Survey Notes, September 2013

7/30/2019 Survey Notes, September 2013

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FIRE-RELATED DEBRIS-FLOW HAZARD

O N T H E W A S A T C H P L A T E A U

September 2013Volume 45, Number 3

U T A H G E O L O G I C A L S U R V E Y


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Richard G.Allis

he hazards theme o this Survey Notes issue

a reminder that we live in a geologically

zardous state. The hazards that concern us

ry rom inrequent, large magnitude events

ch as major earthquakes to smaller mag-

ude, requent events such as debris fows,

ck alls, and landslides. This spring, a major

lure occurred in the sidewall o Kennecotts

en-pit Bingham Canyon Mine. The result-

g landslide fowed into the pit; the total

tance between the main scarp and the toe

s 1.5 miles. Within days, Kennecott had

sted high-resolution photos o the slide

the web, and provided some details aboute scale o the slide. The mass o rock in

e slide was estimated at 165 million tons,

uivalent to about 100 million cubic yards o

bble. Unusual deormation in the pit wall

d been monitored or several months prior

the landslide, and Kennecott had moved

uipment out o the likely path o the

pending slide. Even so, twelve 330-ton

ul-trucks that were parked on a ar-side

nch several hundred eet above the bottom

the pit were enguled by the slide (visible

photo at the toe o the slide). Kennecott

s stated that production rom the mine

s year could be halved compared to

st years. The mine produces about 25

percent o U.S. copper

production each year,

and also produces

signiicant amounts

o molybdenum, gold,

and silver.

Various blogs and

press reports have

subsequently commented that the Bingham

Mine slide is probably one o the largest

human-caused landslides in the world, and

Kennecott has suggested it is probably one o

the largest mining-related slides. Up to now,

the 1983 Thistle landslide in central Utah has

been known as this nations most costly land-

slide, with $200 million in direct reconstruc-

tion costs, and over $100 million in indirect

costs largely due to the disruption to railroad

business1. In todays dollars, this amounts to

about $700 million. That landslide was esti-

mated at 50 million tons and was just over a

mile in length. Kennecott has not stated what

the cost o returning the mine to ull produc-

tion will be, but some mineral analysts have

speculated that it will be at least $1 billion; i

so, this event will earn the dubious title as the

nation's most costly landslide.

These two landslides highlight how the

costs and impacts o large hazard events can

rapidly escalate. The paleoseismic record rom

trenches across the Wasatch ault demonstrates

that magnitude 7 earthquakes recur on average

about every 300 years somewhere along

the ault. In addition to many lives lost and

collapsed buildings, the reconstruction costs

rom such an earthquake are expected be

in the range o $1030 billion (reer to

Directors Perspective in the May 2013 issue

oSurvey Notes).

1Flooding and Landslides in Utah: An EconomicImpact Analysis Report by Bureau o Economic andBusiness Research, University o Utah, December 984.

gn: Nikki Simon

r: September 1, 2012, re-related debris fow deposit onMill Canyon alluvial an ollowing the 2012 Seeley re.o by Richard Giraud.

The DirectorsPerspective

State of Utah GaryR.Herbert,Governor

Department of Natural Resources MichaelSty ler, Executive Director

UGS Board M ar k Bu nn e ll ,Chair

WilliamLoughlin,TomTripp,

SunnyDent,KennethPuchlik,

MarcEckels,PeteKilbourne, K ev in C ar te r(Trust Lands

Administration-ex ocio)

UGS Staff

Administration

RichardG.Allis, Director

K im m Ha rt y, Deputy Director

S ta rr S ol iz ,Secretary/Receptionist

DianneDavis,Administrative Secretary

KathiGalusha, Financial Manager

L in da Ben n et t, Accounting Technician

MichaelHylland,Technical Reviewer

RobertRessetar, Technical Reviewer

Editorial StaffVicky Clarke LoriSteadman,StevieEmerson,

NikkiSimon,JayHill

Geologic HazardsSteve Bowman RichardGiraud,WilliamLund,

GregMcDonald,JessicaCastleton,

GreggBeukelman,ChrisDuRoss,

TylerKnudsen,CoreyUnger,

AdamMcKean,BenErickson,

PamPerri,AdamHiscock

Geologic Information and OutreachSandra Eldredge ChristineWilkerson,PatriciaStokes,

MarkMilligan,LanceWeaver,

GentryHammerschmid,JimDavis,

MarshallRobinson,BryanButler,

RobynKeeling

Geologic MappingGrant Willis JonKing,DouglasSprinkel,

KentBrown,BasiaMatyjasik,

DonaldClark,BobBiek,

PaulKuehne,ZachAnderson

Energy and Minerals David Tabet RobertBlackett,CraigMorgan,

JeffQuick,TaylorBoden,

ThomasChidsey,CherylGustin,

TomDempster,BrigitteHucka,

StephanieCarney,KenKrahulec,

BradWolverton,SonjaHeuscher,

MikeVandenBerg,AndrewRupke,

MarkGwynn,ChristianHardwick,

PeterNielsen,HobieWillis, R eb ek ah W oo d

Groundwater and PaleontologyMike Lowe

JamesKirkland,JanaeWallace,

MarthaHayden,HughHurlow,

DonDeBlieux,KimNay,

PaulInkenbrandt,LucyJordan,

KevinThomas,WalidSabbah,

RichEmerson,StefanKirby,

ScottMadsen,JenniferJones,

DianeMenuz

y NotesispublishedthreetimesyearlybyUtahGeologicalSurvey,1594W.NorthTemple,Suite3110,SaltLakeCity,Utah84116;(801)537-3300.TheUtahGeologicalSurveyprovidestimely

