Amazing Earthfest

Southern Utah is famous for its stunning red rocks, canyons, and plateaus, and is also home to the Sevier/Toroweap fault zone, a break in the earth's crust extending nearly 220 miles from south of the Grand Canyon into the heart of central Utah. Much of this fault is hidden by rugged terrain.

New research from the Utah Geological Survey (UGS), in collaboration with the Arizona Geological Survey, uses cutting-edge lidar technology to digitally "see through" vegetation and accurately map fault scarps - the step-like features formed on the landscape when large earthquakes rupture the ground surface. This project sheds new light on earthquake hazards and our understanding of active faults in southern Utah, providing foundational knowledge to protect communities and infrastructure through smarter land-use planning.