Utah Geological Survey

New data series: Statewide Inventory of Utah’s Significant Mine Waste Features, by Claire Decker, Austin Jensen, Ben Sears, Josh Dustin, Subigya Shah, Rosemary Fasselin, and Stephanie Mills, 8 p., DS-8. The Utah Geological Survey has mapped significant mine waste features across Utah in a new GIS geodatabase. As interest grows in reprocessing old mine waste for today's valuable minerals, this inventory tracks their locations & geology.

Learn more: https://doi.org/10.34191/DS-8

Photo of the Week: Cascade Springs, Wasatch County
Photographer: Diane Menuz
Cascade Springs is fed by precipitation and snowmelt that seep through fractures in the Cambrian-age bedrock and is then forced to the surface when it reaches an impermeable layer. The terraces at the springs are composed of travertine, a finely crystalline limestone that forms from the precipitation of calcium carbonate, which is dissolved as the groundwater feeding the springs passes through limestone bedrock.

Logan Canyon, winding through the Bear River Range along Highway 89 in Cache County, is home to fascinating karst features like springs and caves. A standout is Ricks Spring, a popular roadside attraction for over 100 years, discovered and named in the late 1800s. Learn more about this GeoSight article– https://ow.ly/C4zy50QxTCj

Are you looking to explore rocks, minerals, fossils, or beautiful landscape rocks? Check out our web app! Tailor your search based on your interests and get detailed information, including location descriptions, land ownership, coordinates, directions, and vivid photos.

Remember, being a responsible rockhound means practicing good stewardship of the land. Be aware that, depending on your location and the type of land, you might need additional permits from state or local agencies. Always respect private property rights and avoid trespassing.–https://geology.utah.gov/apps/rockhounder/

Photo of the Week: High Uintas Wilderness, Summit County, Utah
Photographer: Chris DuRoss
Ostler Peak (12,718 feet) is reflected in a meander bend of the Stillwater Fork of the Bear River in the Uinta Mountains. Thousands of years ago, glaciers inundated much of the Uinta Mountains, leaving behind long glacier-carved valleys, steep-sided cirques, and jagged peaks.

Drusy quartz and iron oxide veinlets cross-cut crystalline dolomite in the Fish Springs range.
Photo by Stephanie Mills.

Utah recently celebrated 100 years of filmmaking! From classic Westerns to sci-fi thrillers, the state's spectacular landscapes have provided iconic backdrops for generations.

Want to see how these cinematic vistas actually formed? Learn the fascinating science behind Hollywood's favorite backdrops in the latest Glad You Asked article–https://ow.ly/VwVf50Z8WYQ


Image: A still from the television show Westworld, filmed at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Source: “Westworld” Season 2 (2018) / HBO.)

Rivers typically originate in the mountains, flow away from them in a more-or-less constant direction, enter increasingly broad river plains, and terminate at an ocean. But many rivers in Utah flow toward and across mountains, run contrary to valleys, make U-turns, and many never reach the ocean. This Glad You Asked article explores four of Utah's streams that run extraordinary courses. http://ow.ly/4r3G50FB2rd

Photo of the Week: Above the Virgin River valley, evening sun strikes outcrops of the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone. Weathering patterns and alternating bands of chemically oxidized (red) and reduced (white) mineral cements combine to produce interesting patterns of texture and color.
Yant Flat, Washington County
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman

Discover Silver Reef, a historic Utah ghost town and one of the few places on Earth where miners extracted millions of dollars of silver directly from sandstone. The unique district produced over 219 tons of silver before booming to a halt in 1888. Explore the geology and history of this southwestern Utah marvel in the latest GeoSights article–https://ow.ly/B95W50Z6Ijf