Satellite photo from August 2018 after years ofdrought, reaching near-record lows. Note the difference in colors between the northern and southern portions of the lake, the result of a railroadcauseway.
The area of the lake can fluctuate substantially due to its low average depth of 16 feet (4.9 m). In the 1980s, it reached a historic high of 3,300 square miles (8,500 km2), and the West Desert Pumping Project was established to mitigate flooding by pumping water from the lake into the nearby desert. In 2021, after years of sustained drought and increased water diversion upstream of the lake, it fell to its lowest recorded area at 950 square miles (2,500 km2), falling below the previous low set in 1963.[2][3]
The lake's three major tributaries, theJordan,Weber, andBear rivers together deposit around 1.1 million tons of minerals in the lake per year.[1] Since the lake has no outlet besidesevaporation, these minerals accumulate and give the lake highsalinity (far saltier thanseawater) and density. This density causes swimming in the lake to feel similar tofloating.
The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of a much larger prehistoric lake calledLake Bonneville. At its greatest extent, Lake Bonneville spanned 22,400 square miles (58,000 km2), nearly as large as present-dayLake Michigan, and roughly ten times the area of the Great Salt Lake today.[2] Bonneville reached 923 ft (281 m) at its deepest point[7][8] and covered much of present-day Utah and small portions ofIdaho andNevada during theice ages of thePleistocene Epoch.
Lake Bonneville existed until about 16,800 years ago, when a large portion of the lake was released through theRed Rock Pass inIdaho, resulting incataclysmic floods. With the warming climate, the remaining lake began todry, leaving the Great Salt Lake,Utah Lake,Sevier Lake, andRush Lake behind.[7]
There are several maps dating back to 1575 that show the Great Salt Lake at the correct latitude and longitude, within an accuracy of a few degrees.[citation needed] One example is a map by Nicolas Sanson dated 1650.[9] The Great Salt Lake entered written history through the records ofSilvestre Vélez de Escalante, who learned of its existence from theTimpanogosUtes in 1776. No European name was given to it at the time, and it was not shown on the map byBernardo Miera y Pacheco, the cartographer for the expedition. Escalante had been on the shores ofUtah Lake, which he named Laguna Timpanogos. It was the larger of the two lakes that appeared on Miera's map. Other cartographers followed his lead and charted Lake Timpanogos as the largest (or larger) lake in the region. As people became aware of the Great Salt Lake, they interpreted the maps to think that "Timpanogos" referred to the Great Salt Lake. On some maps, the two names were used synonymously. In time, "Timpanogos" was dropped from the maps, and its original association with Utah Lake was forgotten.
In 1824, it was observed, apparently independently, byJim Bridger andEtienne Provost. Shortly thereafter, other trappers saw it and walked around it. Most of the trappers, however, were illiterate and did not record their discoveries. As oral reports of their findings made their way to those who did make records, some errors were made. In 1843,John C. Fremont led the first scientific expedition to the lake, but with winter coming on, he did not take the time to survey the entire lake. Fremont's glowing reports of the area were published shortly after his expedition, and they influenced the choice ofBrigham Young andother members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to settle in theSalt Lake Valley in July 1847.[10] Young visited the lake three days after arriving in the Valley, and it was supplying salt to the settlers within a month.[11]
The lake was comprehensively surveyed for the first time in 1850 under the leadership ofHoward Stansbury (Stansbury discovered and named the Stansbury mountain range and Stansbury island).[12] Stansbury also published a formal report of his survey work which became very popular. His report of the area included a discussion ofMormon religious practices based on Stansbury's interaction with the Mormon community inGreat Salt Lake City.[13]
Beginning in November 1895, the artist and authorAlfred Lambourne spent a year living on the remoteGunnison Island, where he wrote a book of musing and poetry,Our Inland Sea. From November 1895 to March 1896, he was alone. In March, a fewguano sifters arrived to harvest and sell the guano of the nesting birds asfertilizer. Lambourne included musings about these guano sifters in his work. Lambourne left the island early in the winter of 1896 along with the first group of guano sifters.[14]
In the early 1930s, there was a project to dam off a third of the lake with dikes on the east side north of Salt Lake City to make a freshwater reservoir for drinking and irrigation. The project was abandoned before it got beyond the planning stage.[15]
The causeway across the lake was built in the 1950s by theMorrison-Knudsen construction company for theSouthern Pacific Railroad as a replacement to a previously built wooden trestle, which was the major component of theLucin Cutoff. The route is now owned and operated byUnion Pacific.[16] About 15 trains cross the 20 mi (32 km) causeway each day.[17] Before December 2, 2016, the causeway constrained the flow of water between the northern and southern arms, which had a significant impact on various industries surrounding the lake. The construction of a 180-foot-long (55 m) bridge created an opening of the causeway for water to flow between the arms of the lake.