ticinformationaboutUtahsgeologicenvironment,resources,andhazards.TheUGSisadivisionoftheDepartmentofNaturalResources.SinglecopiesofSurvey Notesaredistributedfreeof

gewithintheUnitedStatesandreproductionisencouragedwithrecognitionofsource.Copiesareavailableatgeology.utah.gov/surveynotes. ISSN 1061-7930

ntentsingDebrisFlowsPromptLandslide

entoryMappingforthe2012SeelyFire,bonandEmeryCounties,Utah.............1

all:AnIncreasingHazardinUrbanizingthwester nUtah..................... ............... 4

eologicDataResourcesforUtah..........6News .............................. ................... ... 8

r'sCorner..............................................9

ouAsked ................. ................... .......... 10

hts.......................................................12

News...................................................13

ublic ations.............................. backcove r

The 2012 Seeley re was a lightning-caused re thatburned 75 square miles (48,050 acres) on the WasatchPlateau in central Utah. The re, which started on June26 and was contained on July 18, was approximately 15miles northwest of Huntington and about 12 miles east ofFairview. Thunderstorm rainfall on July 7, 2012, producedre-related debris ows and ooding, causing damage toState Route (SR) 31 and Huntington Creek in HuntingtonCanyon. Additional thunderstorm rainfall in 2012 produceddebris ows and ooding on July 16, July 30, July 31, andSeptember 1, 2012. To date in 2013, rainfall produceddebris ows and ooding on July 16 and 18. These rain-storms show how prone the steep, burned slopes are togenerating debris ows and ooding.

he Utah Geological Survey (UGS) and the MantiLa SalNational Forest (MLSNF) modiied an existing cost-shareagreement to ocus on landslide inventory mapping o theSeeley ire burn area. he map and accompanying geographicinormation system (GIS) geodatabase show and characterizelandslides (including debris lows) within the burn area to provideinormation to manage potential post-ire landslides and toprioritize areas where risk-reduction measures are needed.

Debris lows are the most common type o landslide ollowing awildire and are triggered when intense thunderstorm rain al ls

on steep, burned slopes. Debris lows are mixtures o wsediment, and in the Seeley ire area, the sediment cboulders, gravel, sand, mud, burned tree trunks, partialorganic matter, and ash. Some lows contain more wsediment and are luid, having a consistency similar tmilkshake. Other lows contain more sediment than ware more viscous, having a consistency similar to wetFire-related debris lows occur when wildires leave baand little vegetation to intercept intense thunderstormincreasing surace-water runo. he runo water concestream channels where it erodes and incorporates loossediment to orm debris lows. he debris lows continuchannel sediment and increase in volume as they low dmountain channels until they reach an alluvial an at th

mouth and spread out, depositing sediment.Debris lows are one o the most dangerous post-irbecause they can be li e threatening, move rapidly, and little warning. Debris lows are generally more damawater loods because o their destructive power. Debrissity, thickness, and velocity can combine to produce larpressures, and lows can destroy buildings, campgrounbridges, culverts, and other inrastructure in their path.o Utahs iteen debris-low atalities occ urred in campgnight, where ast-moving debris lows struck with littland let victims with no time to move to a sae location.

Damaging Debris Flows Promp

Landslide Inventory Mapping

for the 2012 Seeley Fire, Carbon

and Emery Counties, Utah

Bingham Canyon Mine landslide. Photo courtesy o Kennecott Utah Copper.

Tistle landslide, 983.

by Richard Giraud and Greg McDonald

Utah Department o ransportation snow plow clearing the July 7, 2012, re-related debris ow depositrom State Route 31 in Huntington Canyon (photo courtesy o Emery County Sherifs Department).

SEPTEMBER


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Richard Giraud has been a geologist with theUGS since 997 and has worked on a varietyo landslide projects with the Geologic HazardsProgram. He specializes in debris ows and hasa specic interest in re-related debris ows.Current work involves landslide inventorymapping on the Wasatch Plateau.

worked closely with the MLSNF during and ater the Seeleyre, providing ire-related debris low hazard inormation to

nderstand risks and potential impacts. he MLSNF put closureices and travel restrictions into place or debris-low areas ander post-ire hazards (such as looding, alling and rolling trees,alling rocks) to protect public saety.

e ire and intense thunderstorm rainall that ollowed, trans-med the area into a landscape that produced debris lows andds that damaged SR 31, other roads, trails, recreation sites,eries, and water sources or power generation and local irriga-systems. he Seeley ire occurred within a popular recreation

a notable or its scenic viewing, camping, hiking, ishing, andting. he area is also tied inancially to several local industriesuding coal mines, coal-ired electrical power generation, live-k production, and natural gas wells and distribution pipelines.31 through Huntington Canyon is a National Scenic Bywaythe highway is the only paved route across the Wasatch Plateau.

