Antelope Island possesses multiple geological features. These features include, but are not limited to impact from glacier activity and Lake Bonneville, bison wildlife and brine shrimp, along with natural hazards like earthquakes.
Human involvement on Antelope Island increased from the Native Americans, who first occupied the island, to the modern civilization. This increase was a direct result of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or commonly known as the LDS or Mormon Church. This church sent out Fielding Garr to the island in the year 1848. The island was under the church’s control until it was distributed amongst multiple companies and homesteaders in 1875. Antelope Island became one of Utah’s …show more content…
The following rock formations are found along the island: Farmington Canyon Complex, Mineral Rock Formation, Kelley Canyon Formation, Tintic Quartzine, an unnamed Tertiary Conglomeratic Unit, along with The Salt Lake Formation (King and Willis, 2000). Glacial deposition is evidence of glacier activity, causing the parautochthonous sediments of Antelope Island. The glacial till formed the sediment diamictite; part of the Mineral Rock Formation. (Crittenden, Christie-Blick, and Link, 1983). The majority of the island, excluding the most northern part, is covered by the Farmington Canyon Complex. Tintic Quartzine is found in the most northern part of the island. On the southeast side of the island, Tertiary Conglomeratic is found. The Mineral Rock Formation is found in the space between White Rock Bay, on the western side of the island, and Camera Flats, on the eastern side of the island. (Department of Natural Resources, 2015). The majority of the island is either tall grassland or sagebrush. The primary sediment found on the beaches are composed of ooid grains; formed from brine shrimp fecal pellets or mineral grains being surrounded by aragonite. Another contribution to the island’s status of being parautochthonous was Lake Bonneville; leaving the Great Salt Lake as a remnant, and left tertiary sediments behind. (King and Willis,