Media Inquiry:
Hollie Brown
PIO, Utah Geological Survey
holliebrown@utah.gov  801-243-9466

UGS Hosts Earth Science Week Activities

SALT LAKE CITY (October 3, 2022) — Utah Geological Survey (UGS) staff and volunteers will host approximately 700 fourth-grade students through October 13 to celebrate Earth Science Week. Hands-on activities include learning about earthquakes and discovering where and how they happen, examining dinosaur and ice age fossils in the paleontology lab, and panning for pyrite (also known as fool’s gold) and other minerals.

“Earth Science Week provides UGS staff an opportunity to show students that geology and science can be fun,” said UGS Geologic Information and Outreach Manager Mark Milligan. “Our goal is to engage with students and provide an opportunity to discover and appreciate science.”

All events are held at the Utah Core Research Center in Salt Lake City. Virtual activities are also available at https://geology.utah.gov/teachers/earth-science-week/esw-online/. In addition to Earth Science Week activities, UGS offers hands-on teaching kits for Utah elementary and secondary schools on topics related to the state school science curriculum.

Earth Science Week is celebrated the second full week of October throughout the nation and other countries 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.