prepared the landslide inventory by analyzing and inter-ing 11 sets o stereo and orthophoto aerial photography

uired periodically rom 1938 through 2011, which provide a

year history o landsliding in the burn area. he characteris-o each historical and prehistoric landslide are recorded in the

S geodatabase. he Seeley ire area has ewer landslides than

other areas o the Wasatch Plateau because the rock units underly-ing the steep areas are stronger and thereore produce ewer land-slides. Rock units in the burn area consist o the Mancos Shale, StarPoint Sandstone, Blackhawk Formation (shal e, siltstone, sandstone,and coal), Castlegate Sandstone, Price River Formation (sandstoneand shale), and North Horn Formation (shale). Elsewhere on theWasatch Plateau, numerous landslides occur in the North HornFormation, but within the burn area, only a small area o NorthHorn is present, mostly on gentle slopes that do not produce manylandslides. o date our mapping indicates a minimum o 32 ire-related debris lows in 2012 and 2013 (ollowing the ire), in addi-tion to many potential debris-low areas.

he potential or ire-related debris lows is highest immediatelyater a ire and will decrease as vegetation is reestablished. For theSeeley ire the potential or debris lows and looding will persistuntil the regrowth o vegetation stabilizes burned hillslopes, inter-cepts rainall, and buers runo. Most ire-related debris lowsin Utah and the Intermountain West occur within two or threeyears ollowing the ire. Drought conditions can limit vegetationregrowth and result in a longer recovery. he UGS landslide inven-

tory map will help the MLSNF manage the post-ire potentialor debris lows and other landslides as vegetation recovers in theSeeley ire burn area.

For more inormation:Preliminary Landslide Inventory Map o the 202 Seeley Fire Area,Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah, Utah Geological Survey Open-File Report 612:http://geology.utah.gov/online/ofr/ofr-612.pdf

For inormation on the UGS Geologic Hazards Program: http:/geology.utah.gov/ghp

For inormation on ire-related debris lows: http://geology.utah.gov/online/pi/pi-90.pdf

For MLSNF inormation about the Seeley ire, potential hazards, closure notices, and travel restrictions:http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mantilasal/home/?cid=STELPRDB5385573

LEFT Location o t(in orange).

RIGHT Part o tinventory map in Canyon shows difo landslides. heshow alluvial

202 and 203 debris ows depositred areas are landhistorical movemareas are dormamoving landslides, areas are dormalandslides. Map landslide types: DF

ow, DS- debrtranslational mov

MS landslide ma

Sandstone boulders, logs, and wood debris deposited in Nuck WoodwardCanyon by a July 8, 203, re-related debris ow.

A September , 202, re-related debris ow covered most o the MillCanyon alluvial an and deposited sediment into Huntington Creek.State Route 3 is at the bottom o the photograph (photo courtesy o EmeryCounty Sherifs Department).

Greg McDonald has been a geologist with theUGS Geologic Hazards Program since 998,and has been primarily mapping landslides in theManti-La Sal Forest on the Wasatch Plateau since2008. Greg has also worked on a variety o projectsincluding several paleoseismic studies, many

debris-ow, landslide, and rock-all investigations,geologic-hazard and surcial-geologic mapping,and earthquake g round-shaking-related studies.

About The Authors

SURVEYNOTES SEPTEMBER


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the UGS will soon release a hazard map olio or the97-square-mile State Route 9 scenic corridor between thecommunities o La Verkin and Springdale. Te UGSprovides copies o its hazard maps to communitieswithin the study areas, so planners and public ocialshave accurate, easily available inormation on rock-all and otherhazards in their jurisdictions as they plan or and manage uturegrowth. Te St. George and Zion National Park hazard maps arealso available to the public on the UGS website at http://geology.utah.gov/maps/geohazmap/washington.htm. Te State Route 9maps will be placed o n the website when the report is published.

In addition to showing where rock-all hazards may occur, themaps include recommendations or conducting investigations toreduce risk to property and lie saety. In some instances, a site-specic assessment may only require a eld geologic evaluationto determine i a rock-all source is present. I a source is identi-ed, additional work is required to assess the hazard. Parametersthat must be evaluated include rock type, joints and other rac-tures, bedding planes, and potential maximum rock size. Slopesbelow a source should be evaluated or slope angle, aspect, suraceroughness, vegetation, and distribution and size o past rock-all boulders. Additionally, the distance to which rocks may runout beyond the base o the slope requires careul evaluation.

Once a rock-all hazard has been identied and chaa geotechnical consultant experienced in rock-amitigation should provide design or site-preparation redations to reduce the hazard. Te map recommendatioparticular urgency because all recent damaging rock three UGS study areas have occurred in locations mhaving a high rock-all hazard, but where mitigationwere not implemented.

In summary, rock alls happen on a daily basis somesouthwestern Utah, and while the majority occur in remor cause no damage or injury, damaging and lie-throck-all strikes are becoming more common as devcontinues to move into areas subject to rock-all hazard

damaging rock all in southwestersimply a matter o time, and i the ris the key to the uture, it wont be atime. Tat is why the UGS conactively map rock-all and otherhazards in southwestern Utah, anwith communities and the public rock-all hazard and risk.

