Week 5: Igneous Rocks

Igneous rocks are surprisingly common in Utah. The most common is granite, which is found throughout the state. Granite is an in extrusive rock, meaning that it is formed deep within the earth, and the magma forming it has cooled slowly, allowing large crystals to form. After many millennia of erosion, the rock that was once deep below the surface is now quite near the surface and available for mining. As a result, many historic buildings in the state are made of or contain granite. Granite is used commonly for countertops in homes and for educational and commercial buildings. 

The interior of the Utah County Courthouse (151 South University Avenue, Provo) has granite facing. The stone came from Little Cottonwood Canyon and is similar to the granite used to build the Salt Lake Temple.

The Tanner Building on BYU campus (490 Tanner Building, Provo) is also made of granite. 

Early Native Americans used obsidian (a glassy, intrusive igneous rock) that they found and mined for arrowheads and for trading.

Week 4: Impact of Minerals

Sapphire

Graphite

Aluminum.

Sapphire, graphite, and aluminum are minerals. This means that they form naturally on the earth and have a specific composition and structure. All of these minerals are found at my home and are used often. 

Aluminum (or aluminium, if you are a Brit) is an element, a metal, and a mineral. It is actually the most common metal in Earth's crust. The element itself is formed in supernovae, but the mineral aluminum is most often found in bauxite (not a mineral itself, but a combination of minerals, or a rock). Bauxite is formed when the silica in aluminum-containing rocks is washed away. Deposits of bauxite are found as flat layers close to the earth's surface and can extend for miles. It is typically mined by bulldozers digging to the bauxite layer and explosives that bring the ore to the surface. The bauxite layers are then taken to a processing plant. Through a series of chemical reactions, the aluminum is separated into aluminum oxide, a fine white powder also called alumina. Alumina is then smelted into aluminum, which is very versatile and can be formed into sheets (pictured above), rods, and thin wires. Other uses for aluminum are transportation (cars, airplanes, trucks, and railroad cars) and packing (cans).

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.