Geologic Hiking Guides (Geology Jaunts) and SurveyNotes Articles
If you’d rather be your own guide, read our latest geologic hiking guides and Informative Survey Notes Articles. This section houses many of our geologic hiking guides to popular locations in Utah such as Zion National Park and even the Grand Canyon, where geologists and geology enthusiasts can come to find hiking guides for many of the popular trails and hikes in Utah which showcase spectacular or noteworthy geology!
A Geologic Overview of Lake Powell, Utah
Nestled within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GCNRA), Lake Powell is a testament to both human ingenuity and the enduring power of nature. The lake fills the entirety of the roughly…
Pine Park and the Ancient Supervolcanoes of Southwestern Utah
Hidden in a remote corner of Washington County is a fascinating place nearly forgotten among the other attractions of southern Utah. The scenic Pine Park area exposes intriguing volcanic deposits that reveal the story of the largest volcanic eruptions in Utah’s geologic history.
When Was The Colorado River Formed?
Rise of the Colorado Plateau (33-15 MYA), and Formation of the Colorado River & Grand Canyon Introduction For over two decades, the geologic community has remained locked in a debate regarding the “Old” versus “Young” Colorado River. In this article I’d like to show how almost all researchers have missed the most obvious and important […]
WHAT ARE MOQUI MARBLES? AND HOW DO THEY FORM?
What are Moqui Marbles? Moqui marbles are small, brownish-black balls composed of iron oxide and sandstone that formed underground when iron minerals precipitated from flowing groundwater. They occur in many places in southern Utah either embedded in…
THE HENRY MOUNTAINS OF UTAH (Geology, Features & Attractions)
Nestled in south-central Utah is a remote mountain range which epitomizes an entire era of unique volcanism in Utah and was one of the last mountain ranges in the United States to be fully explored and mapped.
THE FACINATING GEOLOGY OF THE WASATCH PLATEAU
The Wasatch Plateau is located south and east of the southernmost part of the Wasatch Range in central Utah and is in the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range physiographic provinces.
What Makes the Rock Red (in Utah/Arches & Zion National Park)
Utah’s Colorado Plateau is famous for its striking vistas and dazzling colors. Hues of red, pink, maroon, yellow, brown, and white create an array of stunning rock colors that attract visitors from all over the globe. From the red rocks …
Cottonwood Wash of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (aka The Cockscomb Monocline)
Tourists and geologists alike come from all over the world to see and study the magnificent exposures of geologic units displayed in Utah’s Colorado Plateau region…
Utah’s ‘Old Faithful’, Crystal Geyser
When most people think about geysers, they picture a Yellowstone- like hot spring where pressure from steam sends a tall column of water into the air. In Utah, however, several “geysers” erupt due to the same process that causes soda pop to shoot out of the can when you hold your finger over t he […]
The Geology of Zion National Park
Although the geology of the Zion National Park includes nine known exposed formations, Zion is predominately the result of one spectacular unit, the Navajo Sandstone. Zion’s formations represent about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in a large ancient Jurassic basin. The Navajo is part of a super-sequence of rock units called the Grand Staircase, the time exposed […]
