Remnants of Lake Bonneville

Remnants of Lake Bonneville

Austin Bahr
Introduction to Geology
Salt Lake City Community College
December 5th, 2017

Abstract
Remnants of Lake Bonneville

Salt flats are present in many different locations around the world, from Bolivia to Utah. These

large, flat expanses covered in salt are all that remain of prehistoric lakes that have completely

evaporated. The Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah, located about 10 miles east of Wendover, Nevada

is evidence of Lake Bonneville. I am excited to visit this incredible area that offers a unique

look into the past to witness some the remnants of this ancient lake.

Lake Bonneville helped shape much of the geography of the Salt Lake Valley. When the lake

burst through the Red Rock Pass about 16,800 years ago and drained into the Snake River, the

terminal lakes longevity was only a matter of time. As the lake drained and evaporated it

receded into what we know now as the Great Salt Lake. It also left behind large deposits of salt

which have come to be known as the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Mountains around the flats show

coastlines of the ancient lake. The salty crust that covers the flats is the concentrated salt left

behind as Lake Bonneville dried up.

The Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats are remnants of the once great Lake

Bonneville, a Pleistocene-era lake that once covered most of present-day Utah and even extended

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

into Idaho and Nevada (Commonly). The lake is responsible for the saltwater found in the Great

Salt Lake as well as the halite depositions found at Bonneville Salt Flats. The remnants of

ancient shorelines can also be seen at the flats and in other areas around the valley. This report

will detail the geologic history of Lake Bonneville and the geographic formations that the ancient

lake has left behind.

Lake Bonneville was formed primarily from Earths most recent Ice Age. As the Ice Age

was coming to an end, massive amounts of water pooled into what became Lake Bonneville. At

its largest, the lake was over 1000 feet deep and covered an area of approximately 20,000 square

miles (Ives). Between 16,000 and 17,000 years ago, Lake Bonneville over flowed through Red

Rock Pass and began to empty into the Snake River canyon, forming the Snake River in present-

day Idaho. The Bonneville Flood was a catastrophic event causing massive amounts of erosion to

occur; large basalt boulders from the lake were propelled approximately downstream far from

Red Rock Pass (Malde, 2). The lake would never recover in full from the massive flooding that

took place.

Over the next 600 years the shorelines would eventually stabilize, but the Lake was

starting to evaporate more rapidly as the Earths temperature began to increase (Commonly).

Being a terminal lake, the salinity of the Lake Bonneville began to increase especially after the

flooding at Red Rock Pass and the gradual evaporation of the ancient lake. Quantities of sodium

chloride, magnesium, and potassium became much more concentrated than they had been when

the lake had a greater volume of water (Hunt, 34). This increase of salinity in Lake Bonneville

over a long period of time, and the fact the Great Salt Lake has no outlets, are the causes of the

lakes high salinity (Stephens). In visiting the Great Salt Lake,I noticed the shore lines of the lake

continuing to recede; Antelope Island has become part of the shore rather than an island .

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

Although it was too cold to dive in and test the waters with my own body, fellow associates of

mine have ventured into the lake and speak of how effortless the floating is due the the high

salinity of the water.

In another area where the lake once stretched, water evaporated almost completely. In a

closed basin close to the present-day Utah-Nevada border, large quantities of salts once found in

Lake Bonneville have been deposited on the former lake bed forming the Bonneville Salt Flats.

In addition to the ancient salts deposited here, the shallow water table present underneath the

flats brings more salts through the rising of groundwater during the winter months and

subsequently evaporates in the warmer summer months (Wilkerson). This continuous cycle gives

the flats its stark white crust appearing clean and unblemished after thousands of years. While

visiting the flats I decided to taste a small piece of the salt from the flats and it did taste like table

salt. I also immediately noticed the astounding lack of any life aside from the visitors to the area.

Realizing that the crust of the Bonneville Salt Flats is primarily composed of halite (sodium

chloride) and know that sodium and chloride are both toxic to plants in concentrated quantities,

the salt flats are incapable of supporting plant life. Some small quantities of daring vegetation

stake a claim on the outskirts of the flats and the concentration of salt in the soil and on the

surface begin to lessen. As I looked to the mountains found north and northwest of the rest area

where I stopped to observe the flats, I noticed horizontal lines on the mountains. I came to find

that these line on the mountains are further evidence of Lake Bonneville, its shorelines being

carved into the mountain by past waves that must have existed thousands of years ago (Mason,

10). Though the main body of the once great lake has been greatly reduced, we can still observe

the evidence of this once great body of water.

