Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Don DeBlieux; © 2011
Dinosaur tracks on a block of fallen Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone. North of the confluence of the San Juan and Colorado Rivers, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, San Juan County.
Buckhorn Wash, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah
Photographer: J. Buck Ehler; ©2011
Petroglyphs etched into a Navajo Sandstone cliff, probably about 1,000 years ago in Buckhorn Wash, San Rafael Swell, Emery County.
By: Stefan M. Kirby
This map represents the geology of the Vernon NE quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Vernon NE quadrangle covers a part of the floor of Rush Valley northeast of the Vernon Hills in southeastern Tooele County. Unconsolidated surficial deposits of Holocene to lower Pleistocene? age cover nearly the entire quadrangle. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel sediments, and lacustrine units deposited during both the transgression and regression of Lake Bonneville. The Salt Lake Formation is exposed in the western half of the quadrangle as a series of topographically low outcrops partially overlain and surrounded by unconsolidated deposits. The exposed thickness of the Salt Lake Formation is up to 2850 feet (870m).
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and a 6-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Stefan M. Kirby
This map represents the geology of the Faust quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Faust quadrangle covers part of Rush Valley and includes the southeastern part of the Onaqui Mountains, the northernmost Vernon Hills and adjoining parts of the valley floor in southeastern Tooele County, Utah. Most of the Faust quadrangle is covered by unconsolidated deposits of Holocene to Pleistocene age. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel deposits, and lacustrine units deposited during the maximum transgression of Lake Bonneville. At least two prominent systems of normal faults along the flank of the Onaqui Mountains and near the Vernon Hills cut unconsolidated deposits within the quadrangle. Sedimentary rocks exposed in the quadrangle include folded Pennsylvanian bedrock of the Oquirrh Group consolidated Tertiary basin fill of the Salt Lake Formation.
This DVD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and an 8-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
Happy Thursday, everyone! The weekend is almost here, and with it, another round of “Spot the Rock.” Tell us below where in Utah you think this rockin’ site is found!
Like us on FACEBOOK or follow us on TWITTER to participate in “Spot the Rock”!
UPDATE: Location Revealed
Step Mountain is a Tertiary-aged (dated at 36 million years) andesitic dike in Rose Canyon, three miles southwest of Herriman. The summit is at 6109 feet above sea level. The mountain is a fine example of columnar jointing, typically associated with basalt, but also found in andesites. Columnar jointing is found below the surface of thick lava flows, sills, and dikes, and is caused by the cooling and contracting of the lava creating long vertical joints that form slender polygonal columns, typically pentagonal or hexagonal in shape. In the case of Step Mountain dike, magma filled a crack in the pre-existing rock and the joints formed horizontal to the surface, so the columns act as “steps.” The weathering-resistant dike now has a prominent relief due to the erosion of the softer surrounding volcanic rock.
By: Stefan M. Kirby
This map represents the geology of the Saint John quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Saint John quadrangle, in southeastern Tooele County, Utah, covers a part of the floor of Rush Valley. Unconsolidated surficial deposits of Holocene to Pleistocene age cover nearly the entire quadrangle. These deposits include various alluvial fan and channel sediments, and lacustrine units deposited during both the transgression and regression of Lake Bonneville. Normal faults cut unconsolidated deposits in the western half and northeast corner of the quadrangle. In the northeast corner of the quadrangle, conjugate normal faults form a prominent horst and a series of west-facing scarps in late Pleistocene mixed alluvial and lacustrine deposits. Bedrock includes Pennsylvanian-age Oquirrh Group sedimentary rocks exposed in the southwest corner of the quadrangle, which consists of interbedded marine limestone and sandstone. Consolidated Tertiary fine-grained lacustrine basin fill of the Salt Lake Formation is exposed just north of the community of Saint John.
This CD contains geographic information system (GIS) files in ESRI file geodatabase and shapefile formats. Two plates, a geologic map at 1:24,000 scale and an explanation plate, and an 8-page booklet are also included in PDF format. The latest version of Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files.
By: Paul Inkenbrandt, Kevin Thomas, and J. Lucy Jordan
In this 46-page report, we characterized the deep aquifer system and its connections to the overlying aquifers in the area of the Hurricane fault in Washington County by examining well logs, creating regional potentiometric-surface maps, compiling groundwater quality data, conducting gravity surveys, examining remote sensing data for surface lineaments, and determining areas for potential monitoring wells. Results of the study were: (1) R and C aquifer groundwater depths are > 500 feet in the I-15 corridor area, (2) a groundwater divide likely exists south of the Utah-Arizona state line, (3) groundwater flow follows open fracture systems, (4) fracture conductivity is highest near the fault, (5) dissolution of evaporites increase groundwater TDS, and (6) a well should be drilled into the Hurricane fault near Pintura.
Congratulations to Tom Chidsey who was named the 2013 UGS Employee of the Year. Tom is a senior scientist with the Energy and Minerals Program and has worked at the UGS for 24 years. Tom always strives to make everything he does perfect. From core workshops to field trips to reports, he always goes above and beyond. Tom consistently produces a high volume of superb quality work, has impeccable character, and brings respect and praise to the UGS. His work on the petroleum geology of Utah is so well respected that he has been invited several times by many organizations to present talks on the subject. Tom is a role-model employee, carrying a heavy workload capably, cheerfully, and with high productivity and integrity. He is a deserving recipient of the UGS Employee of the Year Award.
Tom Chidsey accepts award from Utah Geological Survey Director, Rick Allis.
Hite Crossing vicinity, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Garfield and San Juan Counties, Utah
Photographer: Don DeBlieux; ©2011
Permian- and Triassic-age sedimentary rocks color the shorelines of dam-impounded Lake Powell near the confluence of the Colorado and Dirty Devil Rivers. Although the lake water has submerged numerous relicts of ancient animal (including human) and plant life, traces of prehistoric life can still be found along the lake shores and in some tributaries.
UGS’s Dr. Jim Kirkland, State Paleontologist of Utah, was the keynote speaker for the “2013 Utah Governor’s Medals for Science and Technology” awards banquet held on January 15, 2014, at The Leonardo in Salt Lake City. The annual event honors outstanding achievements in science relative to education and technical innovation. Kirkland addressed this year’s theme on dinosaurs by presenting an historical overview of Utah’s outstanding dinosaur heritage, while Dr. Randy Irmis, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, served as the master of ceremonies.
Dr. Jim Kirkland and Governor Gary Herbert
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.
1594 West North Temple, Suite 3110
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
801-537-3300 (phone)
801-537-3400 (fax)
Mailing Address:
PO BOX 146100
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
