My Utah Geology Report

I just returned from a week in Utah. As I posted before my trip, I was hoping to learn a little basic geology--and I wasn't disappointed. In addition to the resources at the Utah Geological Survey I also had my father-in-law who, while not a geologist, has background and continuing interest in geology. I snapped a few pictures which I will show below, and of course I invite comments--especially from those who know more than I do.

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(Click to enlarge images.)


One of the easiest features to see--that probably any Utah native knows about--is the ancient shoreline of Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake are remnants of this once large lake. This first photo looks south along the Wasatch Mountains to Point of the Mountain, and the shoreline is pretty easy to see.

This picture is of Little Cottonwood Canyon, which was formed by a glacier. Quartz monzonite was quarried from this canyon to build the Salt Lake Temple.

Glacier-cut canyons tend to have a straight U-shape rather than the wandering V-shape made by river erosion. The upper part of Big Cottonwood Canyon was also cut by a glacier but the lower part was cut by water erosion, so there is a transition from the U-shape to V-shape as you travel down the canyon. Google Earth provides a neat comparison of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon. In this image (looking east) you can see the difference between Little CC (right) and the lower part of Big CC (left). Also, the base of Big CC was once a delta that is now harvested for sand and gravel. (Much of the skiing in Utah takes place in these two canyons.)


The mouth and surrounding hills of Little Cottonwood Canyon are littered with white boulders. These appear to be terminal moraine--rocks brought down and then dropped by the glacier.

Near the canyon you can also see part of the Wasatch fault. Shown here, it runs from the white patch of rocks toward the right (in the saddle-shaped area) down toward the house in the center with the reddish roof.




I spent some of my time in Midway--near Heber--and took a couple of pictures of hot pots. The most prominent one is at the Homestead, but there are other smaller ones around the valley.

I also did the building tour, which was interesting, but I won't bore you further. All in all I think it was a successful venture.