsville-West Valley City fault, and its rock samples will help scientists forecast when the next major earthquake could erupt along the Wasatch fault.
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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