Willard Bay, also known as Willard Bay Reservoir or Arthur V. Watkins Reservoir, is a freshwater reservoir completed in 1964, which separated, drained, and subsequently filled with fresh water from theWeber River a portion of the Great Salt Lake's northeastern arm.
Record high water levels in the 1980s caused a large amount of property damage for owners on the eastern side of the Great Salt Lake, and the water started to erode the base ofInterstate 80. In response, theState of Utah built the West Desert Pumping Project on the western side of the lake. It began operation on April 10, 1987. This project consists of a pumping station(41°15′9.28″N113°4′53.31″W / 41.2525778°N 113.0814750°W /41.2525778; -113.0814750) atHogup Ridge, containing three pumps with a combined capacity of moving 1,500,000 US gallons per minute (95 m3/s), an inlet canal, and an outlet canal. Also, there are 25 miles (40 km) ofdikes and a 10-mile (16 km) access road between the town of Lakeside and the pumping station.[18]
This pumping project was designed to increase the surface area of the Great Salt Lake and thus increase the rate of water evaporation. The pumps drove some of the water of the Great Salt Lake into the 320,000 acres (1,300 km2)Newfoundland Evaporation Basin in the desert west of the lake. A weir in the dike at the southern end of the Newfoundland Mountains regulated the level of water in the basin and it sometimes returned salty water from the evaporation basin into the main body of the Great Salt Lake.[18]
At the end of their first year of operation, the pumps had removed about 500,000acre-feet (620,000,000 m3) of water from the Great Salt Lake. The project was shut down in June 1989, as the level of the lake had dropped by nearly six feet (1.8 meters) since reaching its peak levels during June 1986 and March 1987. The Utah Division of Water Resources credits the project with "over one-third of that decline".[18] In total, the pumps removed 2,730,000 acre-feet (3.37 km3) of water while they operated.[19]
Although the pumps are no longer in use, they have been kept in place in case the level of the Great Salt Lake ever rises that high again.[20]
Drought conditions,climate change, and the overuse of snowmelt have caused the Great Salt Lake to shrink considerably.[21] As of July 2022, the Great Salt Lake occupies approximately 950 square miles (2,500 km2).[21][22] In 1987, it occupied about 3,300 square miles (8,500 km2).[21] As of March 2023, the lake's highest recorded surface elevation was 4,211.2 feet (1,283.6 m) on April 15, 1987; for comparison, the lowest recorded surface elevation was 4,188.5 feet (1,276.7 m) on December 17, 2022.[23] In 2023, scientists at Brigham Young University estimated that without policy changes, the lake would dry up in 2028, with local species killed off by overly salty water somewhat before that.[24][25] Continued shrinkage could also turn the lake into a bowl of toxic dust, poisoning the air aroundSalt Lake City.[26]
Environmentalists proposed establishing a level of 4,200 ft (1,280.2 m) above sea level as an official state policy, among other interventions.[27]University of Utah researchers[28] proposed a level between 4,198 and 4,205 feet.[29] A non-binding resolution in the 2023 state legislative session to adopt 4,198 feet was voted down and governorSpencer Cox called it "dumb".[29]
The Great Salt Lake is fed by three major rivers and several minor streams. The three major rivers are each fed directly or indirectly from theUinta Mountain range in northeastern Utah. TheBear River starts on the north slope of the Uintas and flows north pastBear Lake, into which some of Bear River's waters have been diverted[31] via a man-made canal into the lake, but later empty back into the river by means of the Bear Lake Outlet. The river then turns south in southern Idaho and eventually flows into the northeast arm of the Great Salt Lake. TheWeber River also starts on the north slope of the Uinta Mountains and flows into the east edge of the lake. TheJordan River does not receive its water directly from the Uintas; rather, it flows from freshwaterUtah Lake, which itself is fed primarily by theProvo River. The Provo River does originate in the Uintas, a few miles from the Weber and Bear.[7] The Jordan flows from the north part of Utah Lake into the south-east corner of the Great Salt Lake.
