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SALT LAKE CITY — The 11th edition of the Calendar of Utah Geology has been released and showcases some breathtaking photos of Utah’s amazing outdoors.
Utah Geological Survey officials travel to remote areas of the state while conducting their studies and over the years have been able to capture some incredible pictures of the various landscapes throughout the Beehive State.
“We published the first calendar in 2007 as a fun way to showcase cool photos taken by our geologists when working in the field,” Utah Geological Survey Publications Manager Vicky Clarke said in a news release.
The Utah Geological Survey provides timely scientific information about Utah’s geologic environment, resources and hazards, and is one of seven divisions within the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
The Utah Geological Survey staff has a competition for whose photos are featured in the yearly calendar. For the 2017 edition, more than 232 photos were submitted for consideration, according to the Utah Geological Survey, and only 12 were selected. The 2017 calendar contains photos “that can be described as otherworldly,” according to the Utah Geological Survey. January’s cover photo shows a surrealistic rock face mottled with a vibrant purple mineral called fluorite.
“I see a lot of rock, a lot of scenery and so tend to be drawn to anything I find unusual. Utah is world famous for its red rock, but electric purple? That catches my eye,” said geologist Mark Milligan, who took the photo.
Other photos include a boulder on the San Rafael Swell covered with 150-million-year-old clam fossils, a scene of salt-encrusted mounds in the Great Salt Lake, patterns eroded into the blue-gray badlands of the North Caineville Mesa and the colorful Gingham Skirts Butte in Kane County.
The 2017 Calendar of Utah Geology is available for $4.95 each and can be purchased online or at the Natural Resources Map and Bookstore at 1594 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City.
