It's the Final Countdown!

Part One: What Makes Northern Utah Unique? 

The Logan River cascades through Logan Canyon. Northern Utah's unique and stunning geography speaks for itself. 

There are so many things that make Northern Utah’s geography unique and beautiful. The land is full of mountains, triangular facets, caves, lakes, and rivers. Many of these things are formed because of the very large fault line that runs through the middle of Utah, most commonly known as the Wasatch Fault Line. Fault lines move about 2.54 centimeters per year (that’s only 0.082 feet!), so many of the beautiful features found throughout the northern Utah area are due to this wonderfully large fault line. If we take a look back at the things we have learned thus far about the geography of Northern Utah, we find that not only does this fault leave us with stunning triangular facets, but also many scarps and grabens along the base of the mountain range.  The scary thing about this fault line is that 80% of the population lives right alongside it, let’s take a journey into the future and see what is in store for Northern Utah and its inhabitants in a few years!

Part Two: 10,000 Years Into the Future...  

The Wasatch Fault line runs down the center of Northern Utah, and is also the location of 80% of the population in this area. 

In 10,000 years the fault line will have moved approximately 820 feet. This movement may cause so many changes in the geography of Northern Utah. The movement will pull the land from the base of the mountains, and if this does not start destroying the many houses built here the earth quakes that come with this movement will. If there is any water under the ground or in the surrounding areas a river may start forming at the base of the mountains, possibly flooding the houses nearest to it.  

Part Three: 1,000,000 Years in The Future... 

This diagram perfectly explains the result of faulting, and while we look at the geography of Northern Utah years into the future it will come in handy.

In 1,000,000 years the Wasatch fault will have moved about 82,021 feet. This is going to make a great difference on the land surrounding it. The area already shows a great number of triangular facets but by this time there will be so many more. There may also be a great valley at the base of the mountains that may fill in with new composite, or it may fill in with water, or it may not fill in at all. The houses surrounding this area will be completely destroyed, and if they are smart they will find a better location to build houses in the future.  

Part Four: 100,000,000 Years Into The Future... 

This map shows the earthquakes in Utah in 1992. Imagine what the earthquakes will be like in the future as the fault line continues moving! 

In 100,000,000 years the fault line will have moved approximately 8,202,010 feet. The geography will change greatly. There will be a lot of valleys, rivers, facets, and so many other signs of faulting littering the area. There will be no sign that houses ever existed in this area. The earthquake map of this area over the past years will be through the roof, and the land will be completely unrecognizable.   

Part Five: That's a Wrap! 

The geography of Northern Utah is both unique and beautiful. Due to the large fault line that runs through the middle/top of Utah, the geography will be constantly changing. While we can never really be 100% certain of the future, it is easy for us to predict that this part of Utah has many changes coming its way in the future. 

SOURCES: 

ksl.com

http://www.utah-travel-secrets.com/images/LoanRiverinAutumn.jpg

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elateafrica.org%2Felate%2Fgeography%2Fearthmovements%2Ffaultiing.html&ei=wGSGVIayLMyyogTGiYHYAQ&bvm=bv.81449611,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNEYmi2aCleIG6z95eAF1h3X_FZeTA&ust=1418180156892397

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seis.utah.edu%2Fedservices%2FEES%2FWasatchFaultClock.shtml&ei=c2aGVLfmK4ayoQS07oHgAg&bvm=bv.81449611,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNGN53h7GXS_zwZwTc5jJehhryzHjw&ust=1418180568778042

Whatever the weather, we'll weather the weather, whether we like it or not!

The photo above and below show the weather forecast for November 13, 2014 in a few areas in the northern Utah region. Do these temperatures define the climate of Utah? Find the answer below! 

Many would falsely state that these do define the climate of northern Utah; but Meriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines climate as: “the average course or condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation.” So if we are using the definition provided, we are able to understand that the above temperature reports in UT today are not an indicator of the climate in the state. According to www.visitutah.com the winter climate of Utah is considered “fair.” They state that winters are mild, and most of the snow is reserved for the mountains. While I was attending Utah State University in 2012 the Logan winters averaged a temperature of -17⁰F, and night fall always brought layers upon layers of snow.  There seems to be a lot of variation in weather in the northern Utah area, so the only way we can truly understand this areas climate we must dig a little deeper. 

Above is a photograph I personally took when I attended Utah State University. This picture was taken on November 9, 2012 during the first snow fall of the 2012 season in Logan Utah.

According to the Western Regional Climate Center we determine the general climate of Utah by first looking at the distance from the equator, then the elevation and finally by the distance from the Oceans or other like bodies of water. If an area is far from the equator the temperatures tend to be low, higher elevation also brings low temperatures, as does long distance from Oceans. Utah is fairly far from the equator, but not far enough to cause extremes in weather. The climate in Utah is fairly mild; the winters are chilly (often reaching 0⁰F) and the summers can reach about 100⁰F. Due to the large Wasatch mountain range running through UT, moist air is forced upwards over the mountains, and often this moist air begins to fall as light precipitation. This rise in moist air causes the state to be fairly dry around the mountains, and a higher level of precipitation can occur within the mountains themselves. 

The area surrounding and inside the Wasatch Mountains will hold the most precipitation, while other areas of Utah are known for their arid climatic properties. 

