GEOLOGY OF UTAH: IT’S MORE

THAN ROCKS!

Ancient Shallow Seas & Sandstorms

For thousands of years, shallow seas covered much of North America, including Utah. Sediment made of loose sands, shells and pebbles drifted to the bottom of the seas. Over time the sediment was forced into hard rock by heat and pressure.

As Utah was pushed up by natural forces, the water washed away. Utah became dryer than ever before. Winds blew and desert sand compressed into mountains.

DinosaursLong before the Rocky Mountains existed, dinosaurs walked the land where Utah is today. Both herbivores (plant eaters) and carnivores (meat eaters) lived in present-day Utah.

The land was pretty dry – not swampy and lush like you would imagine.

Interesting factoid: Thousands of dinosaurs fossils are stored under LaVel Edwards Stadium at BYU. Also, dinosaur tracks have been discovered near St. George.

Formation of Mountains & Plateaus Over time, the earth’s

surface was crunched together by pressure from the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean floors. The pressure caused flat areas to buckle and rise in huge folds or cracks.

Plateaus were formed when other parts of Utah’s land were squeezed up from the crust of the earth. Wind and water eventually caused erosion which cut cliffs and canyons through the rock.

Ice Age

During the last of four Ice Ages, a huge sheet of ice cover most of North America. It did not reach as far south as Utah, but glaciers formed in the Wasatch & Uinta Mountains. As the ice and glaciers melted it formed a huge lake over much of the Great Basin. That lake is known as Lake Bonneville. The waters of Lake Bonneville crashed into the Wasatch Mountains & created terraces & benches. Eventually most of the lake dried up. All that remains is the Great Salt Lake. Why do you think the Great Salt Lake is so salty?

Mammals

Millions of years after dinosaurs became extinct, other animals adapted to the land. They are extinct now, but mammoths, ground sloths, ancient bison, saber-toothed tigers and giant camels lived here!

Bones from these animals have been found with spears in them. What does this tell us about the mammals?

TodayAND THAT BRINGS US TO

TODAY! We have evidence all around of our geological

history:

• Rocks and minerals• Mountains, basins, valleys and plateaus

• Dinosaur fossils• Mountain lakes from melted glaciers

• Bones from giant mammals