POPULAR GEOLOGY

Earth Science Week

The Utah Geological Survey hosts free, hands-on activities for school groups (usually 4th graders) to celebrate Earth Science Week during October. Activities are held at the Utah Core Research Center: 240 North Redwood Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84114.

On-site activities for Earth Science Week 2024 at the UGS are scheduled for October 7th-10th and 15th-17th!

To make reservations, please contact Jackson Smith at jacksonsmith@utah.gov or by calling 801-537-3300.

Activities at the Utah Geological Survey

Groups are scheduled for 2-hour sessions. Each group is split into subgroups and rotated through five hands-on activity stations:

  • the stream trailer where the students create and destroy a river landscape while learning about deposition and erosion;
  • the rock talk where the students study minerals and sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks while learning about the rock cycle;
  • the paleontology prep lab where the students examine dinosaur and ice age fossils while learning about geologic history;
  • the earthquake demonstrations where the students discover where and how earthquakes happen and create their own earthquake while learning about earthquake safety; and
  • the “gold” panning troughs where the students pan for pyrite, magnetite, and other minerals while learning that geology is fun!

To make reservations, please contact Jackson Smith at jacksonsmith@utah.gov or by calling 801-537-3300.

Earth Science Week is celebrated the second full week of October throughout the nation as well as in other countries. The purpose is to increase public understanding and appreciation of the Earth sciences. Launched in 1998 by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), efforts have grown on local, national, and international levels to highlight the vital role Earth sciences play in society’s use of resources and interaction with the environment. For more information about Earth Science Week, visit the AGI’s website at www.earthsciweek.org.

Earth Science Week is celebrated the second full week of October throughout the nation as well as in other countries. The purpose is to increase public understanding and appreciation of the Earth sciences. Launched in 1998 by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), efforts have grown on local, national, and international levels to highlight the vital role Earth sciences play in society’s use of resources and interaction with the environment. For more information about Earth Science Week, visit the AGI’s website at www.earthsciweek.org.