July 13, 2009

Earth fissure.
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The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) needs your help in locating fissures in the Cedar Valley area of Iron County. The Central Iron Water Conservancy District has asked the UGS to study earth fissures in the Enoch area and adjoining parts of Cedar Valley in Iron County.

“Our hope is that by putting out the information on fissures and what they are, people might recognize them and direct us to where they are,” said Mike Lowe, UGS Ground-Water and Paleontology Program Manager.

Earth fissures are commonly defined as long narrow cracks, in soil or dirt, across which there may be varying amounts of vertical offset. The fissures may form in response to aquifer compaction resulting from ground-water withdrawal and ground-water level declines.

Earth fissures may cut across and affect existing infrastructure, roads, agricultural fields and undeveloped areas. This spring the UGS identified and mapped several earth fissures in the Enoch area.

UGS staff will map existing earth fissures in Cedar Valley, conduct surveys to define the extent and magnitude of subsidence, assess changes in ground-water levels over time, and identify potentially compressible fine-grained layers in the basin-fill aquifer.

The study is expected to take one year to complete. Anyone knowing of earth fissures or similar features elsewhere in the Cedar Valley should contact the UGS Cedar City office at 435-865-9036.