Due to the lake's shallowness, the water level can fall and rise dramatically during dry years or high-precipitation years, thereby reflecting prolonged drought or wet periods. The change in the level of lake level is strongly modulated by the Pacific Ocean through atmospheric circulations that fluctuate at low frequency.[32] By capturing these climate oscillations while using tree-ring reconstruction of lake level, scientists can predict the lake level fluctuation onward for 5–8 years.[33] The Utah Climate Center provides prediction of the Great Salt Lake's annual lake level. This forecast uses central tropical Pacific Ocean temperature, watershed precipitation, tree-ring data of 750+ years,[34] and the lake level itself.
Close-up satellite image from August 2018, showing the color difference at the causeway dividing the north and south portions of the lake.
Arailroad line – theLucin Cutoff – runs across the lake, crossing the southern end ofPromontoryPeninsula. The mostly solidcauseway supporting the railway divides the lake into three portions: the north-east arm, north-west arm, and southern. The causeway obstructed the normal mixing of the waters of the lake, because there were only three 100-foot (30 m) breaches. Because no rivers, except a few minor streams, flow directly into the north-west arm,Gunnison Bay, it is substantially saltier than the rest of the lake. This saltier environment promotes different types of algae from those growing in the southern part of the lake, leading to a marked color difference on the two sides of the causeway. On December 1, 2016, the opening of a new 180-foot-long (55 m) bridge allowed water to flow from the southern arm of the lake into the north-west arm. At the time of opening of the causeway, the north-west arm was nearly 3 feet (90 cm) lower than the southern arm. By April 2017, the levels of both arms of the lake had risen due to spring runoff, and the north-western arm was within 1 foot (30 cm) of the southern arm.[35]
Categorically stating the number of islands is difficult, as the method used to determine what is an island is not necessarily the same in each source. Since the water level of the lake can vary greatly between years, what may be considered an island in a high water year may be considered a peninsula in another, or an island in a low water year may be covered during another year. According to theU.S. Department of the Interior and theU.S. Geological Survey, "there are eight named islands in the lake that have never been totally submerged during historic time. All have been connected to the mainland by exposed shoals during periods of low water." In addition to these eight islands, the lake also contains a number of rocks, reefs, or shoals that become fully or partially submerged at high water levels.[36]
The Utah Geological Survey states "the lake contains 11 recognized islands, although this number varies depending on the level of the lake. Seven islands are in the southern portion of the lake and four in the northwestern portion."[37]
The size and whether they are counted as islands during any particular year depends mostly on the level of the lake. From largest to smallest, they areAntelope Island,Stansbury Island,Fremont Island,Carrington Island, Dolphin Island,Cub Island, and Badger Island, and various named rocks, reefs, or shoals such as Strongs Knob,Gunnison Island, Goose, Browns, Hat (Bird), Egg Island, Black Rock, and White Rock. Dolphin Island, Cub Island, and Strongs Knob are in the northwestern arm. The rest are in the southern portion of the Great Salt Lake.
Sunset viewed from White Rock Bay, on the western shore ofAntelope Island. Carrington Island is visible in the distance.
