Geologic Hazards

By: G. E. Christenson, L. D. Batatian, and C. V. Nelson The purpose of these guidelines is to outline appropriate surface-fault-rupture-hazard investigation techniques and report content to ensure adequate studies to protect the public, aid in land-use regulation, and facilitate risk reduction. Faults are...

By: S. Hecker This report consolidates and synthesizes information on Quaternary faulting, folding, and volcanism in Utah and characterizes recent tectonic activity throughout the state. The primary purpose is to provide a comprehensive reference on fault-specific seismic sources and surface rupture to facilitate the...

By: W. R. Lund, editorGeologic exposures in the Salt Lake City region record a long history of sedimentation and tectonic activity extending back to the Precambrian Era. Today, the city lies above a deep, sediment-filled basin flanked by two uplifted range blocks, the Wasatch...

The Paleoseismology of Utah series makes the results of paleoseismic investigations in Utah available to geoscientists, engineers, planners, public officials, and the general public. These studies provide critical information regarding paleoearthquakeparameters such as earthquake timing, recurrence, displacement, slip rate, fault geometry, and segmentation, which...

This educational and entertaining pocket field guide provides a simplified introduction to the different types of volcanoes, lava flows, pyroclastic flows, and the rocks that are formed as a result of eruption. This guide will appeal equally to novice volcanologists and students of geology...

Summary This proceedings volume documents the results of the 2022 Basin and Range Earthquake Summit (BRES22) convened by the Utah Geological Survey in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 17–20, 2022. The summit was sponsored by the Utah Geological Survey, the Utah Division of...

By: Jessica J. Castleton and Ben A. Erickson On August 24, 2019, at approximately 5:30 p.m., a large slab of Navajo Sandstone detached from a vertical cliff face of Cable Mountain above the Weeping Rock area, in Zion National Park, Utah. Utah Geological Survey...

By: B. D. Black, B. J. Solomon, and K. M. Harty Geologic hazards are naturally occurring geologic processes that present a risk to life and property. Tooele County is subject to many geologic hazards that need to be identified and considered prior to development....

By: M. D. Hylland and M. Lowe The Farmington Siding landslide complex is in Davis County, Utah, about 25 kilometers north of Salt Lake City. The landslide complex covers approximately 19.5 square kilometers and is one of 13 late Pleistocene/Holocene features along the Wasatch...

By: H. E. Gill and W. R. LundPark City began as a mining community in the late 1860s and mining continued actively in the area for more than 100 years. In the 1970s skiing surpassed mining as the major industry in the area. Due...

By: C. G. Oviatt, J. F. Shroder, and R. E. Sewell The Colorado Plateau is a unique area for the study of Quaternary deposits and processes since it has been the site of continuous stream downcutting, cliff retreat, and landscape denudation during much of...

By: Tyler R. Knudsen and William R. LundHistorically, the communities of La Verkin, Virgin, Rockville, and Springdale have been affected by a variety of geologic hazards. Recent damaging rock falls, riverine floods, recurrent flash floods and landslides, and problems associated with collapsible soil and...

By: G. N. McDonald and F. X. Ashland Contains a 41-page report and a 1:150,000-scale map defining seismic site conditions for the Wasatch Front urban corridor. This mapping, partially funded through the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Hazards Reduction Program, provides a basis for predicting...

By: W. R. Lund, C. B. DuRoss, S. M. Kirby, G. N. McDonald, G. Hunt, and G. S. Vice Contains a 30-page report and 37-photo appendix of an investigation by the Utah Geological Survey of five recently discovered earth fissures in southwestern Utah. The...

By: F. X. Ashland The majority of the 1998 Wasatch Front landslides were likely triggered following a cumulative rise in ground-water levels resulting from four or more successive years of above-normal precipitation. Triggering of landslide movement likely coincided with a transient ground-water-level rise associated...

By: G. N. McDonald, compiler The Geologic Hazards Program of the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) maps and defines geologic hazards and provides assistance to tax-supported entities (cities, towns, counties, and their engineers, planning commissions, or planning departments; associations of governments; state agencies; and school...

By: UGS Staff This map shows the location of faults in Salt Lake County. Back side of map includes information on faults, effects of surface fault rupture, when and where surface rupture is likely to occur, and what can be done to protect homes....

By: Mark MilliganEarthquake-triggered liquefaction can cause extensive damage and loss of life. While Utah has historically experienced liquefaction-producing earthquakes, it has thus far escaped significant damage. However, the densely populated Wasatch Front region has a 93% probability of one or more earthquakes capable of...

During the 1980s engineers and geologists with the Utah State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dames and Moore prepared a series of liquefaction potential maps for parts of Utah. Five separate reports cover the urbanized Wasatch Front counties and other valley...

By: S. N. Eldredge The Places with Hazards curriculum was developed for secondary-level earth science teachers as a means of preparing students to live more safely in a world that can pose problems from natural hazards. Students should be able to make wise choices...