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Geologic Mapping in Utah - Utah Geological Survey - Utah.gov

Geologic Mapping in Utah - Utah Geological Survey - Utah.gov

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CONTENTS<br />

GEOLOGIC MAPPING IN UTAH .......... 1–6<br />

Digital Technology ..............................1<br />

From Field to Published Map ......... 3<br />

News and Short Notes ...................... 5<br />

GeoSights ..................................................... 7<br />

Glad You Asked ........................................... 8<br />

Energy News ............................................ 10<br />

Teacher’s Corner ..................................... 11<br />

<strong>Survey</strong> News ............................................. 12<br />

New Publications .................................... 12<br />

Design: Liz Paton<br />

Cover: UGS geologist Bob Biek exam<strong>in</strong>es Cretaceous outcrop<br />

while mapp<strong>in</strong>g on the Kolob Terrace near Zion National<br />

Park. Photo by Mike Hylland.<br />

State of <strong>Utah</strong><br />

Jon Huntsman, Jr., Governor<br />

Department of Natural Resources<br />

Michael Styler, Executive Director<br />

UGS Board<br />

Steve Church, Chair<br />

Geoff Bedell Jack Hamilton<br />

Mark Bunnell Alisa Schofield<br />

Kenneth Puchlik David Simon<br />

Kev<strong>in</strong> Carter (Trust Lands Adm<strong>in</strong>istration-ex officio)<br />

UGS Staff<br />

Adm<strong>in</strong>istration<br />

Richard G. Allis, Director<br />

Kimm Harty, Deputy Director<br />

John K<strong>in</strong>gsley, Associate Director<br />

Starr Soliz, Secretary/Receptionist<br />

Dianne Davis, Adm<strong>in</strong>istrative Secretary<br />

Kathi Galusha, Account<strong>in</strong>g Officer<br />

L<strong>in</strong>da Bennett, Account<strong>in</strong>g Technician<br />

Michael Hylland, Technical Reviewer<br />

Robert Ressetar, Technical Reviewer<br />

Editorial Staff Vicky Clarke<br />

Sharon Hamre, James Parker, Lori Douglas, Liz Paton<br />

<strong>Geologic</strong> Hazards Gary Christenson<br />

William Lund, Barry Solomon, Francis Ashland,<br />

Richard Giraud, Greg McDonald, Lucas Shaw,<br />

Chris DuRoss, Tyler Knudsen, Corey Unger<br />

Energy and M<strong>in</strong>erals David Tabet<br />

Robert Blackett, Roger Bon, Thomas Chidsey,<br />

Mike La<strong>in</strong>e, Bryce Tripp, Craig Morgan, Jeff Quick,<br />

J. Wallace Gwynn, Cheryl Gust<strong>in</strong>, Tom Dempster,<br />

Brigitte Hucka, Taylor Boden, Ken Krahulec, Valerie Davis,<br />

Stephanie Carney, Brad Wolverton, Mike Vanden Berg<br />

<strong>Geologic</strong> <strong>Mapp<strong>in</strong>g</strong> Grant Willis<br />

Jon K<strong>in</strong>g, Douglas Spr<strong>in</strong>kel, Janice Hayden, Kent Brown,<br />

Bob Biek, Basia Matyjasik, Lisa Brown, Don Clark,<br />

J. Buck Ehler, Paul Kuehne<br />

<strong>Geologic</strong> Information and Outreach Sandra Eldredge<br />

William Case, Mage Yonetani, Christ<strong>in</strong>e Wilkerson,<br />

Patricia Stokes, Mark Milligan, Rob Nielson, Jim Davis,<br />

Emily Chapman, Carole McCalla, Lance Weaver<br />

Ground Water and Paleontology Michael Lowe<br />

James Kirkland, Janae Wallace, Martha Hayden,<br />

Hugh Hurlow, Lucy Jordan, Don DeBlieux, Kim Nay,<br />

Stefan Kirby, Kev<strong>in</strong> Thomas, Rebecca Med<strong>in</strong>a,<br />

Jennifer Cav<strong>in</strong>, Walid Sabbah, Rich Emerson,<br />

Matt Affolter<br />

State Energy Program Philip Powlick<br />

Denise Beaudo<strong>in</strong>, Jason Berry, Will Chatw<strong>in</strong><br />

THE DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE<br />

This issue of <strong>Survey</strong> Notes highlights<br />

the digital mapp<strong>in</strong>g technologies<br />

that the <strong>Utah</strong> <strong>Geologic</strong>al<br />

<strong>Survey</strong> (UGS) is now us<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

improve the efficiency and accuracy<br />

of <strong>Utah</strong>’s geologic maps. In comparison<br />

to the country as a whole,<br />

the percentage of the state covered<br />

by relatively detailed geologic maps<br />

is low. At present rates of mapp<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

we expect to complete geologic<br />

mapp<strong>in</strong>g of the whole state at a<br />

scale of 1:100,000 by about 2015; at<br />

the same time we are also mapp<strong>in</strong>g high-priority<br />

urban growth areas at 1:24,000. With the rapid<br />

population and economic growth <strong>in</strong> <strong>Utah</strong>,<br />

<strong>in</strong>creased awareness of natural hazards by local<br />

authorities, and an exploration boom caused by<br />

high prices for many natural resource commodities,<br />

the demand for geologic <strong>in</strong>formation has<br />

never been higher.<br />

The UGS has forwarded to the Governor’s Office<br />

of Plann<strong>in</strong>g and Budget (GOPB) its annual<br />

summary of m<strong>in</strong>eral resource production value<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>Utah</strong> for 2007 (see graph). Although the<br />

total value of $7.7 billion is 4 percent less than<br />

the record high value for 2006, the trend for<br />

the past two years is about double the average<br />

value for the 1980s and 1990s. The slight dip <strong>in</strong><br />

total value for 2007 is mostly due to a decrease<br />

<strong>in</strong> natural gas prices result<strong>in</strong>g from a local oversupply<br />