Black Rock, Antelope Island, White Rock, Egg Island, Fremont Island, and thePromontory mountain range are each extensions of theOquirrh Mountain Range, which dips beneath the lake at its southeastern shore. Stansbury, Carrington, and Hat Islands are extensions of the Stansbury mountain range, and Strongs Knob is an extension of the Lakeside Mountains which run along the lake's western shore.[38] The lake is deepest in the area between these island chains, measured byHoward Stansbury in 1850 at about 35 feet (11 meters) deep, and an average depth of 13 feet (four meters).[38] When the water levels are low, Antelope Island becomes connected to the shore as apeninsula, as do Goose Islands, Browns Island,[39] and some of the other islands. Stansbury Island and Strongs Knob remain peninsulas unless the water level rises well-above the average.
Due to the warm waters of the Great Salt Lake,lake-effect snowfalls are frequent phenomena in the surrounding area. Cold north, north-west, or west winds generally blow across the lake following the passage of a cold front, and the temperature difference between the warm lake and the cool air can form clouds that lead to precipitation downwind of the lake. It is typically heaviest inTooele County to the east, and north into centralDavis County, and can deposit excessive snowfall amounts, generally within a narrow band which is highly-dependent on the direction the wind is blowing.
The lake-effect snowfalls are more likely to occur in late fall, early winter and spring, due to the larger temperature differences between the lake and the air above it. During summer, the temperature differences can cause thunderstorms to form over the lake and drift eastward along the northernWasatch Front. Some rainstorms may also be partially attributed to the lake effect in fall and spring. It is estimated that approximately six to eight lake effect snowstorms occur in a year, and that 10% of the average precipitation of Salt Lake City can be attributed to the lake effect.[40]
Because of its highsalt concentration, the lake water is unusuallydense, and most people can float more easily than in other bodies of water, particularly in Gunnison Bay, the saltier north arm of the lake.[41]
Water levels have been recorded since 1875,[2] averaging about 4,200 feet (1,300 m) abovesea 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 greatly affect the extent of the shoreline. The water level can rise dramatically in wet years and fall during dry years. The water level is also affected by the amount of water flow diverted for agricultural and urban uses. The Jordan and Weber rivers, in particular, are diverted for other uses.[7] 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.[42]
A 2014 study used tree rings collected in the watershed of the Great Salt Lake to createa 576-year record of lake level reconstruction.[34] The lake level change is strongly modulated by Pacific Ocean-coupled ocean/atmospheric oscillations at low frequency and therefore reflects the decadal-scale wet/dry cycles that characterize the region.[43][44] By capturing these climate oscillations[45] as well as utilizing the tree-ring reconstruction of lake level change,[46] researchers were able to predict the lake level fluctuation onward for as long as 5–8 years.[47]
The Great Salt Lake differs in elevation between the south and north parts. The causeway for theLucin Cutoff divides the lake into two parts. The water-surface elevation of the south part of the lake is usually 0.5 to 2 feet (15–61 cm) higher than that of the north part because most of the inflow to the lake occurs from the south.[2][35]
Most of the salts dissolved in the lake and deposited in the desert flats around it reflect the concentration of solutes byevaporation; Lake Bonneville itself was fresh enough to support populations of fish.[48][49] More salt is added yearly via rivers and streams, though the amount is much less than therelict salt from Bonneville.[48]
The salinity of the lake's main basin, Gilbert Bay, is highly variable and depends on the lake's level; it ranges from 5 to 27% (50 to 270parts per thousand).[41] For comparison, the average salinity of the world ocean is 3.5% (35 parts per thousand)[50] and that of theDead Sea is 33.7%. Theionic composition is similar to seawater, much more so than the Dead Sea's water; compared to the ocean, the Great Salt Lake's waters are slightly enriched inpotassium and depleted incalcium.[41] Dissolved ions do not necessarily increase or decrease in step with changes of total dissolved solids. For example, in October 1903, dissolved solids tallied 27.72% and by February 1910 they were down to 17.68%, with chlorine, sodium and sulfate levels substantially lower, but over the same time calcium, magnesium and potassiumincreased, with the increase of magnesium especially pronounced.[51]
American avocets atBear River Migratory Bird RefugeMountains of the Great Salt Lake in winter.Modern stromatolites (cyanobacteria) growing along the western shore of Antelope Island near Elephant Head.