Additional inormation about rock-all

Utah is available on the UGS website at ht

utah.gov/utahgeo/hazards/landslide/index

Washington County specically at http://g

gov/maps/geohazmap/washington.htm

uthwestern Utahs combination o steep slopes capped by

sistant clis and ledges o bedrock makes rock all the regions

ost common orm o slope ailure. Rock all is the dislodging

d rapid downslope movement o rocks and small rock masses;

ck all is a saety hazard because alling or rolling rocks can

mage property and cause injury or even loss o lie. In recent

ars as development in southwestern Utah has encroached into

ck-all hazard areas, rock-all strikes have become increasingly

mmon, damaging property in St. George, Rockville, and Zion

ational Park, crushing a water pipeline in Parowan Canyon, and

osing State Route 14 in Cedar Canyon or almost two weeks.

dditionally, a rock all in January 2013 seriously injured the

cupant o a home in St. George.

William R. Lund

Moenkopi Formationupper red member

ShinarumpConglomerate

ledge

An Increasing

Hazard In Urbanizing

Southwestern Utah

Ledge o the well-jointed, resistant Shinarump Conglomerate Mthe Chinle Formation overlying a slope composed o the soter umember o the Moenkopi Formation. Te Shinarump Conglom

generated numerous large rock-all boulders that in the past rolslope into a now-developing area o Rockville, Utah. Tis area iby the UGS as having a high rock-all hazard.

1947

2010Rock alls 63 years apart in 1947 and 2010 strike the samemaintenance building in Zion National Park in almost the

same spot. Photos courtesy o the National Park Service.

Rock-all protection ence installedin Zion National Park to protect amaintenance building that has been

struck by multiple rock alls.

A 60,000 cubic-yard rock allin Cedar Canyon on January 5,2005, closed State Route 14 orapproximately two weeks whilethe rock was removed and theroadway repaired. Photo by MelAshcrot.

Rock all in St. George, Utah, on January 19, 2013,caused severe damage to this home and serious injuryto the homeowner. Tis house is in an area mapped bythe UGS as having a high rock-all hazard.

Rock alls occur where a source o rock exists above slopessteep enough to allow rapid downslope movement o rocks

by alling, rolling, and bouncing. Gravity is the ultimate causeo rock alls, and most rock alls occur with little or no warning.

However, sometimes there is a discernible triggering event suchas a rainstorm, reeze/thaw cycle, rapid snow melt, or erosion

below a cli or ledge. Earthquakes oten cause rock alls, and the

1992 magnitude 5.8 St. George earthquake resulted in numerousrock alls in southwestern Utah. Additionally, slope modicationssuch as road cuts, building pads, or clearing slope vegetation ordevelopment, can heighten or create local rock-all hazards.

Early recognition and avoidance o rock-all-prone areas is themost eective way to reduce rock-all hazard and risk. Becauserock alls typically occur repeatedly where conditions or them aremost avorable, southwestern Utah residents can oten identiyrock-all hazard areas by the accumulation o rock-all boulders onand at the base o s usceptible slopes. Te presence o these boulderaccumulations is evidence o a rock-all hazard, and provides aclear warning that rock-all-mitigation measures are required idevelopment is to take place in those areas. When avoidance is notan option, numerous techniques are available to reduce potentialrock-all damage.

For more than a decade, geologists in the Utah GeologicalSurveys (UGS) Southern Regional Oce have been mappingrock-all and other geologic hazards in southwestern Utah.Geographic-inormation-system-based hazard map olios arenow available or the 366-square-mile St. GeorgeHurricanemetropolitan area, and the 154-square-mile highest visitation

portion o Zion National Park. Additionally,

Boundaries o the three study areas in southwestern Utah or which the UGS hasprepared GIS-based geologic-hazard map olios that include rock-all hazard maps.



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ecognizing the value and importance o physical and digitalology-related resources, the Utah Geological Survey (UGS)partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) startedGeologic Data Preservation Project in 2007, to collect,

ventory, preserve, and manageologic data o value or

ture use by industry, govern-ent, academia, and the public.hese data are an importan tsource or those involved withnd-use planning and man-ement; geologic, geotechnical,d environmental investigations;neral and resource exploration;

al estate due-diligence activi-s; environmental protection;

ademic research; and teaching.aking these data easily avail-le will signicantly enhanceese activities by providing moremplete background data. Indition, end-users o data held bye UGS may realize cost savingsom not having to acquire theta directly themselves. As part ois project, the UGS has invento-d, archived, and made availablethe public a variety o geologicta, including aerial photographyvering Utah and surround-g areas, engineering geology

d geologic-hazard reports, andologic maps.

e UGS Aerial Imagery Collection contains aerialotography o Utah dating rom 1935 to the present, without hal o the collection dating beore 1960. Te collectioncludes over 120,000 rames (individual photographs, o whicher 75,000 have been scanned and entered into a database)d associated indexes, orthophotomaps (semi-controlledthophotos), and other materials. Various ederal governmentencies originally acquired most o these rames or agri-ltural management purposes, and this photography is now

integral to many geologic projects, such as geologic mappingand geologic-hazard investigations. Prior to this project,the majority o the pre-1955 ederally acquired Utah aerialphotography was only available as a copy rom the National

