Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake Latest News

As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, scientists are uncovering mysterious groundwater-fed oases hidden beneath its drying lakebed.

About Great Salt Lake

  • It is a saline lake located in northern Utah, United States.
  • It is the largest inland body of salt water in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most saline inland bodies of water in the world.
  • The lake is fed by the Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers and has no outlet.
  • The lake has fluctuated greatly in size, depending on the rates of evaporation and the flow of the rivers that feed it. 
  • Its surface area has varied from about 6,200 sq.km. at its highest levels in 1873 and the mid-1980s to about 2,300 sq.km. at its lowest level in 2022. 
  • It has a length of 120 km and a maximum width of 45 km. 
  • The lake reaches an average depth of 4.9 m and a maximum depth of 10 m. 
  • Like the Dead Sea, the Great Salt Lake exists within an arid environment and has chemical characteristics similar to that of the oceans. 
  • It has a much greater salinity than the oceans, however, since natural evaporation exceeds the supply of water from the rivers feeding the lake.
  • Surrounded by great stretches of sand, salt land, and marsh, the Great Salt Lake remains eerily isolated from the nearby cities, towns, and other human habitations.
  • The salts are primarily sodium chloride, but there are also sulfates, magnesium, and potassium.

Source: SD

Great Salt Lake FAQ's

Q1: The Great Salt Lake is located in which country?

Ans: United States

Q2: Which rivers feed the Great Salt Lake?

Ans: The lake is fed by the Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers.

Q3: Why is the Great Salt Lake considered similar to the Dead Sea?

Ans: Both are hypersaline and exist in arid regions.

Enquire Now