There are twenty-seven private duck clubs, seven state waterfowl management areas, and a large federal bird refuge on the Great Salt Lake's shores.[55] Wetland/wildlife management areas include theBear River Migratory Bird Refuge; Gillmor Sanctuary; Great Salt Lake Shore lands Preserve; Salt Creek, Public Shooting Grounds, Harold Crane,Locomotive Springs, Ogden Bay, Timpie Springs, and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Areas.
Several islands in the lake provide critical nesting areas for various birds. Access to Hat, Gunnison, and Cub islands is strictly limited by the State of Utah in an effort to protect nesting colonies ofAmerican white pelican(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos).[56] The islands within the Great Salt Lake also provide habitat for lizard andmammalianwildlife and a variety of plant species. Some species may have been extirpated from the islands. For example, a number of explorers who visited the area in the mid-1800s (e.g.Emmanuel Domenech,Howard Stansbury,Jules Rémy) noted an abundance of yellow-flowered "onions" on several of the islands, which they identified asCalochortus luteus. This species today occurs only in California; however, at that time the nameC. luteus was applied to plants that later were namedC. nuttallii[57][58] A yellow-floweredCalochortus was first named as a variety ofC. nuttallii but was later separated into a new species,C. aureus. This species occurs in Utah today, though apparently no longer on the islands of the Great Salt Lake.[59]
Because of the Great Salt Lake's high salinity, it has fewfish, but they do occur in Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay when spring runoff brings fresh water into the lake. A few aquatic animals live in the lake's main basin, including centimeter-longbrine shrimp(Artemia franciscana). Their tiny, hard-walled eggs or cysts (diameter about 200 micrometers)[60] are harvested in quantity during the fall and early winter. They are fed toprawns in Asia,[52] sold as novelty "Sea-Monkeys," sold either live, frozen, ordehydrated in pet stores as a fish food, and used in testing of toxins, drugs, and other chemicals.[5] There are also two species ofbrine fly,[61] as well as protozoa, rotifers, bacteria and algae.
Salinity differences between the sections of the lake separated by the railroad causeway result in significantly different biota. Aphytoplankton community dominated by greenalgae orcyanobacteria (blue-green algae) tint the water south of the causeway a greenish color. North of the causeway, the lake is dominated byDunaliella salina, a species of algae which releasesbeta-carotene, and the bacteria-likehaloarchaea,[62] which together give the water an unusual reddish or purplish color.[61] The dense, high-salinity water of the North Arm flows back through the causeway into the Southern portion of the lake, creating a deep brine layer there.[63]
Migratory birds on the Great Salt Lake
Although brine shrimp can be found in the arm of the lake north of the causeway, studies conducted by theUtah Division of Wildlife Resources indicate that these are likely transient.[62] Populations of brine shrimp are mostly restricted to the lake's south arm.[64]
In the two bays that receive most of the lake's freshwater inflows, Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay, the diversity of organisms is much higher. Salinities in these bays can approach that of fresh water when the spring snow melt occurs, and this allows a variety of bacteria, algae and invertebrates to proliferate in the nutrient-rich water. The abundance of invertebrates such asgnat larvae (chironomids) andback swimmers (Trichocorixa) are fed upon extensively by the huge shorebird and waterfowl populations that utilize the lake. Fish in these bays are fed upon by diving terns and pelicans.[65]
A solitaryChilean flamingo, named Pink Floyd afterthe English rock band, wintered at the Great Salt Lake. He escaped from Salt Lake City'sTracy Aviary in 1987 and lived in the wild, eatingbrine shrimp and socializing withgulls andswans.[66] A group of Utah residents suggested petitioning the state to release more flamingos in an effort to keep Floyd company and as a possible tourist attraction.[67] Pink Floyd was last seen in Idaho, in the area ofCamas National Wildlife Refuge in 2005.[68]
This sectionis missing information about significant reduction in methylmercury after 2013 culvert cut and drought (utah.edu 2017). Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(May 2022)
During a survey in the mid-1990s,U.S. Geological Survey andU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers discovered a high level ofmethylmercury in the Great Salt Lake with 25nanograms perliter of water. For comparison, a fish consumption advisory was issued at theFlorida Everglades after water there was found to contain 1 nanogram per liter.[69] The extremely high methylmercury concentrations have been only in the lake's anoxic deep brine layer (monimolimnion) below a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m), but concentrations are also moderately high up in the water column where there is oxygen to support brine shrimp and brine flies.
