SURVEY NOTES 57-2

Utah Geological Survey Notes, Volume 57, Number 2

This issue of Survey Notes from the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) covers various geological studies and news relevant to Utah. The featured article discusses the application of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology by the UGS to monitor ground deformation. InSAR, a satellite-based technique, measures ground motion using electromagnetic waves, aiding in the analysis of land subsidence, landslides, and seismic activity.  The UGS is employing InSAR to assess subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal, particularly in areas like Cedar City Valley, and to study other geological hazards across Utah.    

The publication also features an article on mapping and modeling Phragmites at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.  This collaborative project between the UGS, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands (FFSL), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) utilized manual photo interpretation and automated modeling with Random Forest (RF) algorithms to classify vegetation communities from satellite imagery.  The study evaluated the effectiveness of different mapping techniques and imagery resolutions in accurately mapping Phragmites extent.    

A "Glad You Asked" article provides an overview of the geology of Lake Powell within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  It details the layered rock formations, spanning from Pennsylvanian to Late Cretaceous age, and the geological processes, including uplift and erosion, that shaped the canyon.    

The "GeoSights" section focuses on Desert Mountain in Juab County, Utah.  This geological feature is interpreted as the remnants of a volcanic caldera, with a history of magmatic activity during the Eocene to Oligocene Epochs.  The article describes the various igneous rocks that compose the mountain, including granodiorite, rhyolite, and leucogranite, and the geological events that led to the formation of the caldera and its subsequent features, such as a resurgent dome and volcanic breccia.  The influence of Lake Bonneville on the area's landscape is also discussed.