THE UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - ACTIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN GEOLOGIC HAZARDS

Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, with the population projected to increase by 2.5 million people by 2050. As the footprint of urban and rural communities expands, so does the exposure to geologic hazards. Since 1850, over 6000 deaths have been attributed to geologic hazards in Utah. The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a non-regulatory state agency that provides timely scientific information about Utah’s geologic environment, resources, and hazards to the state of Utah by generating and disseminating geologic information. The UGS Geologic Hazards Program (GHP) focuses on emergency response to geologic-hazard events, as well as researching and publishing the most up-to-date information about geologic hazards in Utah. The GHP’s objectives are responding to geologic-hazard events, providing data and information to help Utahns understand their risk from geologic hazards, and encouraging mitigation. Critical to all of these efforts are collaborative projects with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as consortia, non-profits, and academic institutions. The GHP responds to several geologic-hazard events each year, including landslides, rockfalls, and floods. Emergency response often includes explaining scientific information to emergency managers, local officials, utility managers, the press, and the public. The UGS GHP uses geologic and geotechnical information to map and characterize areas prone to geologic hazards, including earthquake, landslide, flooding, and problem soils and rock hazards. We present this poster to inform the geologic community about the work we have accomplished, where we have partnerships, and our future projects.