The toxic metal shows up throughout the lake's food chain, from brine shrimp to eared grebes and cinnamon teal.
The finding of high mercury levels prompted further studies,[70] and a health advisory warning hunters not to eatcommon goldeneye ornorthern shoveler, two species ofduck found in the lake. It has been stated that this does not pose a risk to other recreational users of the lake.[71]
After later studies were conducted with a larger number of birds, the advisories were revised and another was added forcinnamon teal. Seven other species of duck were studied and found to have levels of mercury below EPA guidelines, thus being determined safe to eat.[72]
A study in 2010 suggested that the main source of the mercury is from atmospheric deposition from worldwide industry, rather than local sources. As water levels rise and fall, mercury accumulation does as well. About 16% of the mercury is from rivers, and 84% is from the atmosphere as an inorganic form, which is converted into more toxic methylmercury by bacteria which thrive in the more saline water of the North arm affected by the causeway.[63] A 2020 study found high concentrations of mercury in the lake's sediments, a consequence from smelting and mining activities in the surrounding mountains.[73] The mercury and other metals can contaminate the overlying water, and in turn, move into brine shrimp and other organisms.[74]
Solar evaporation ponds in the Northeast portion of the lake. Fremont Island is visible to the South (top of image)
Great Salt Lake contributes an estimated $1.3 billion annually toUtah's economy,[17] including $1.1 billion from industry (primarily mineral extraction), $136 million from recreation, and $57 million from the harvest of brine shrimp.[75]
The harvest of brine shrimp cysts during fall and early winter has developed into a significant local industry, with the lake providing 35% to 45% of the worldwide supply of brine shrimp,[75] and cysts selling for as high as $35 per pound ($77/kg).[76] Brine shrimp were first harvested during the 1950s and sold as commercial fish food. In the 1970s, the focus changed to their eggs, known as cysts, which were sold primarily outside the US as food for shrimp, prawns, and some fish.[60] Today, these are mostly sold inEast Asia andSouth America.[77] The amount of cysts and the quality are affected by several factors, but salinity is most important. The cysts will hatch at 2 to 3% salinity, but the greatest productivity is at salinities above about 10%. If the salinity drops near 5% to 6%, the cysts will lose buoyancy and sink, making them more difficult to harvest.[60]
The causeway across the lake was built in the 1950s as a replacement to a wooden trestle.[16] Prior to December 2, 2016, the causeway constrained the flow of water between northern and southern arms, which has a significant impact on various industries surrounding the lake. The construction of a 180-foot-long (55 m) bridge created an opening of the causeway for water to flow between the arms of the lake.
The northern arm of the lake has a much higher salinity, to the point that the nativebrine shrimp cannot survive in its waters. In the southern portion of the lake, where the vast majority of the fresh water inlets are found, the salt level can dip below what is necessary for the brine shrimp to survive. With the opening of the bridge, the salinity of the northern arm of the lake will likely drop as less saline water from the southern arm of the lake flows into the northern arm. The brine shrimp harvesting industry could benefit from the freer flow of water.[17] There were concerns from the brine shrimp harvesting industry that the conditions in the southern arm of the lake were becoming too saline for the brine shrimp, following several years of lower precipitation in the lake's watershed. The precipitation in the watershed was above normal for the water year beginning on October 1, 2016. The additional water allowed the levels of both arms of the lake to rise,[35] creating better conditions for a healthy brine shrimp population.
