Utah Unearthed

In this episode of Utah Unearthed, as we talk about Moab’s fossil record, Randy—our usual cohost—gets put in the hot seat alongside fellow NHMU paleontologist Carrie Levitt-Bussian. Moab today is a rusty, red-rock desert, but for millions of years the region was home to drastically different environments and animals, including dinosaurs. Hundreds of millions of years later, the sedimentary rock of...

In this episode we learn geologists’ dirty secret: they lick rocks. More importantly, we learn about Moab’s iconic arches, of which there are thousands in the surrounding desert. In our conversation with Jeff Moore, a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, and Riley Finnigan, a Ph. D. candidate in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, we learn how Utah’s rock arches are...

Moab is booming—with off-roaders, mountain bikers, and tourists flooding its iconic red-rock landscapes. But what does this mean for animals, like the elusive desert bighorn sheep, that also call it home? In this episode of Utah Unearthed, our team talks to Joel Berger, a wildlife biologist and professor at Colorado State University, who has spent the latest years of his storied career in Moab stu...

When visiting Moab, it’s easy to be enthralled with the massive geology of red-rock cliffs, canyons, and arches, but on close inspection any visitor can discover a world of microscopic wonders right beneath their feet. In this episode of Utah Unearthed, the team speaks to Dr. Tim Graham, a pothole ecologist and self-described “desert rat” who has spent the last 40 years on the Colorado Plateau stu...

Moab’s red rock landscapes aren’t just scenic—they’re storied. In this episode of Utah Unearthed , archaeologist Dr. Jerry Spangler takes us deep into the human history etched across the region’s cliffs and canyons. From the Fremont to the Ancestral Puebloans, Moab has been a cultural crossroads for thousands of years, and its rock art panels only scratch the surface of the archaeological discover...

Season 1 of Utah Unearthed takes you deep into the iconic red-rock terrain of Moab — a mecca for outdoor adventure and a hotspot for ecological curiosity. Amid the buzz of hikers, bikers, and off-roaders, signs urging “Don’t Bust the Crust!” are everywhere. But what is the crust, and why does it matter? We dig into this question with Kristina Young, an ecosystem ecologist who’s spent 15 years stud...