Archi ves at a signi ican t per-rame cost. Most o the rames

acquired are in stereoscopicmode, such that successive ramesoverlap, creating stereo pairsthat provide a three-dimen-sional image when viewedwith a ster eosc ope. A smal lpercentage o the rames arelow-sun-angle photographsacquired during the morningor aternoon when shadowshighlight certain topographiceatures. he UGS developed adatabase system to manage thecollection and store associatedinormation (metadata) that canbe accessed through a web-basedsearch and download applicationavailable at http://geology.utah.gov/databases/imagery/.

he UGS has colle cted unpub-lished reports, maps, memoran-dums, ield notes, consultantreports, and other geologic-hazard and engineering-geologydocuments since the ormationo the Site Investigation Section(now Geologic Hazards Program)

in 1980. Few copies were ever produced o mosto the documents in the collection. he new UGSGeoData Archive System compiles Utah geology-related scanned documents, photographs (except aerial),and other digital materials rom our iles and thosegathered rom other agencies or organizations intoone easy-to-use web-based system. Resources available togeneral users are in the public domain and maycontain reports submitted to state and local governments

as part o permit reviews. Each resource is searchableby metadata describing each resource, along with spatialsearching or resources that are local or site-specic in nature.Resources representing counties, regions, or other large areasare not spatially searchable at this time and require text-basedmetadata searches. Not all resources may be available to all usersdue to copyright and/or distribution restrictions. Upon searchingor specic materials, users may view them directly or downloadthem to their local device. Documents are predominatelyin text-searchable PDF ormat and photographs in JPEGormat. Te UGS GeoData Archive System is available online athttp://geodata.geology.utah.gov.

Te UGS Geologic Map Database (MAPBIB) contains approxi-mately 2,850 geologic maps covering various parts o Utah, datingrom about 1890 to present, that vary rom published USGSand UGS Map and Bulletin Series maps, to inormal consultingreports and internal unpublished sketch maps. Over 1000 mapsin the database were either produced in only limited numbers, arecompletely out o print, are in remote libraries, or are limited-distribution, inormally published literature that is dicult to

locate. For a ew hundred o the maps, only a single copy

Our long-term goal is to locate the best possible copy o

geologic maps, and to produce and archive a high-resolut

scan o each map in the MAPBIB database. Since 2009

has inventoried, cleaned, and scanned 918 geologic map

various parts o Utah. Te UGS has spatially reerenced

with 16 points (i possible) to create JPEG and GeoI

o each map, and created a ootprint or each map or ut

indexing and locating. Many o these maps are available

http://geology.utah.gov/maps/geomap/interactive/index

Tis and other geologic data preservation projects

data held by the UGS to become more readily availa

public through inventorying, creating metadata, and d

creative inormation delivery methods, such as enhance

inormation products (UGS GeoData Archive Sys

mapping applications, and others) and continued coll

with the Utah Automate d Geograp hic Reerence C

other organizations.

New Geologic DataResources for Utah:Aerial Imagery, Geologic Hazard Documents, and Geologic Maps

Annotated 937 aerial photograph o Salt Lake City rom the earliest known aerial-photograph data set o SaltLake Valley, showing the state Capitol building and urbanization that occurred in the early part o the last century.

Annotated 970 low-sun-angle aerial photograph o Lower Bells CanyonReservoir and the Salt Lake City segment o the Wasatch ault, whichcrosses the photo rom top (north) to bottom (south). Tis photograph wastaken in the aternoon so west-acing scarps are illuminated and east-

acing scarps are shadowed. Low-sun-angle photographs rom this aerial

project were used to highlight ault scarps along the Wasatch Front andare used or ault-characterization and geologic-mapping purposes today.

Steve D. Bowman

Little Cottonwood Canyon

East-facing fault scarp

Lower Bells Canyon Reservoir

West-facing fault scarp

N

State Capitol Building

North Temple

1300E

ast

South Temple

700E

ast

State

Street

City

Cre

ek

N



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T E A C H E R ' S C O R N EEarth Science Week 2013 | October 710, 2013 | 9:20 AM2:10 P

Hands-on Activities for School Group

Come celebrate Earth Science Week with the Utah GeologicalSurvey this year at the Utah Core Research Center. We will beoering hands-on activities (especially relevant to 4th- and 5 th-grade classes) including panning or gold, observing erosionand deposition on a stream table, identiying rocks and minerals,and learning how Utahs dinosaur discoveries are excavatedand prepared. For more inormation, please visit our website athttp://geology.utah.gov/teacher/esweek.htm.

o make reservations, contact Jim Davis or Sandy Eldredge

at 801-537-3300. Groups are scheduled or 1-hour sessions.

Are Ownership andProduction Patterns

of Utah PetroleumResources Related?

uchnewshasrecentlybeenwrittenabouthowimprovedtech-

logyhasledtorisingU.S.oilandgasproduction,andwhether

eU.S.willbecomeenergyindependentinthefuture.Sinceat

ast2003,Utahhasbeenapartofthisincreasingoilandgasoductionpattern.