SOURCES:

http://dachaproject.com/2014/06/info-on-the-next-few-weeks-and-my-new-video-series-introduction/jai-us04387/

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/UTAH.htm

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=88

http://www.visitutah.com/maps-travel-info/weather-climate/

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climate

The Wasatch Fault Line

It is surprising to many people that Utah, of all places, has earthquakes that range from mild to moderate (up to a magnitude of 7.5!). But according to geology.utah.gov there are hundreds of small earthquakes reported in Utah each year; these earthquakes tend to have a magnitude of about 5.5-6.5. So while these may seem small to many people, they are still big enough to do some damage. In fact, Utah is commonly known to be the highest risk of earthquakes in the interior of the western United States. Now these earthquakes may not be very large, but they bring such a high risk but many of Utah’s most populated areas happen to be along the Wasatch Basin, a mountain range in Utah that, for the most part, runs along a large fault line: the Wasatch fault. 80% of Utah's population actually resides along the fault line itself. 

The Wasatch Fault Line is a Normal Fault, and it runs through the center of Utah 

There Wasatch Fault Line has been separated into ten segments. A few of them can be seen here. 

The Intermountain seismic belt can be found on the interior of the North American plate; it is about 800 miles long, and runs from Montana all the way down to the top of Arizona and the edge of Nevada. Within this belt we find the Wasatch fault, which extends from the bottom of Idaho all the way down to the bottom/central portion of Utah.

Earthquakes are a result of fault movements, so every time the Wasatch fault decides to move even just a little bit, anything nearby has the chance of being affected. This earthquakes leave behind footprints; the most common footprint that we can see along the Wasatch Basin are scarps and grabens. A "scarp" to the naked eye looks like a line of cliffs along a mountain, but these almost always signal that a fault is nearby; a true scarp is formed by the vertical thrusting of the Earth’s crusts. A graben, however, is similar to a valley. Grabens sink in due to fault movements and are usually surrounded by horsts (crust that is being compressed and pushed upwards).  The Wasatch Basin contains a lot of escparment (scarps) and a lot of grabens, indicating that there has been a lot of earthquake activity, whether it has been recent or in the distant past. 

The Wasatch Basin contains a lot of scarps, The yellow arrows in this photo point directly to a few of these.

Horsts and Grabens are created along "Normal Fault Lines" 

SOURCES:

http://utahstateroadbiker.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

http://community.weber.edu/earthquake/wasatchfront.html

http://geology.utah.gov/utahgeo/hazards/eqfault/

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=10403157

Logan, Utah: The Bear River Mountains

Logan, Utah contains some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen; the USU campus sits at the foot of the Bear River Mountains which are located within the Wasatch Mountain Range.  Logan is the closest city in Utah to these mountains, and it is the main source of access for hiking and studying the Utah sections of the Wasatch Range. Not only are these mountains breathtaking, but they are filled with an amazing geographical history.

There are various types of rock layers throughout the mountains, each of these have their own unique pattern, age, and thickness. The most prevalent rock layers in the mountains are composed of carbonate rocks (there is more than 3,000 feet of limestone and dolomite in the Bear River Mountains alone!) but quartzite and shale can also be found scattered around the range. According to water.usgs.gov, “The sequence is composed of eight principal geologic units, all of which are capable of transmitting water along dissolution-enhanced fractures, faults, and bedding planes. The formations make up the upper part of the Logan Peak syncline, a large regional structure that influences the movement of groundwater in much of the region” (USGS Office of Groundwater).

The mountains bring a heavy attraction to the northern Utah area because of the many caves that are hiding in and around the Bear River Mountains. These caves are mainly due to the erosion that has taken place over many, many years. These caves are also accompanied by many ponds, sinkholes and streams that disappear and reappear as you hike around the area. Due to the large amount of erosion taking place on these mountains, hikers often find themselves confronted by large holes both on and off the trails.

The highest peak of the Bear River Mountains is known as Mount Logan, and is just less than 10,000 feet in elevation.


Sources of Research:

1. Gazelle, Mountain. "Bear River Range:." Www.summitpost.org. The Summit Post, 18 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 May 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.summitpost.org%2Fbear-river-range%2F236453>.
2."Wasatch Range." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasatch_Range#Geography_and_geology>.3."Basin and Range and Bear River Range Carbonate Aquifers." USGS Groundwater Issues. USGS Office of Groundwater, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/karst/aquifers/basinrange/index>.

Introduction

My name is Stephanie Pyne and this is my third year in college. I have spent two semesters at the University of Colorado Denver, one semester at Red Rocks Community College and a year at Utah State University. This blog will focus on the geography of northern Utah. My family has a close connection to Utah; each one of my older siblings (two sisters [Weber St. and Westminster College] and one brother [Univ. of Ut.]) have attended school at universities in Utah for at least a year, my grandparents both attended the University of Utah, and my mom attended Brigham Young University. After spending my freshman year in Logan, Utah I fell in love with the landscape. Everywhere I turned I was introduced to new and amazing sites, and I am so excited for the opportunity not only to study the geography, but to share it with others. I am going to be focusing mainly on the geography located from Salt Lake County to the border of Idaho. (That would include the counties of: Salt Lake, Summit, Davis, Morgan, Weber, Cache, Rich, Daggett, and Box Elder.)

 Logan, Utah

Utah Counties