Great Salt Lake: A Remnant of Lake Bonneville in the Great Basin Desert

Great Salt Lake: A Remnant of Lake Bonneville in the Great Basin Desert

The Great Salt Lake lies in the northern part of the Great Basin Desert, which spans Nevada, Utah, and Oregon. It is a terminal lake (no outlet) and the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere. It is the remnant of Lake Bonneville, a massive prehistoric freshwater lake that covered ~52,000 km² during the last Ice Age (~30,000–14,000 years ago). As the climate warmed, Lake Bonneville evaporated and shrank, leaving the Great Salt Lake and other remnants (Sevier Lake, Utah Lake). The lake's high salinity (5–27%, vs. 3.5% ocean) results from evaporation concentrating minerals with no outflow. It supports unique extremophile ecosystems (brine shrimp, flies, migratory birds).