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

Historically, the Great Salt Lake has been used recreationally by society for boating and

swimming via marina at the south shore. At one point, the Saltair was a stunning resort on the

shore of the lake that attracted many people for vacations, but with the continuing evaporation of

the lake, the Saltair is only used as a concert venue and is relatively far away from the shore.

Many tourists still come to see the sunset views that can be witness from the lakeshore at dusk.

The Bonneville Salt Flats have been used for racing in the past and many speed records have

been set there. Racers favor the raceway due to how far the flats extend. Apart from racing,

travelers on the I-80 stop to take pictures of the flats and take advantage of the areas impressive

flatness by creating depth-defying images. No visitors center marks the flats, just a simple sign

indicating the sign and a rest stop.

Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats

Commonly Asked Questions About Utahs Great Salt Lake & Lake Bonneville.
Utah Geological Survey, Utah Geologic Survey, geology.utah.gov/popular/general-
geology/great-salt-lake/commonly-asked-questions-about-utahs-great-salt-lake-
lake-bonneville/#toggle-id-4.

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

Source contains information about the formation of Lake Bonneville. The geographic
size and history of the lake is listed. The source conveys general information about the
formation of the Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Includes information
regarding salinity of the Great Salt Lake comparative to other bodies of salt water.

Hunt, C. B., Thomas, H. E., & Varnes, H. D. (1953). Lake Bonneville: Geology of
Northern Utah Valley, Utah (pp. 34-37) (United States of America, Department Of
The Interior). Washington: US Government Printing Office.
The is a report published by the United States Geologic Survey. The source presents a
thorough geologic history of northern Utah up until the publication date. The report
reports on the salinity changes in Lake Bonneville over time.

Ives, Ronald L. a. (1948). The Outlet of Lake Bonneville. The Scientific Monthly,
(6), 415.
Provides insight to the size of Lake Bonneville and the scale of the Bonneville flood.
Source details the outlets that lead to the disappearance of Lake Bonneville. Sources
mentions erosional and depositional processes that came from the drainage of the lake.
Examines the effects of drainage within the state of Utah and other surrounding states.

Malde, H. E. (1968). The Catastrophic Late Pleistocene Bonneville flood in the

Snake River plain, Idaho: a study of colossal features of erosion and deposition
produced along the Snake River by sudden overflow of Lake Bonneville (United
States of America, Department Of The Interior). Washington: U.S. Govt. Print.
A report published by the United States Geologic Survey. This source discusses the
fallout from the Bonneville Flood. Examines new discoveries of geologic processes
associated with the Bonneville Flood. Article focuses on the erosion and deposition that
occurred in the Snake River as a result of the Bonneville Flood.

Mason, J. L., & Kipp, K. L. (1998). Hydrology of the Bonneville Salt Flats,
northwestern Utah, and simulation of Groundwater flow and solute transport in
the shallow-brine aquifer (United States of America, Department Of The Interior).
Washington, DC: U.S. G.P.O.

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

This report was published by the Department of the Interior of the United States. The
report focuses on the existing hydrology of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Details composition
of groundwater found in the aquifer below the flats. The report also details the
composition of the deposits of the flats themselves.

Stephens, D. W., & Gardner, J. (n.d.). Great Salt Lake, Utah [Pamphlet]. Salt Lake
City, UT: United States Geologic Survey.
A pamphlet from the United States Geologic Survey. Relays the size of Salt Lake. Gives
a brief geologic background of the lake. Details reasons why individuals can float in the
lake.

Wilkerson, C. (2012, September 3). GeoSights: Bonneville Salt Flats, Tooele

County. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://geology.utah.gov/map-
pub/survey-notes/geosights/bonneville-salt-flats/
Source gives a basic explanation of the Bonneville Salt Flats. The site, published by the
US Geologic Survey notes the cycle of evaporation and deposition. Site lists basic
composition of the salt found at the flats. This site conveys the physical location of the
flats relative to present days cities and landmarks.

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

The Mountains to the North of the Bonneville Salt Flats show evidence of Lake Bonnevilles Shoreline.

Evidence of continuing erosion and deposition at the flats, most likely from ground water.

The entire floor of the Bonneville Salt Flats is covered in salt, primarily Halite.

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

No vegetation grows near the salt flats, as the soil has high concentrations of sodium and chloride.

The hills to the south of the Great Salt Lake also show evidence of the Lake Bonneville shoreline.

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Remnants of Lake Bonneville

While looking at Antelope Island from the south shore of the Salt Lake,it is evident that the shoreline continues to
recede.