<strong>in</strong> the Rocky Mounta<strong>in</strong> region. In fact,<br />

<strong>Utah</strong>’s annual natural gas production <strong>in</strong>creased<br />

14 percent and is a record at 364 billion cubic<br />

feet. New pipel<strong>in</strong>es that are planned or under<br />

construction connect<strong>in</strong>g this region to other<br />

natural-gas-demand regions mean that the price<br />

M<strong>in</strong>eral Production (million $2007)<br />

8,000<br />

7,000<br />

6,000<br />

5,000<br />

4,000<br />

3,000<br />

2,000<br />

1,000<br />

by Richard G. Allis<br />

0<br />

uranium<br />

coal<br />

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005<br />

Source: GOPB (2008). Economic Report to the<br />

Governor, Chapter on “M<strong>in</strong>erals” by UGS<br />

oil<br />

Year<br />

differential should dim<strong>in</strong>ish dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

2008. <strong>Utah</strong>’s oil production<br />

<strong>in</strong> 2007 <strong>in</strong>creased by 9 percent<br />

to 19.5 million barrels, cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g<br />

the growth trend that began<br />

<strong>in</strong> 2004 when oil prices started<br />

to rise. Coal production <strong>in</strong> 2007<br />

decreased by 10 percent to 24<br />

million tons due to m<strong>in</strong>e closures.<br />

Non-fuel m<strong>in</strong>eral production<br />

values cont<strong>in</strong>ue to be dom<strong>in</strong>ated<br />

by copper and molybdenum from<br />

the B<strong>in</strong>gham m<strong>in</strong>e. F<strong>in</strong>ally, uranium<br />

production resumed <strong>in</strong> 2007 <strong>in</strong> southeastern<br />

<strong>Utah</strong> after a 15-year lull. Expected production<br />

<strong>in</strong> 2008 should be sufficient to once aga<strong>in</strong><br />

show on the graph of total production value.<br />

The Energy Information Agency’s latest compilation<br />

of oil and gas reserves <strong>in</strong> each state has<br />

<strong>Utah</strong> at or near the top for reserve additions <strong>in</strong><br />

both oil and natural gas (EIA, 2006 annual report,http://www.eia.doe.<strong>gov</strong>/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/data_publications/advanced_summary/<br />

current/adsum.pdf). Although total oil reserves<br />

for the U.S. decreased by 3.6 percent, <strong>Utah</strong> had<br />

the largest reserve additions (78 million barrels,<br />

or 30 percent <strong>in</strong>crease) compared to 2005<br />

reserves. <strong>Utah</strong> also had the third-largest natural<br />

gas reserve additions (850 billion cubic feet, or<br />

20 percent <strong>in</strong>crease) to the national total, which<br />

<strong>in</strong>creased by 3.3 percent <strong>in</strong> 2006. The ratio of<br />

total reserves to the annual production rate for<br />

<strong>Utah</strong> has risen to 17 years for oil and 14 years for<br />

natural gas, which is near the historical maximum<br />

for each product. Drill<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>Utah</strong> has<br />

cont<strong>in</strong>ued at record high levels through 2007,<br />

with over 1100 wells spudded (Division of Oil,<br />

Gas and M<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g, http://<br />

oilgas.ogm.utah.<strong>gov</strong>/<br />

Statistics/Statistics.cfm).<br />

In 2007, over 50 percent<br />

of wells exceeded 8000<br />

feet, compared to only 32<br />

percent of wells just five<br />

years earlier. The deeper<br />

drill<strong>in</strong>g is f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g new<br />

gas reserves, particularly<br />

<strong>in</strong> the U<strong>in</strong>ta Bas<strong>in</strong>. The<br />

UGS expects these suc-<br />

natural gas<br />

cesses to cont<strong>in</strong>ue, and<br />

for the m<strong>in</strong>eral resources<br />

sector to play an important<br />

part <strong>in</strong> <strong>Utah</strong>’s vibrant<br />

economy.<br />

nonfuel m<strong>in</strong>erals<br />

<strong>Survey</strong> Notes is published three times yearly by the <strong>Utah</strong> <strong>Geologic</strong>al <strong>Survey</strong>, 1594 W. North Temple, Suite 3110, Salt Lake City, <strong>Utah</strong> 84116; (801) 537-3300. The <strong>Utah</strong> <strong>Geologic</strong>al <strong>Survey</strong> provides<br />

timely scientific <strong>in</strong>formation about <strong>Utah</strong>’s geologic environment, resources, and hazards. The UGS is a division of the Department of Natural Resources. S<strong>in</strong>gle copies of <strong>Survey</strong> Notes are distributed<br />

free of charge with<strong>in</strong> the United States and reproduction is encouraged with recognition of source. Copies are available at http://geology.utah.<strong>gov</strong>/surveynotes<br />

ISSN 1061-7930

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