Utah, ownershipof the landwith petroleum potential is

vided intofour major categories:federal, state, tribal, and

ivate.AccordingtoaFebruary2012CongressionalResearch

Servicereport,abouttwo-thirdsofthe statessurfaceareais

ownedbythefederalgovernment.Theremainingthirdissplit

betweenprivate,state,andtribalownership.

UtahGeologicalSurvey(UGS)fossilfuelproductionrecordsfor

theperiodfrom2000to2012showthatwhileannualgasandoil

productionwasmostlyincreasingoverallsince2001,production

byvariousownersshowedsomedifferingtrends.Interestingly,

productionofnaturalgasfromfederallandsgrewinabsolute

andrelativetermsuntil2009,whenthepercentageproduced

fromfederallandswasabout66percent,orapproximatelypro-

portionaltothepercentageoffederallandownershipinUtah.

Since2009,gas productionfromfederallandshasgenerally

declinedor beenat.In 2012,only47percentof Utahsgas

productionwasfromfederallands,indicatinggasproduction

fromfederallandsisnolongerproportionaltothepercentageof

federallandownership.

Foroilproduction,allownershipcategoriesgenerallyfollowed

an overall decreasingproduction trendfrom 2000to 2003,

andthen hadincreasesthrough2012. However, onlyfederal

oilproductionrecordedrecentdropsinboth2010and2011of

about5percenteachyear,butreboundedslightlyin2012.Total

Utahoil productionhashistoricallybeen stronglyinuenced

bytribalareassinceUtahslargestelds,GreaterAnethand

Altamont-Bluebell,whichcombinedhaveproducedabouthalfofthestatesoil,arefoundmainlyonNavajoandUtetriballands,

respectively. Whether the amount of oilproduced

variouslandownerswilleverbeproportionalwiththe

landheldbytheseownersisunclear,butrecentlythe

ofoilproducedfromfederallandshasdropped,from

50percentin2009downto37percentin2012.

Whatisthesignicanceoftheseproductiontrends

ship?Sincethefederalgovernmentcontrolsabouttwo

Utah,ifpetroleumproductionfromfederallandscont

drop,Utahsoverallpetroleumproductionwouldeven

pulledbackintoadecliningtrend.Increasedoilandga

mentonthenon-federalone-thirdofUtahalonecann

long-termhighlevelsofstatewideproductionwhenfed

arenotalsoparticipatinginasimilarincreasingtrend

Utahs federallandsdo notrenewabsoluteand pr

increasesinpetroleumproduction,overthelongterm

revenuesfromUtahpetroleumproductionshoulddec

David E. Tabet

ENERGY

NEWS



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L O C A T I O N

N 41 54' 46"; W 111 31' 08"

E L E V A T I O N

8,120 eet

Glad

YouAskedby Jim Davis

Where is theC O O L E S TSpot in Utah?

Among all the cool places in Utah, the coolest by far isPeter Sinks. High in the Bear River Range in CacheCounty, Peter Sinks is frequently the coldest placein the United States in wintertime, even colder thananywhere in Alaska. Peter Sinks holds the second-place recordless than half a degree shy of the all-timerecord at Rogers Pass, Montanafor coldest recorded

temperature in the contiguous United States at -69.3Fset on February 1, 1985. Separate readings were takenby automated instrumentation and two Utah StateUniversity students using alcohol thermometers(mercury freezes at about -38F). Summer at PeterSinks can be chilly, too; a low of 3F was noted in June2001. Peter Sinks also has had extraordinary ranges oftemperatureswings of nearly 80F in a few hours,and more than a 28F change in nine minutes.

Why is a place nearly 500 miles south o Canada so undulycold? Te cause is a combination o high elevation, dry air, andtopography. Peter Sinks is a collection o sinkholes, a product othe underlying geology, that orm a bowl-shaped depression sur-rounded by ridges hundreds o eet higher than the low point.Peter Sinks creates its own microclimate due to the concentrationand retention o cold air. Cold, dry air is the heaviest kind o air.It pours into and ponds in the bowl, with nowhere to escape untilthe air spills over the lowest lip o the ridgeline o the topographicdepression. As long as there is no wind to mix the atmosphere, coldair lls Peter Sinks. Tis condition is called cold-air pooling, anoccurrence all too amiliar to residents o the Wasatch Front andCache Valley, who endure intense winter temperature inversionswhen colder air lls the valleys, trapping in air pollution.

Peter Sinks is two connected depressions, an upper bowl and alower bowl, orming an elongated basin about 2 miles long andhal a mile wide perched 2,000 eet above upper Logan Canyon.Grasses, shrubs, and herbs grow on the foor o Peter Sinks whereit is too cold or trees to grow, yet trees grow arther up on the sidesand rim o the bowl, an example o an inverted treeline. Tis isbecause temperatures are much higher along the sides and rim oPeter Sinks, particularly at night.

