S C A V E N G E R H U N T

Welcome to Open Streets SLC! You have found the Nature on Main Scavenger Hunt.

Here, we ask you to identify an aspect of nature along Main Street and answer a question about it that relates to the natural history of the Wasatch Front. Stops are numbered north to south, but you can start anywhere. Answer as many questions as you like. At the end of the Scavenger Hunt, go to the City Creek Center activity hub to learn more and find fun activities!

Stop 6: Walking on granite

Look at the sidewalks on Main Street, part of the granite walkway stretching from South Temple to 400 South. Granite is found throughout downtown as a building material – including in the Utah State Capitol. Much of this granite is actually quartz monzonite—a stone similar to granite but with a different ratio of quartz to feldspar minerals (granite has more quartz).

This block also has two newer skyscrapers, the Wells Fargo Building and One Utah Center, both from the 1990s and partially clad in granite. However, the granite on these buildings comes from Minnesota (Wells Fargo) and Texas (One Utah Center). Up close, you can see large pink potassium feldspar crystals on the One Utah Center.

The Main Street Promenade Study proposes new granite paving across the street’s width, echoing the existing sidewalks.

The iconic quartz monzonite throughout downtown comes from a famous Utah location known for its rock.