Week 3: Evidence of Plate Tectonics

I took this picture in Battle Creek Canyon, just up the street from my house in East Pleasant Grove. As you can see, the layers of this rock outcropping are tilted about forty-five degrees from the horizontal.

Also up Battle Creek Canyon, these rocks show distinct folds, or waves, in the layers.

This photo of the mountain just south of my house (just East of Lindon), you can also see that the layers are tilted 15-20 degrees from the horizontal.

At the base of "G Mountain" East of Pleasant Grove, you can see the Wasatch Fault (in this picture, it appears to be a line, running north to south, just above the trees in the foreground), which runs from Logan, Utah, to Fayette, Utah.

Week 2: Evidence of Hydrological System

Mount Timpanogos stands out clearly from almost anywhere in Utah County. Ice-Age glaciers carved many of its peaks.

Battlecreek Falls is one of my kids' favorite places to play.

It seems fairly innocuous, but Battlecreek has carved out an impressive canyon over millions of years.

Tibble Fork Reservoir, in American Fork Canyon, holds snowmelt for the use of locals, instead of all of the water going "downstream."

Rain in the mountains forms streams, creeks, and rivers.

Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon demonstrates how water from rain and snowmelt finds the path of least resistance as it travels. You can also see the beginnings of erosion along its path.

Week 1: Geologic Features in My Community

 I am blessed to live in a beautiful area. Our family took a hike to Stewart Falls, on the east side of Mount Timpanogos. We enjoyed the beautiful foliage, the mountains, the valleys, and the waterfall. You can get to Stewart Falls by heading to Provo Canyon, then turning off towards Sundance. Park at Aspen Grove and begin the wonderful two-mile hike.

Even the view from my house is amazing. Here are Mount Timpanogos and other mountains viewed from just below Battlecreek Canyon, East Pleasant Grove.

Another view from my front porch. In this one, you can see Grove Creek Canyon.

From the back deck, you can see, just beyond the trees, Utah Lake.

I also have a good view of Kennecott Copper Mine.

I recently moved from North Texas, where the land is beautiful, but not as diverse as what we enjoy in Utah. I love it here. I'm very excited to learn more about the geology in my backyard.