Rock type, tectonics, and chemical weathering are responsible or nume

holes in the Bear River Range. Tese sinkholes orm when the groun

caves in above underground voids dissolved out o the carbonate ro

compressional and ongoing tensional orces have played a role in or

Bear River Range and the high, elevated, ault-bounded basins that

occupy. Tese basins, lacking a surace drainage outlet, enhance chemic

ering o the rock through the concentration and retention o water at top

low areas (analogous to cold-air pooling). Water drainage out o th

subterranean.

Te U.S. record low temperature may yet all to Peter Sinks. Utah State U

Utah Climate Center, with support rom Campbell Scientic o Logan

a monitoring station in 2009 as part o the Peter Sinks emperature M

Project (inormation ound online at http://twde.usu.edu/Peter_Sin

html). Te station provides continuous temperature and wind speed d

bottom o the sinks and higher up on the rim o the sinks. Previously,

had only sporadic measurements, so now an accurate portrayal o tem

patterns and extremes o Peter Sinks will soo n come to light.

PeterSinks,obliqueviewtothesouthwest.NotetheinvertedtreelinethebottomofPeterSinksisdevoidoftrees;however,treesgrowhigheruposidesandrimofthebasin.GoogleEarthimage.ScalevariesinthispersVerticalexaggeration1.5x.

Karst is a term used to describe the

characteristic topographic features created

through chemical weathering via mildly acidic

rainfall and groundwater dissolving rocks, in

particular limestone (calcium carbonate) and

dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate).

Limestone and dolomite are widespread in

the Bear River Range. Terrain here resembles

Swiss cheese in places, with pits, caverns andcaves, and numerous springs that discharge

from the system of underground passages

pervading the rock. Many celebrated karst-

type landforms are found in the Bear

River Range: Ricks Spring (a reappearing

underground stream), Logan Cave (4,290

feet in length), Wind Cave (really arches and

alcoves rather than a true cave), Paris Ice

Cave (with ice formations present throughout

the year), and Minnetonka Cave (with many

classic cave formations such as stalactites

and stalagmites).

Ricks Springs, Cache County, Utah.



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HOWTOGETTHERE:GoosenecksStateParkislocatedatthesoutherndeadendofUtahStateRoute316approximately270miles southeastofSaltLake City.FromMoab,drivesouthonU.S.Highway191forapproximately100milestoBluff(wherethehighwayturnsintoU.S.Highway163).ContinuewestonU.S.163for17milesandturnrightonUtahStateRoute261,then

afteronemileturnleftonSR316andcontinueabout3.5milestotheparkinglot.Thestateparkisfreetovisitors,andcampingisavailablewithoutareservationyear-round.Tentcamping,however,isforthosewhoaretrulyadventurousasthisareacanbecomeextremelywindy.

0 2 4 6 Miles

Moab

100Mile

s

necksPark

Bluff

S a nJ u a n

R iver

UTAH

hatin theworldis a gooseneck? When itcomes toscribingalandform,fowlplay(punintended)mayseemparent.Evenwhenyouarestandinginfrontofone,theswerisnotobvious.Notuntilyougetalookfromabovedoesthismestarttomakesense.Ingeology,"goosenecks"isatermusedforuouscanyonsandvalleysthatresemblethecurvedneckofagoose.

eGoosenecksoftheSanJuanRiverhaverightfullyearnedthemselvestateparkdesignation.GoosenecksStateParkis,inessence,apark-

glotperchedattheedgeofaprecarious1,000-footcliff.Thisabruptff,however,providesapanoramicviewofthewindingcanyonholdingeSanJuanRiverbelow.

eologic Information:TheloweranduppercliffsthatlinetheSanJuanverare composedof morethan 300-million-year-oldrocks known

asthe ParadoxandHonaker TrailFormations,respectively.The Hal-gaitoFormationoverliestheHonakerTrailFormation,andblanketsthedesertlandscapealongtheroadtothestatepark,whilealsoprovidingafoundationfortheparkinglot.Limestone,siltstone,sandstone,andshalebedsconstitutethesecliffandslope-formingrocks.Theserockshavetheiroriginsinanancientmarineenvironmentwheresealevelalternatelyroseand fellbeforeeventually receding,leavingbehind alargelyflatterrain.TheancestralSanJuanRivermeanderedacrossthisgentlelandscape,literallysettingitspathinstone.

MeanderingstreamssimilartotheancientSanJuanRiverflowthrough-outtheworld;however,specificconditionsmustbemetforthemtocutsuchdeep,windingcanyonscalledentrenched meanders.Thisbringsupabitofironybecausemeanderingstreamstwistandturnastheydobecauseofalowgradient,whichinitselfisthereasonwhytheyalsodonottypicallycutdeepcanyons.Ontheotherhand,riverswithhighgra-dientsflowfaster,givingthemtheerosivepowertocutdeepcanyons;however,high-gradientstreamsalsotypicallycutstraightchannels.

So,howdidtheSanJuanRivercut1,000feetintothegroundwhenithadsuchalowgradient?ItwasabletodosobecauselongaftertheSanJuanRiver'ssinuouscoursewasset,itsheadwatersslowlybegantorisealongwiththerestoftheColoradoPlateau(approximately15to20millionyearsago,althoughthetimingofthiseventremainsasubjectofdebateamongthegeologiccommunity),concurrentlyincreasingtheriver'sgradient,flowvelocity,anddowncuttingrate.SincetheSanJuanhadalreadysetitspathinitsearlierstages,thisnewrapiddowncuttingovercametheriver'sdeterminationtochangeitscourse,thusallowingittocontinuealongthispathwhileslicingdeeperanddeeperintothecanyon'srocks.

