Goantiquities are natural archives of Earth system history, reflecting change in processes of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. These archives contain important geologic evidence of environmental change at local, regional, and global scales. Pleistocene to Holocene geoantiquities can be lost at alarming rates in areas of rapid urban growth, where they are vulnerable to destruction, corruption, removal, and burial. However, it is in those same regions of rapid urban growth that geoantiquities are likely to be of greatest societal value for educational, scientific, and practical reasons - including future urban environmental quality and safety.

Along the eastern margin of the Basin and Range province, the Wasatch Front of Utah is replete with geoantiquities, including Lake Bonneville deltas, spits and bars, glacial moraines, alluvial fans and debris flows, fluvial terraces, fault scarps, modern lakeshores, playas, and salt flats. These features are situated in a region where current and anticipated population growth rates are double the national average. Geoantiquties of this area are well positioned to chronicle the evolution of the pre-urban landscape, but are poorly positioned to withstand the impacts of urbanization.

We are using geographic information systems (GIS) to integrate inventories of geoantiquties and models of Wasatch Front urban growth in order to plan mitigation, scientific investigation, education, information transfer, and conservation. Partnerships with government agencies, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, public interest groups, and committed individuals provide pathways to raise awareness and produce broad involvement in planning, and participation in implementing geoantiquities resource management.