Spring is here, and it's time to go out camping. It's the time of the year to take out the old dusty tent, fix the broken stove, retrieve the sleeping bags from the basement and free the travel guides from the clutches of the archives shelves. As this camping season begins, there is a new addition to the list of essentials.

"The Geologic History of Utah" a book written by retired BYU professor, Lehi Hintze and Bart Kowallis, professor of geology, serves as a guide of Utah rocks and geology that can be used by both professionals and the average tourist.

"The book has been around since around 1972," Kowallis said. "It is kind of an encyclopedia of the geology of Utah aimed mostly towards students of geology and professionals but also useful for anybody who wants to know about Utah geology."

The book catalogs 116 sections of Utah, detailing all of the different rocks found, their names, thickness and characteristics. The book also details the kinds of fossils that they may contain and the time of rock formation, dating back to Archean period, 2.5 billion years ago.

"It's not a book that is designed to publicize the wonders of Utah geology, although Utah has wonderful geology," Kowallis said. "This is a book to be used by students and professionals who want to go to an area and look for resources and understand the geology."

Even though the red rocks of Southern Utah, Zion National Park and Mount Timpanogos are the most identifiable with in the state, Salt Lake City offers a great geological experience to the keen observer.

"Salt Lake City has the greatest variety of geology than any other place in Utah or the world," Hintze said. "On one side, the Wasatch Range has its geology and on the other side the mountains have a completely different geology. The Wasatch Range is much more diverse in geology than the Grand Canyon."

Professor Kowallis said Utah has many geological gems to offer.

"I don't think Utah has just one gem, it has a lot of them throughout the state," he said. "I love the national parks but I also love our own little rock canyon here which has wonderful geology in it."

The book, which is available to students in the geology department office, has sold more than 25,000 copies since its first publication. It sells for $25.

According to a press release, the book is also available at most visitor centers and bookstores in Utah's national and state parks.

Copyright Brigham Young University 14 Apr 2009