Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake is an endorheic saline lake in northern Utah, much saltier than the ocean. It is the remnant of the prehistoric pluvial Lake Bonneville in the Great Basin. It covers an area of around 1,700 square miles, but this is subject to substantial fluctuations. The lake has very high salinity because the natural evaporation rate exceeds the supply of water from the three feeder rivers, which deposit around 1.1 million tons of minerals in it each year. It has no outlet to the sea.

Geography

Salt Lake City and its suburbs are located east of the lake, between the lake and the Wasatch Mountains, but land around the north and west shores are almost uninhabited. The Great Salt Lake Salt Flats lie to the west, and the Oquirrh Mountains rise to the south.

Related Topics:
Salt Lake City - Suburbs - Wasatch Mountains - Salt Flats - Oquirrh Mountains

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The Great Salt Lake is fed by three major rivers and several minor streams. The Bear River starts in the Uinta Mountains and flows in to the northeast arm of the lake. The Weber River also starts in the Uinta Mountains and flows into east edge of the lake. The Jordan River starts at freshwater Utah Lake and flows into the southeast corner of the lake. A railroad line—the Lucin Cutoff—runs across the lake, crossing the southern end of Promontory Peninsula. The mostly-solid causeway supporting the railway divides the lake into three portions: northeast arm, northwest arm and southern. Since there is no river (but a few minor streams) flowing directly into the northwest arm (also called "Gunnison Bay"), it is now noticeably saltier than the rest of the lake.

Related Topics:
River - Bear River - Uinta Mountains - Weber River - Jordan River - Utah Lake - Railroad - Lucin Cutoff - Promontory - Peninsula

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Water levels have been recorded since 1843, averaging about 1,280 m (~4,200 ft) above sea level. Since the Great Salt Lake is a shallow lake with gently sloping shores around all edges except on the south side, small variations in the water level can greatly affect the extent of the shoreline. During low levels, the lake is difficult to approach because it is fringed by mud flats.

Related Topics:
1843 - Sea level

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Because the water level is variable, it can rise dramatically in wet years and fall during drought years. The water level is also affected by the amount of water flow diverted for agricultural and urban uses. The Jordan and Weber rivers are particularly diverted for other uses. In the 1880s Grove Karl Gilbert predicted that the lake — then in the middle of many years of recession — would virtually disappear except for a small remnant between the islands. Record high levels in the 1980s caused massive property damage for owners on the eastern side, and started to erode the base of Interstate 80. In response, the state built pumps on the western side of the lake to pump dangerously high water out into the west desert, but as of 2004 these pumps are dry and miles away from the lake's shore.

Related Topics:
Drought - 1880s - Grove Karl Gilbert - 1980s - Interstate 80

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The three largest islands are Antelope (c. 36 square miles), Stansbury and Fremont Islands, respectively. Antelope and Fremont Islands are extensions of the Oquirrh mountain range. Stansbury Island and other smaller islands are extensions of the Stansbury mountain range. The lake is deepest in the area between these island chains, about 10.7 m (~35 ft) deep at the 1,280 m (~4,200 ft) level. The lake averages 4 m (~13 ft) deep at the same level. When the water levels are low (as they were in late 2004 averaging under 1279 m (~4195 ft), Antelope island becomes connected to the shore as a peninsula, as do some of the other islands. In fact, "Stansbury Island" remains a peninsula unless the water level rises above average. At high levels, some of the smaller islands become completely submerged.

Related Topics:
Oquirrh - Mountain range - 2004

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