Join us as we learn about the geology of Big Cottonwood Canyon from a University of Utah master’s student — studying in the Geology and Geophysics Department — and lifelong SLC resident, Harrison Patton.
📍Brighton Fire Station
📅 Thursday, September 24th, 2026
🕖 6:00 - 8:00 PM
What to Expect
This presentation will be an overview of the geologic history of northern Utah viewed through the rocks visible in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It will be organized along a timeline starting with the deposition of sedimentary rocks between ~760 and ~190 million years ago, followed by compressional tectonics between 160 and 40 million years ago that folded and deformed those sedimentary rocks, and ending with extension tectonics and erosion starting 18 million years ago and continuing to the present day.
The Goal
The goal will be to describe what kinds of rocks are seen in Big Cottonwood Canyon, how they formed, and the sequence of tectonic activity that has put them on display for us and shaped the canyon into what we see today.