The Great Salt Lake contains an estimated 410,000 metric tons of lithium, 91,000,000 metric tons of magnesium, and 57,000,000 metric tons of potassium since 2011.[78]
Great Salt Lake Minerals Company (a subsidiary ofCompass Minerals) extracts minerals from the northern bay. The company potentially benefited from the higher salinity of the north-west arm of the lake but had difficulty accessing water from the lake because of lower water level. Prior to the opening of the causeway, the intake channels had to be extended to reach the water.
Morton Salt,Cargill Salt, Broken Arrow Salt and theRenco Group's U.S. Magnesium each extract minerals from the southern bay and could benefit from a more natural mixture of water between the two sides of the lake.[16] US Magnesium operates a plant on the southwest shore of the lake, which produces 14% of the worldwide supply of magnesium, more than any other North American magnesium operation.[75] Additionally a company called Lilac Solutions has just completed a successful pilot operation to begin extracting Lithium using ion-exchange technologies.[79] Mineral-extraction companies operating on the lake payroyalties on their products to the State of Utah, which owns the lake.[80]
Solar evaporation ponds at the edges of the lake producesalts andbrine (water with high salt quantity). Minerals extracted from the lake include:sodium chloride (common salt), used inwater softeners,salt lick blocks for livestock, and to melt ice on local roadways (food-grade salt is not produced from the lake, as it would require costly processing to ensure its purity);potassium sulfate, used as a commercial fertilizer; andmagnesium-chloride brine, used in the production ofmagnesium metal,chlorine gas, and as a dust suppressant.
The lake's north arm contains deposits of oil, but it is of poor quality and it is not economically feasible to extract and purify it.[30] As of 1993, approximately 3,000 barrels (480 m3) ofcrude oil had been produced from shallow wells along the shore.[81] The oil field at Rozel Point produced an estimated 10,000 barrels (1,600 m3) of oil from 30 to 50 wells, but has been inactive since the mid-1980s. Oil seeps in the area had been known since the late 19th century, and attempts at production began in 1904.[82] Industrial debris from this field remained in place nearSpiral Jetty until a cleanup effort by the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining and the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands was completed in December 2005.[83]
The lake is one of Utah's largest tourist attractions.[84]Antelope Island State Park is a popular tourist destination that offers panoramic views of the lake, hiking and biking trails, wildlife viewing and access to beaches.
The State of Utah operates amarina on the south shore of the lake atGreat Salt Lake State Park and another in Antelope Island State Park. With its sudden storms and expansive spread, the lake is a great test of sailingskills.[85] Single-mast simple sloops are the most popular boats. Sudden storms and lack of experience on the part of boaters are the two most dangerous elements in boating and sailing on the Great Salt Lake.[86]
Dramatically fluctuating lake levels have inhibited the creation and success of tourist-related developments. There is also a problem with pollution from industrial and urban effluent, as well as a natural "lake stink" caused by the decay of insects and other wildlife, particularly when the shallow water is disturbed.[87]
Three resorts have operated under the nameSaltair on the southern shore of the lake since 1893. Rising and lowering water levels have affected each iteration.[88]
The first Saltair pavilion was destroyed by fire on April 22, 1925. A new pavilion was built and the resort was expanded at the same location by new investors, but after being closed for several years, it was destroyed by arson in 1970.[89] The second Saltair included a fun house and a dancing venue.
The current Saltair serves as a concert venue.[90] The new resort was completed in 1981, approximately a mile (1600 m) west of the original.
