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Richard Van Horn

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Van Horn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1974

Map showing the thickness of loosely packed sediments and the depth to bedrock in the Sugar House quadrangle, Salt Lake County, Utah

This map provides information on the location and distribution of three general types of geologic materials in part of Salt Lake County, including the southeastern part of Salt Lake City, Utah. These materials have different physical properties that are pertinent to comprehensive planning and zoning, land-use studies, and engineering usage. The map should be of use in preliminary studies to determine the depth to different general types of foundation material and to determine the potential for settlement of the ground surface during major earthquakes, which could result in damage to waterlines, gaslines, large buildings, and other major engineering structures. The lines on the map are generalized. Lines showing the thickness of loosely packed sediments are based on drillers’ logs of 27 water wells in and near the 35-square-mile part of the quadrangle west of the mountains – less than one data point for each square mile. Lines showing the depth to bedrock are based on indirect geophysical data, and the data points are more widely scattered. The map may be useful as a general guide in planning, but investigations by qualified specialists should be made for detailed evaluations of specific areas. references to other reports of possible interest to the reader are included at the end of this text.

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USGS1974

Map showing flood and surface water information in the Sugar House quadrangle, Salt Lake County, Utah

In the past man has built on land that might be covered by floodwaters, with little consideration of the consequences. The result has been disastrous to those in the path of floodwaters and has cost the loss of thousands of lives and untold billions of dollars in property damage in the United States. Salt Lake County, of which the Sugar House quadrangle is a part, has had many floods in the past and can be expected to have more in the future. Construction has taken place in filled or dried-up marshes and lakes, in spring areas, and even in stream channels. Lack of prior knowledge of these and other forms of surface water (water at the surface of the ground) can increase construction and maintenance costs significantly. The map shows the area that probably will be covered by floods at least once in every 100 years on the long-term average (unit IRF, intermediate regional flood), the area that probably will be covered by floods from the worst possible combination of very wet weather and high streamflow reasonably expected of the area (unit SPF, standard project flood), the mapped extent of streamflow by channel shifting or flooding in the past 5,000 years (unit fa), and the probable maximum extent of damaging flash floods and mudflows from small valleys in the Wasatch Range. The map also shows the location of water at the surface of the ground: lakes, streams, springs, weep holes, canals, and reservoirs. Lakes and marshes that existed within the past 100 years, but now are drained, filled, or dried up, are also shown. The following examples show that the presence of water can be desirable or undesirable, depending on how the water occurs. Floods, the most spectacular form of surface water, may result in great property damage and loss of life. Lakes normally are beneficial, in that they may support plant growth and provide habitats for fish and other wildlife, provide water for livestock, and can be used for recreation. Springs may or may not be desirable: they may provide a source of water for domestic or stock use but are undesirable if they appear in a foundation excavation for a building. Thus, the location of areas that may be affected by floods and other surface water is important to people concerned with land-use planning, zoning, and legislation, and with the environment in which we must live.

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USGS1973

Map showing minimum depth to water in shallow aquifers (1963-72) in the Sugar House quadrangle, Salt Lake County, Utah

The depth to ground water in shallow aquifers in the Sugar Horse quadrangle ranges from zero in areas of springs and seeps to more than 10 feet beneath most of the area shown on the map. The depth to water differs from place to place because of irregular topography, and the varying capability of different rock materials to transmit water. Ground water also occurs under unconfined and confined conditions in deep aquifers beneath the Sugar Horse quadrangle, as shown by the block diagram and as described by Hely, Mower, and Harr (1971a, p. 17-111).

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