TheGoosenecksoftheSanJuanare notalone,as thereare otherentrenchedmeanders inthewesternUnitedStatesandelsewhere.CapitolReefNationalPark'sSulphurCreekinWayneCountyisanothertextbookexample,as well as parts ofthe Snake River CanyoninsouthernIdaho.Manyotherscan befoundthroughoutthe ColoradoPlateau,butnonearesotightlywoundanddeeplyincisedastheSanJuanRiver'sgoosenecks.

e world-amous 180-degree bends o the deeply entrenched San Juanver are a must-see vista or landscape photographers. The San Juan River,med ater San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist), fows nearly 5.5les through its meandering channel while only covering 1.3 miles as thew fies. In total, the San Juan snakes 383 miles rom the San Juan Moun-ns o southeastern Colorado to Lake Powell in southern Utah. Imagem Bing Maps.

View looking south rom the Goosenecks State Park parking lot.

GeoSights

Marshall Robinson

The Goosenecks ofhe San Juan River,

an Juan County, Utah

S U R V E Y N E W S

n e w p u b l i c a t i o n s

2013 Crawford Award

Employee news

he pre stigio us 2013 Crawo rd Award was p resented to UGS geolog istsRich Giraud and Greg McDonald in recognition o their work on theoutstanding geologic publication Landslide Inventory Map o welvemileCanyon, Sanpete County, Utah (UGS Map 247DM). Te publication includesa 1:24,000-scale landslide inventory map and geodatabase or welvemileCanyon in central Utah. Te map covers 59 square miles on the west sideo the Wasatch Plateau. Te purpose o the map and database is to showlandslide deposits and their characteristics to provide inormation to the U.S.

Forest Service and the general public or managing landslide problems.

Te Craword Award recognizes outstanding achievement, accomplishments, orcontributions by a current UGS scientist to the understanding o some aspecto Utah geology or Earth science. Awardees are selected by the UGS Board.

Te award is named in honor o Arthur L. Craword, rst director o the UGS.

Te Editorial Section welcomes Nikki Simon as the new graphic designer. Nikki relocated to Utah rom Bozeman, MontanaBachelor o Fine Arts degree rom Montana State University. Zach Anderson joined the Mapping Program as a GIS analysta Master o S cience degree in Geology rom Northern Arizona University, with a strong emphasis on GIS techniques. Welcomand Zach! Rebecca Medinaresigned as secretary or the Groundwater and Paleontology Program ater nine years o service.

Outcrop chemostratigraphic correlation of the upper GreenRiver Formation in the Uinta Basin, UtahMahogany oil shalezone to the Uinta Formation, byDaveKeighley,CD(30p.),ISBN978-1-55791-875-8,MP-13-1.........................................$14.95

Geological characterization of the Birds Nest aquifer,Uinta Basin, Utah: Assessment of the aqui fers potentialas a saline water disposal zone, byMichaelD.VandenBerg,DanielleR.Lehle,StephanieM.Carney,andCraigD.Morgan,CD(47p.,31pl.[containsGISdata]),ISBN978-1-55791-874-1,SS-147..........................................$39.95

Structural architecture of the Confusion Range, Utah: a Sevier fold-thrust belt and frontier petroprovince, byDavidC.GreeneandDonnaM,H(22p.,6pl.), OFR-613.............................................

Mapping tool to showtrends in groundwater nconcentrations in Utah,WallaceandPaulInkenbOFR-610...........................

Geologic map of the George Mountain quadrangle,Gareld and Kane Counties, Utah, byRobertF.Biek,CD(2pl.[containsGISdata]),scale1:24,000,ISBN978-1-55791-877-2,M-262DM..........................$24.95

Preliminary landslide inventory map of the 20re area, Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah,McDonaldandRichardE.Giraud,CD(1pl.GISdata]),scale1:24,000,OFR-612..............

Preliminary isostatic gravity map of the Grouse Creek and eastpart of the Jackpot 30 x 60 quadrangles, Box Elder County,

Utah, and Cassia County, Idaho, byV.E.Langenheim,H.Willis,N.D.Athens,B.A.Chuchel,S.M.Kraushaar,N.E.Knepprath,J.Rosario,J.Roza,A.I.Hiscock,andC.L.Hardwick,CD(3p.,1pl.,4datales),ISBN978-1-55791-876-5,MP 13-2............$14.95

Paleoseismology of Utah, Volume 23Compilation of U.S.Geological Survey National Earthquake Hazards ReductionProgram Final Technical Reports for Utah, compiledbySteveD.BowmanandWilliamR.Lund,DVD(9p.+56reports),ISBN978-1-55791-878-9,MP 13-3......................................$14.95

UGS geologists Greg McDonald and Rich Giraud.

N



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Survey Notes, September 2013

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Transcript of Survey Notes, September 2013