The Garfield Beach Resort was established by Captain Thomas Douris in 1881 and was originally called Garfield Landing. The resort was located near Black Rock outside of the town of Corinne, and patrons traveled to it via the steamboatGeneral Garfield.[91] After the expansion of the resort, theGeneral Garfield was replaced by two steamers, theSusie Riter and theWhirlwind. The iconicGeneral Garfield was moored to the dock as a landmark.[92] The main attraction of the resort was a massive pavilion 400 feet from shore. It covered 165 by 400 feet (50 by 122 m) and included 300 feet (91 m) of covered deck.[92] The success of Garfield Beach eventually overtook the neighboring Black Rock resort.[92] In 1887, the resort was purchased by the Utah and Nevada railroad. They improved the site by adding an array of bathhouses, a restaurant, and other amenities, including a bowling alley.[91] The resort was the Salt Lake's first to have an electric generator, which powered its many concerts, and parties held atop the pavilion tower.[92] Garfield Beach was the most popular Salt Lake resort until Saltair was built in 1893.[93] The resort was put out of service by a fire in 1904.[91][94]
The northwest arm of the lake, near Rozel Point, is the location forRobert Smithson's work ofland art,Spiral Jetty (1970), which is only visible when the level of Great Salt Lake drops below 4,197.8 feet (1,279.5 m) above sea level.[95]
The lake and its shores containoolitic sand, small, rounded, or spherical grains of sand that are made up of a nucleus (generally a small mineral grain) and concentric layers ofcalcium carbonate and look similar to very small pearls.[96]
The myth of Whales in the Great Salt Lake is a 19th-centuryUtah folklore story, originally reported in 1888, that has been debunked as a hoax. The story claimed that British scientist James Wickham introduced whales into the Great Salt Lake in 1875.[97][98]
In mid-1877, J. H. McNeil was with many other Barnes and Co. Salt Works employees on the lake's north shore in the evening. They claimed to have seen a large monster with a body like acrocodile and ahorse's head in the lake. They claimed this monster attacked the men, who quickly ran away and hid until morning. This creature is regarded by some to have simply been abuffalo in the lake. Thirty years prior, "Brother Bainbridge" claimed to have sighted a creature that looked like adolphin in the lake near Antelope Island.[30][99]
The "Water Babies" are a part of Native American folklore associated with the Great Salt Lake. According to these stories, the cries of infants can be heard near the lake, luring people toward the water. Once someone approaches, they are said to be dragged into the depths by the "Water Babies," never to return.[100][99]
Saltair, the historic resort on the shores of theGreat Salt Lake has purported tales of paranormal activity. The most infamous of these is the story of "Saltair Sally." In the fall of 2000, duck hunters discovered the partially decomposed remains of a woman near the Saltair area. Initially unidentified, she was referred to as "Saltair Sally" by locals. In 2012, DNA testing identified her as Nikole Bakoles, a 20-year-old mother and homicide victim. The unresolved circumstances surrounding her death have led to local legends suggesting that her spirit haunts the area, with reports of ghostly sightings and unexplained voices.[100][99]
In 1862, Jean Baptiste, a grave robber in Salt Lake City, was discovered to have robbed nearly 300 graves. Public outrage led to his exile on Fremont Island, but he disappeared, and his fate remains a mystery. Some speculate he was seen in Montana, but no evidence confirms his whereabouts.[99][101][102]
^Arnow, T (1984). "Water-level and water-quality changes in Great Salt Lake, Utah, 1847–1983".U.S. Geological Survey Circular 913. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey.
^Carter, Lynda (June 1996)."Guano Sifters on Gunnison Island".History Blazer. Utah State Historical Society.Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. RetrievedOctober 30, 2013.
^Wang, S.-Y.; Gillies, R. R.; Jin, J. & Hipps, L. E. (2010). "Coherence between the Great Salt Lake level and the Pacific quasi-decadal oscillation".Journal of Climate. Vol. 23. pp. 2161–2177.
^Gillies, R. R.; Chung, O.-Y.; Wang, S.-Y. & Kokoszka, P. (2011). "Incorporation of Pacific SSTs in a time series model towards a longer-term forecast for the Great Salt Lake elevation".Journal of Hydrometeorology. Vol. 12. pp. 474–480.
^Wurtsbaugh et al. 2020. Effects of a century of mining and industrial production on metal contamination of a model saline ecosystem, Great Salt Lake, Utah. Environmental Pollution 266: 115072. doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115072
^Jones & Wurtsbaugh. 2014. The Great Salt Lake's monimolimnion and its importance for mercury bioaccumulation in brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana). Limnol. Oceanography 59 (1): 141-155.https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2014.59.1.0141
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