Great Salt Lake

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Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere, the fourth largest terminal lake in the world, and the 33rd largest lake on Earth. In an average year the lake covers an area of around 1,700 square miles (4,400 km²), but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its shallowness. For instance, in 1963 it reached its lowest recorded level at 950 square miles (1,529 km²), but in 1987 the surface area was at the historic high of 3,300 square miles 5,311 km²).

The lake is the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a pluvial lake which covered much of western Utah in prehistoric times. Great Salt Lake is endorheic (has no outlet besides evaporation), and thus has very high salinity, far saltier than sea water. The Jordan, Weber, and Bear rivers (the three major tributaries) deposit around 1.1 million tons of minerals in the lake each year,and the balance of evaporated water is mineral-free, concentrating the lake further. Because of its unusually high salt concentration, most people can easily float in the lake as a result of the higher density of the water, particularly in the saltier north arm of the lake, Gunnison Bay. The lake's shallow, warm waters cause frequent, sometimes heavy lake-effect snows during late fall, early winter, and spring.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   41°10'29"N   112°33'9"W

Comments

  • This lake stinks near the shore but is not so bad once you get out a ways. It is covered with billions of pesky brine flies and the water is so salty that it irritates your skin. There is a marina on the south end where Interstate 80 passes by. My wife and I paddled our kayaks west from the marina towards the sunset. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The water appeared to be electric blue with bright orange reflections of the sun dancing off the waves. When we looked at the water with the sun behind us, it was a dingy green-gray.
  • Better outline = done. They made the max outline size larger, cause before you just couldn't do it.
  • Average Level-4,200 Ft. Record Low -4,191.35 Ft. today 9-9-08 -4,194.35 Ft. Only 3 Ft. from the all time low.
  • Curious fact that before the arrival of Europeans to the shores of Lake of the wild became habitable.