The UGS has worked on countless projects in the state, including statewide geologic hazards maps, oil shale assessment, Great Salt Lake studies, fault trenching, and the Snake Valley/West Desert Groundwater Monitoring Well Project.
The state governor appointed an advisory board, but no funding was appropriated for salaries or operations and no personnel were assigned to the Survey.
In 1941 the UGMS was placed in the newly created "Utah State Department of Publicity and Industrial Development" (UPID).
In 1977, when it created the Utah Seismic Safety Advisory Council,[3] the Legislature charged the Survey with responsibility for assessing earthquake risks[4] throughout the state.
In 1996 the UGS moved to the new Utah Department of Natural Resources complex and opened its regional office in Cedar City.